Personal Development
Our Vision for Personal Development:
At SST, we strive to prepare our students for their future as responsible, kind citizens who are willing to make a valued, positive contribution to society with an appreciation of diversity and a respect for British Values and equality.
We provide all of our students with a wide variety of rich and varied experiences and opportunities through our curriculum to develop and grow their talents, interests and as individuals. We ensure that our careers and employability provision is worthy of acclaim and our Leadership programme enables our students to engage, inspire and achieve.
We recognise that it is important that our students know how to keep themselves safe and how to care for both their mental and physical wellbeing whilst they also develop personal traits, and virtues that will motivate and guide our students to flourish in their community and in the SST family, with confidence and resilience.
Our Personal Development priorities:
For our Founding cohort, the need was obvious from the beginning that the students needed a nurturing approach due to missing so much of their final, primary year. The Head of Year and Director of Student Development worked together to ensure a sense of community was developed…the SST family was born. Different approaches and initiatives were carefully planned to ensure the students were less anxious and they had the support they needed to settle into life at secondary school. Bespoke form time activities, House competitions, family quizzes, sporting events, assemblies, team competitions were all planned to ensure the students always felt happy and safe and enjoyed coming to school.
Once at school, staff always greeted the pupils as they arrive at school and all staff are encouraged to spend additional time with the students in the restaurant talking about lessons, interests and their learning as they enjoy their meals to create a further sense of community.
Programme of annual events
Term 1
- Sporting events – fixtures and tournaments
- Inter-House Sports tournaments
- Empower Day
- Prefect programme launched for all
- Information Evenings
- School Photos
- Stem challenge day
- Open Events
Term 2:
- Sporting events – fixtures and tournaments
- Inter-House Sports tournaments
- Empower Day
- SST Remembrance Ceremony
- Anti-Bullying Week
- Maths Week
- World Prematurity Day
- DofE Awards Ceremony
- Drama Showcase
- SST Christmas Dinner Day
- Christmas Jumper Day
- Christmas Concert at SST
- Leeds Castle Christmas Concert
Term 3:
- Sporting events – fixtures and tournaments
- Inter-House Sports tournaments
- Empower Day
- Year 7 Consultation Evening
- Year 10 Consultation Evening
- Spotlight Concert
- Holocaust Remembrance Day
- Year 8 Book Launch and author visit
- Safer internet day
- International day of women in Science
- World Cancer Day - Non-Uniform
Term 4:
- Sporting events – fixtures and tournaments
- Inter-House Sports tournaments
- Empower Day
- Year 9 Option Evening
- Year 9 Consultation Evening
- National Careers week
- British Science Week
- Year 8 Science Fair
- World Book Day
- Easter Bake Sale
Term 5:
- Sporting events – fixtures and tournaments
- Inter-House Sports tournaments
- Empower Day
- Spring Concert
- Year 8 Options Evening
- Year 8 Consultation Evening
- New Cohort Transition events begin
- School Production
- Non-Uniform Day
- Duke of Edinburgh expedition
Term 6:
- Sporting events – fixtures and tournaments
- Inter-House Sports tournaments
- Empower Day
- Sports Day
- Pride Month
- Pride Non-Uniform
- Year 10 Work Experience Week
- Duke of Edinburgh expedition
- Open Events
- Taster day
- Student Achievement Awards
PSHEE lessons
Our PSHEE lessons take place during form time on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays - dependent on assemblies. All students continue to have one weekly PSHEE lesson each week in form time. The Heads of Years work collaboratively with LMA to plan and develop bespoke sessions for the students focussing on areas of the PD curriculum and current issues arising e.g. road safety for students when they are cycling to school.
The SST PSHEE curriculum incudes (please see the overview for further break down of each area) :
· Keeping Safe
· Online life and media
· Emotional and mental health
· Health and Fitness
· Relationships
· Sexual Health
· Future choices and money
· Values, rights, & responsibilities
· Personal skills development
· Settling into life at secondary school
· Making friends and positive relationships
· Budgeting and finance
· Protected characteristics
· Fundamental British values - lessons and quiz
· Health and hygiene
· Careers
· Finance
Empower Days
Our special event days began as “SST Power Days" but following a suggestion from a member of staff, quickly became “SST Empower Days”.
Empower Day 1- Safety and First Aid
Empower Day 2- Diversity
Empower Day 3- Careers
Empower Day 4- Health and Fitness
Empower Day 5- Reform, Restore and Respect
Empower Day 6- Enterprise
Unifrog has now been implemented across the school for all pupils; we have offered our students career workshops and career resources which they can access in the new careers hub.
There are different oracy opportunities provided in all lessons each week (and in particular during Empower Days) to discuss the different skills needed in the world of employment and discussions about Career Development are included in form time and PD assemblies.
Assemblies
Assemblies are an important part of the personal development curriculum at SST Maidstone. Assemblies allow the whole year group to get together to explore a set theme.
Assemblies at SST are centred around a menu of one of the 6 Cs including:
· Curriculum – An assembly exploring the Macro theme for the term, or a specific curriculum project.
· Character – An assembly focused on an aspect of the Personal Development curriculum.
· Choices – An assembly exploring choices students can make to specific or real-world problems and the implications of these choices.
· Current Affairs – An assembly based on a specific day, such as International Women’s Day, or a news topic.
· Celebration – An assembly which celebrates achievement, effort, and kindness.
· Communication – An assembly which explores skills in oracy, exploring any one of the 6 key foci.
At times, whole school assemblies will take place to allow the whole school community to get together and explore an area of one of the 6 Cs.
Form time at SST
A weekly routine is followed during tutor time to help support students as they grow and embrace life at secondary school.
A students typical week will include:
- A literacy session focussing on the word of the week. This allows students opportunities to explore the root of language.
- A further literacy session focussed on reading for pleasure. This can include a tutor reading with their tutor group from a book or from a news website such as The Day.
- An assembly focussing on one of the 6 Cs (see Assemblies).
- A PSHE session focussing on the theme of the term. This can include a variety of topics such as online safety or budgeting (see PSHE).
Extra-curricular programme at SST
At SST, we have over 40 clubs including: Homework, Rugby, Football, Rowing, Trampolining, Badminton, Table tennis, Netball, Cooking, Gardening, Quizlet, Newspaper, British Sign Language, Creative writing, Film, Choir, Upper and Lower Year Drum, Globe detectives, Drawing, and many more.
Facts and figures:
- Currently 85% of students attend one club in school;
- Most popular club is football with 35% of students attending;
- 14% of students attend the choir club.
Roles and responsibilities
Van Beales – Executive Headteacher
Ryan Royston - Head of School
Gilly Gidley – Deputy Headteacher & Lead of Personal Development
Jo Rodell-Jones - Deputy Headteacher
Jess Derrick – Assistant Headteacher
Callum Payne – Assistant Headteacher & Head of Year 10
Jess Vincent - Head of Year 9
Josef de Jong - Head of Year 8
Collette Firestone - Head of Year 7
Lisa Marcelle – PSHEE Lead and Senior Mental Health Lead
Helen May - Student Support Manager for Year 8 & 10
Kate Wyper - Student Support Manager for Year 7 & 9
Toolkit of strategies to embed PD in all aspects of school life
- Class discussions
- Student reflections
- Pupil voice
- Parents questionnaires and surveys
Impact and quality assurance – to include ways to assess impact
- Pupil voice meetings
- Pupil feedback surveys
- Parent feedback surveys
- End of term report comments of reflection
- Parent emails
- Pupils attend LG meetings (monthly)
- PD survey
- Grade round reports – reflection and Diploma
- Unifrog reflection
Feedback we are proud of...
Please see below many examples of positive feedback (which we are very proud to share) about Personal Development and SST life from visitors, students and parents:
Thank you Mrs Ryan for producing these wonderful newsletters. I thank all the teachers too for their hard work this term. Please pass on my best wishes to them all - I hope that you all have a wonderful summer. Thank you to all of you for all you do for the children of the school.
I know the girls were very happy to have been chosen to show the families around. You have created such a happy year group, we are so very happy as parents that the girls are at SST. Thank you to you and all of the brilliant staff for all the time, hard work and effort that goes into teaching our children.
I just wanted to pass on the comments from the nursing team in school today to give Year 9 their vaccinations. They commented on how smoothly the whole process ran & how polite our students were.
Our daughter has come home so energised after careers day today. I would be more than happy to come in and talk to the SST students. If there is anything I can ever do to help please just ask. Thank you for everything you have done this year, our daughter is so happy and from what we see doing well.
I love how SST is like a big family and so protective too. Our daughter was very impressed by the Prematurity Day celebration which she proudly celebrated being a 3 months premature baby herself. Now she’s looking forward to the White Ribbon Day.
I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed the school concert last night. All the children did so well. Thank you to Mr Heaton for all his hard work in putting this together and all the other teachers that helped. Also for giving my daughter an opportunity to do a solo part in the final. It brought a tear to all our eyes and we could not have been prouder.
I wanted to feed back to the Year 7 teachers how impressed I was by the passion, dedication and friendliness they displayed at the Year 7 Parents Evening. Our daughter does not have a lot of confidence and it was great for her to hear that she is actually doing well, every teacher knew her, and every teacher had something positive and encouraging to say to her. There was a lovely vibe going on and I came away really happy that she attends the school. Thank you for all of your hard work!
Thank you so much. I would like to add that you have a lovely school with well-mannered and engaged students, it was an absolute pleasure to deliver our Think Choice Programme.
It's always nice to hear how our son is doing. He loves being at SST and we are very proud of him.
I just wanted to let you know what a great job two of your students are doing with volunteer litter picking for the community each weekend. They are carrying out litter picking as an activity towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award. As a parish council we supply several volunteers with the appropriate equipment and with this the students are heading out in all weathers to collect litter, they have collected so much I have had to provide them with more bags! It is so lovely to see young people take pride in where they live and want to improve their community.
Thank you so much for allowing us to visit you yesterday. The students were excellent hosts and we have received a couple of emails this morning from our sponsors praising them as well so they should be very proud. -
KM Charity Team / Inspire Schools
It's hugely encouraging that this attentive, empathic and responsible side of our son is flourishing in school. We want to thank you for nurturing those qualities and values in the school's culture. Our thanks also to you and your colleagues for supporting him in his learning and personal growth during these precious years in school.
Thank you so much for the effort you put into the school to make it a happy, safe place. I enjoy every minute of it and have never had a bad day because of the warmth from all students and staff, we owe it to you all. I wish you wonderful Christmas full of fun and laughter. Make the most of time with family and once again on behalf of the whole school, Thank you. - Student
I just wanted to let you know that I have heard some very positive comments from East Borough parents about the SST Open events this term. They have all been very impressed with what they have seen.
An even more impressive endorsement came from one of your Year 9 pupils. He said it was the best school ever, with particular praise for the Product Design department. Mum said that she was so pleased that they made the decision to send him to you. She couldn’t believe how much he was actually even talking to me for a start!
Thank you again for all your support and thank you for your part in creating such a caring and family culture at SST.
Dear Teachers, thank you for supporting us and helping us train for the Gallagher match. We all really enjoyed it and are very grateful for your support. - Student
Thank you Mr Lee, Mrs Gidley and Mr Regan I loved doing the assembly! It was really fun and made me think more about how autistic people live there life, thank you. - Student
Thank you so much for all of your support yesterday and during our time at SST. The support and kindness you showed our daughter yesterday was incredible and we all appreciate it. Thank you for knowing her well enough to know what she is really like and for looking after her.
David was so proud that his design was chosen for the medal and he was so excited to tell us all about the ceremony and assembly.
From the pictures we have seen on Twitter, we think that all at SST have done an excellent job and should be very proud of the Remembrance ceremony and all that you did at school today.
Thank you for all you do for the children.
I would just like to email to thank yourself and the staff involved in last night’s information evening.
The sessions that I attended were very informative and I came away feeling a little bit more in the loop of my sons life at school.
It was clear to see that the teachers genuinely have the students best interests at heart.
I can see why my son Rowan loves Sst!
May I take this opportunity to say that the evening has reaffirmed for me that Rowan is in a school where he will be nurtured and encouraged in the best possible way for him.
Rowan is now in year 8 but we still consider ourselves very fortunate that he is able to attend such an amazing school.
My son, Jake, started yesterday in year 7. I just wanted to say how impressed I was with the welcome he received. The singing and the drumming and the teachers we spoke to all made it a lovely experience for him. It’s so important to have such a positive and memorable experience and I really feel all the new students had this. Could you please pass my thanks on to whoever was involved in making it such a success.
I just wanted to say thank you very much for taking the time to let us know how Reuben has been getting on; we are so delighted that he’s had such a positive impact and and has been so helpful during the Summer School. He has loved every bit of it and has come back daily with a real joy from having been entrusted to encourage his younger peers and support the teachers alike.
Thank you for opening up this opportunity for him to be part of the Summer School, it is really helping to shape the young leader in him. He is excited to have met some of the new Year 7’s and has made friends that I know he will look out for comes September.
The Summer School I’m sure was a lot fo work for the teachers and staff alike, and as parents my husband and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you wholeheartedly for everything you are doing for the students. We shall continue being your biggest encouragers as the year unfolds!
Huge thanks for such warm words about Andrejs. I really value your care and support for Andrejs. Also, I would like to express my gratitude to you and other members of the school for your great care about the students of SST. I am very happy that Andrejs is a part of SST.
Thank you so much for your email. Means so much to us to hear your words of encouragement and delight with Tyler. He enjoys being around you he says it all the time. Loves being at sst and is determined always to try his best and we too are very proud of him and so impressed with all the staff there that have helped him settle into secondary school with confidence. For all you do and have done for all the children during this past testing year for all we would like to say a special thank you.
Keep up the great work you are doing. I'm sure it is going to be a very successful and desirable school to attend.
I just wanted to say how much my daughter has enjoyed this week. From day one she walked through the door with a big smile on her face.
She has made new friends, learnt new and interesting things and feels more confident now about starting secondary school in September.
This is exactly what I hoped she would get out of this experience. We couldn't be more pleased.
So a very big thank you from us to all the teachers and organisers for making this such a good experience for her.
I was so proud watching my daughter tonight. If you would have asked me, even a few months ago, I would never have imagined that she would speak in front of so many people, and so well (I am a bit biased).
It’s definitely a huge thankyou for us to SST and all the staff, for giving her this confidence and believing in her to speak publicly.
We constantly thank our lucky stars that both our children got a place at SST given how popular it is and how small your catchment area now is.
You have created such a happy year group, well the bunch I see anyway, we are so very happy as parents that the girls are at SST.
Samuel really enjoyed doing the tours and felt such pride in showing the families around the school. Thank you for giving Samuel such a lovely opportunity.
I would like to say a big thank you for everything you have done to make the school the place it is now. You all have made everyday at SST enjoyable and I have loved every minute of it. Enjoy the summer with family and friends and make sure you make the best of it (you only live once). Thanks again.
Thank you also for making Year 7 as easy as possible as a transition to secondary school. We feel Joshua settled so quickly into school and appreciate support given where needed.
Our daughter is incredibly proud to be able to represent SST. We are so proud of her as well, she works so hard and takes pride in everything she does. This really is the most perfect school for her.
Elizabeth is incredibly happy at SST, she has referred to SST as her dream school, she says deciding to go there has been the best decision she has ever made. I have seen such a change in Elizabeth since she started at SST, she had a difficult year 6 with a very negative and discouraging teacher, since joining SST she has become so much more confident and is really enjoying her school life, it is so lovely to see her like that. She even volunteered to help at one of the open days last year, talking to parents and prospective pupils, this is something she never would have done previously. She even misses going to school in the holidays.
I would like to say thank you to you and all the teachers for the work you are doing, the environment you have created is one that is caring, supportive and allows the pupils to be the best they can, Elizabeth is not afraid to try and give things a go, something she wouldn't done her last school.
Thank you for giving our son these great opportunities. Funnily enough my husband and I have just been talking about his football and how he is going from strength to strength. We like you are so proud of him and all he has achieved at SST this year. He still absolutely loves it! Thank you again for everything you do. You make schooling so easy for us as parents!
