At St. Augustine’s, Personal Development is an integral part of our vision & an area where we are judged as ‘Outstanding’. Through our academic curriculum, bespoke Pastoral Programme, our Trauma Informed approach and our Student Leadership opportunities, St Augustine’s students have multiple opportunities to learn from a range of external speakers, on issues from male mental health, diversity, equality, sustainability and from Holocaust survivors. Our Year 12-13 students also participate in a wide range of trips to locations such as Lords Cricket Ground, London Zoo, the Royal Academy and the Houses of Parliament amongst many more. We are incredibly proud of the broad range of extra-curricular & work-related learning opportunities we offer.
Two of our current Year 13 Prefects commented – “The opportunities provided outside the classroom is one of the main reasons I chose to stay at St Augustine’s. You are given so many options in Year 12, including a whole range of careers you might never even have realised exist like working in politics or construction! Additionally, I have been given the chance to become a Prefect, working with and supporting younger students. This has been brilliant for my own leadership development and confidence moving forward to university, but I also hope I have given something back to the community too.”
Another Year 12 student who joined in 2024 stated – “I knew there was something special about the Sixth Form opportunities when, as soon as I joined, I was invited to join both the Wellbeing and Eco committees. I have ended up being involved in both and leading assemblies on a whole range of topics connected with these areas. This has greatly helped my confidence in speaking publicly and in working with students and teachers across the school.”
The role of PSHCE within Personal Development
Through our wide ranging and diverse PSHCE curriculum, our students develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe in today’s world. Carefully planned PSHCE programmes in KS3-KS5 have an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. We provide a safe & secure environment in which questions can be asked, inviting students to discuss controversial or sensitive issues within the classroom, ensuring all teachers are trained in current affairs and issues impacting on our young people. We aim to promote an environment where active listening, with healthy debate and discussion, is respected by all.
The PSHCE curriculum continues to develop in accordance with the PSHE association guidelines and government advice. We also take into consideration student voice, teacher voice and the overall needs and interests of our students, as discussed with our Directors of Learning for each year group. The curriculum also fits in line with the National Curriculum for Citizenship, as our topics, “help to provide pupils with knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play and full and active life in society.” Integrating the thoughts and expertise of both our teachers and students is critical to us. They know which issues are impacting them, and we aim to ensure the curriculum is tailored to their needs. Recent workshops for the Sixth Form have included a focus on consent and relationships. This was implemented in response to student voice, with sixth formers wanting to be fully prepared for life at university and in the world of work.
Overall, the personal development curriculum encompasses all we are as a school. We aim to ‘be our best’ through a trauma informed approach. By encouraging emotional development and intelligence across our community, our students are able to take advantage of the vast range of extra-curricular opportunities, supporting their development as the leaders of tomorrow.
Extended Curriculum Opportunities
We are hugely proud of the extracurricular and extended curriculum offering at St Augustine’s. From sport to music, art to debating, there really is something for everyone. We believe that every student has the right to pursue something they are interested in and passionate about. If students come to us with an idea, we will do all we can to facilitate this and make it happen, often with our students leading it! Our subject teams lead a wide range of trips out, as well as bringing in fantastic guest speakers from diverse backgrounds, ensuring that our students are exposed to as many experiences as possible throughout their time in school.
In the last year, we have seen trips to London Zoo (Geography), Tate Britain, the Whitechapel Galleries, the National Gallery and Tate Modern (Art), Parliament and the Supreme Court (Politics) and walking tours of Southwark and the South Bank (EAL/SEND). These subject trips offer a fantastic opportunity for our students to consolidate their classroom learning, taking full advantage of our inner London location. These trips are complemented by in school activities, from social Sketch Ups to tie in with our wider focus on wellbeing, our incredible RS Drop Down Days with our sixth form, focusing on ethics, philosophy and questioning – ‘How do we acquire knowledge and where does it come from?’ ‘Should AI Judges replace our current judiciary?’
In addition to these offerings, our student leadership programme ensures that over 100 students are school leaders. This may be as a Form Captain or Deputy, representing their form at the half termly School Council meetings, one of the committees (Charity, Wellbeing, Eco or Sport- see Student Leadership Opportunities for more details on these groups,) as a Sixth Form Prefect representing one of the school’s nine values, or in supporting our subject teams through an academic society. Our student leaders have provided an additional layer of extra-curricular opportunities, including Debating Club with our Year 7s and the primary school, the Hope Newsletter, edited and produced by a group of our Year 12 students, charity football tournaments and fitness challenges, not to mention our annual Big Bake Sale for Children in Need, our ‘Just Listen’ wellbeing club and our International celebrations, reflective of our wonderfully diverse and inclusive community.
