Personal Development

At Dean Trust Wigan, all pupils are encouraged to be their very best through our mantra of ‘Be Kind, Try Hard’, enabling them to fulfil our vision to ‘Believe in themselves, Achieve their potential, and Succeed in their journey through life.’ Our Personal Development curriculum is carefully designed to develop pupils’ confidence, character, knowledge and skills so that they believe in themselves, achieve both socially and academically, and succeed throughout school and beyond. We have deliberately designed both our culture and our curriculum to create a genuine Community of Belonging, where every pupil is and feels seen and heard; safe, valued, respected and empowered to engage fully in school life and thrive.

Diversity is celebrated and unity promoted though our golden thread of Dean Trust Wigan having a Community of Belonging- ‘Everyone is Welcome here’ and all pupils are seen and heard. This ethos is promoted weekly in assemblies, in staff language, in our graduated response, through our form time personal development curriculum, our Pupil leadership structures, our Extra Curricular and our Super- Curricular programme of events and activities.

Our comprehensive PDC form time curriculum (and linked to this assembly curriculum) focuses on building a Community of Belonging where everyone is seen and heard, where all in our community are equal. We Focus on the Rights of the Child, British Values and Protected Characteristics with pupils taking an active role in applying their understanding of these; through, for example, creating individual form time charters.

Personal Development Curriculum & Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural (SMSC) Development

The Dean Trust’s Personal Development Curriculum encompasses several areas of learning including Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE), Relationship and Sex Education (RSE), Careers Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG), Citizenship and British Values. The Trust’s curriculum is a balanced model of the various priorities as we provide a holistic approach to supporting our learners’ personal development through to adulthood.

The Dean Trust Personal Development Curriculum builds on KS3 RSE and citizenship NC and will teach our pupils to:

Recognise the importance of emotional, physical and sexual health;
Promote their physical and emotional self-worth;
Identify the key features of healthy relationships;
Celebrate diversity and challenge inequalities;
Secure an aspirational future through excellent careers guidance;
Become an active global citizen who engages with our democratic society;

Religious Studies is also taught weekly to all pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9. Elements of Religious Education (RE and RS) are taught amongst Personal Development curriculum during KS4, with the same ethos and delivery that go into RE lessons used here. Pupils are encouraged to think critically and discuss major world issues – such as crime and punishment, or poverty – in a supportive environment.

At Dean Trust Wigan, we provide comprehensive Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) to equip students with the knowledge and skills to manage their academic, personal, and social lives in a positive way. This is delivered within the Personal Development Curriculum.

Rights Respecting schools and the Unicef Rights of the child

Central to our ethos is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which underpins many aspects of school life. We believe that every child has the right to feel and be seen and heard, respected, protected and supported to reach their full potential. Through a rights-respecting approach, pupils learn not only about their own rights but also the responsibilities that accompany them, helping to develop compassionate, respectful and active citizens. Our work particularly reflects Article 2 (Non-discrimination), Article 12 (Respect for the views of the child), Article 28 (Right to education) and Article 29 (Goals of education), ensuring that every pupil is valued regardless of background and is equipped with the knowledge, skills and character needed to contribute positively to society.

We are extremely proud to be one of only 5 secondary schools in the North West to hold a UNICEF Rights Respecting School Gold Award. This nationally recognised award acknowledges schools that place children’s rights at the heart of their values, policies and everyday practice. At Dean Trust Wigan, being Rights Respecting means far more than teaching pupils about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; it means creating a culture where children’s rights are lived and experienced every day. Pupils are encouraged to have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect them, develop positive relationships built on mutual respect, understand the importance of equality and fairness, and become responsible members of both the school and wider community. This rights-respecting culture supports pupils’ wellbeing, strengthens relationships and helps create an inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong.

Diversity is celebrated and unity is promoted through our golden thread of creating a Community of Belonging, where ‘Everyone is Welcome Here.’ Every pupil is seen, heard and valued, regardless of their background, beliefs or individual characteristics. This inclusive ethos is woven throughout school life and is promoted through assemblies, staff interactions, restorative practices, our graduated response, pupil leadership opportunities, enrichment activities and our extensive extra-curricular and super-curricular programme.

Our comprehensive Personal Development Curriculum (PDC), delivered through form time and supported by our assembly programme, provides pupils with the knowledge, understanding and confidence to become informed, respectful and active citizens. The curriculum is firmly rooted in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, British Values and the Equality Act 2010 Protected Characteristics, enabling pupils to understand diversity, challenge discrimination, celebrate difference and appreciate the importance of democracy, respect and individual liberty. Pupils actively apply this learning through opportunities such as creating Rights Respecting Class Charters, participating in pupil leadership roles, leading campaigns, supporting local and global communities, and contributing to decision-making across the school. By embedding children’s rights into everyday learning and school life, we empower every pupil to recognise that their voice matters and that they have the ability to make a positive difference in the world.

British Values

These values are further reinforced across various subjects, including History, Drama, Geography and Religious Studies, supporting pupils to develop a deep understanding of their role as responsible citizens in modern Britain.

Rule of Law

Pupils are supported to be honest, do the right thing, and to follow the rules. This features consistently in our PSHE lessons, is evident in our school rules and routines, and our graduated approach for poor behaviour.

Democracy

The ability to respect rights of others, express our views freely and have them respectfully debated is taught through PSHE, and within the English curriculum. The impact of a lack of democracy is explored through the History and RS curriculums and illustrated through additional activity such as our annual speaker to Year 9 from the Holocaust Memorial Trust. Our Pupil Leadership structure and processes also model democracy in action with Prefects and Form representatives elected by their -peers to advocate on their behalf on issues such as our rewards system, classroom routines and our extra curricular activities programme.

Tolerance

Pupils are taught to appreciate the beliefs, faiths and cultures of others without prejudice or discrimination. This is reflected in our Community of Belonging ethos; everyone is welcome here. We are proud to hold the Rainbow Flag Award - a national quality assurance framework for all schools and colleges. The award focuses on positive LGBTQ+, (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, plus other related identities), inclusion and visibility. We are also one of only 5 secondary schools in the North-West to hold the United Nations Rights Respecting School Silver award.

Our graduated approach to all kinds of discrimination shared in our Reset & Realignment assemblies at the start of every half term. Pupils celebrate their culture and the culture of their peers in our annual pupil led Culture day. Our Assembly schedule includes celebrating key events across different faiths, such as Eid and Diwali. Pupils and staff come together each term in a charity event to raise funds for our local community through our ‘Race to’, ‘I’m a Teacher Get me out of here’ and ‘Challenge Day’ initiatives.

This year we expanded our remit to raise money for Ugandan charity Seeds of Hope. Our end of year Showcase ‘Around the world in 80 days’ enabled pupils to showcase musical and drama talent through the lens of their heritage.

Mutual Respect

Pupils are expected to treat others how we would like to be treated. This is taught explicitly through RS lessons and PSHE lessons (for example, in Y8 RS we learn about the importance of Charity in the Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Jewish faiths). Pupils live this through our mantra ‘Be kind, Try hard’ and are supported by an experienced Pastoral team to understand the need to respect all in our community, including themselves.

Individual Liberty

We strive to ensure pupils understand that we are responsible for our own actions and choices and to pursue our own goals.

Pupils benefit from a comprehensive CEIAG offer which includes a ‘flight path’ across Years 7-11, culminating in a series of Higher Education visits in Y10 and bespoke careers interviews in Years 10 and 11, and at Key Stage three for our SEN pupils. They are supported through the Options process in Year 9 with a careers fair, taster lessons across subjects, a series of assemblies and a bespoke Parents and separate Options evening. Our school routines, rewards and consequence system is clear and consistently enacted, and our curriculum is enhanced by both our Extra and SUper curricular offer.

These values are further reinforced across various subjects, including History, Drama, Geography, and Religious Studies, supporting pupils to develop a deep understanding of their role as responsible citizens in modern Britain.

Pupil Leadership Opportunities

Each year form groups elect two members of their form to the Pupil Council, who then choose Year Reps. The Senior Prefect Team is chosen through an application and interview process. The group regularly conducts pupil voice and feedback to leaders each half term. Assemblies each half term include "You said, we did' feedback to pupils. Recent adaptations as a result of this process include our rewards system, classroom routines and our extra curricular activities programme.

Pupil Ambassador Programme

Pupils from across Years 7-11 can also apply to become Ambassadors, leading on a range of initiatives.

Extra-Curricular Activities

At Dean Trust Wigan we have a high-quality universal ECA offer for all including sport, drama, music, lego and chess. We also offer a range of academic opportunities; creative writing, homework, maths, STEM, Eco and Brilliant club. We also provide funded music and singing lessons for all pupils who express an interest and/or aptitude across KS3 and 4. In response to feedback from our Pupil Leadership Council, we have recently adapted our offer to include more lunchtime clubs, and made reasonable adjustments for our SEN pupils; for example, lego club is held in our ‘quiet zone’ lunchtime space.

We recognise not all pupils access ECA so have improved our Super Curricular offer which is an entitlement to ALL pupils at no cost. All children, without exception, attend the super curricular trips designed to build cultural capital, resilience and character. This offer includes the Museum of Science and Industry, Chester Zoo, Liverpool Cultural tour including to the Anglican Cathedral, and Team building (British Army). We also subside our annual Outward NBound trip to Aberdovey in Key Stage three and our Year 10 Malaga trip.

Pupils engaging with Extra curricular activities helps to support their Rights of the child Article 31 - The right to leisure, play and culture. Pupils have the right to relax, play and participate in cultural, artistic and recreational activities. This directly supports sports clubs, performing arts, creative clubs, trips and enrichment activities.

Manchester United Foundation

Dean Trust Wigan is a key partner school of the Manchester United Foundation, collaborating to provide educational, football, and personal development opportunities for pupils..