Personal Development

At Bardwell School, personal development is key to unlocking each pupil’s full potential. By building confidence, independence, and resilience, pupils develop the skills they need to thrive. A well-rounded approach to personal development—encompassing social skills, emotional well-being, and life skills—creates a strong foundation for success. When pupils feel valued, understood, and empowered, their engagement in learning increases, leading to significant improvements in achievement. At Bardwell, personal development is not an add-on; it is embedded in every aspect of the curriculum, ensuring that every child is supported to reach their highest aspirations.

We spark our students’ interests when they join our school, focused on building future pathways. We do this through:

• Providing opportunities to be curious and explore the world around them
• Emphasise the importance of community involvement and our students’ place in it
• Empowering them to showcase their strengths and passions

Examples of this include:

• Fostering leadership skills, through team work, a role model ethos and class and whole school jobs such as lunch delivery and Den responsibility.
• Work experience, both in school and externally e.g Tennis Leaders and Tesco
• Life Skills is a key area of the curriculum, including Cooking, Travel and Shopping
• Exploring, investigating and sharing experiences
• Working with a range of professionals