The personal development of all our students is at the heart of our curriculum and reflects the objectives set out in our whole school  intent.

We strive to ensure that pupils leave Ovingham Middle School as mature, confident and articulate young people, well prepared and ready for the next phase of their education and for life in modern Britain. Personal development is embedded in many aspects of school life and encompasses both the formal, taught curriculum and wider opportunities and experiences for our students. We offer a wealth of opportunities which enable our students to develop their interests and talents, and to flourish as young people. We aim to develop the qualities and attributes that pupils need to succeed as individuals and members of society by producing well-rounded pupils who are responsible, respectful and who contribute to all aspects of school life and the wider community.

Pupils have access to a wide range of extra-curricular activities and adventurous and cultural residential opportunities. They are given responsibility and are encouraged to contribute and make a difference during their time at OMS. We broaden horizons and raise aspirations through enterprise and careers education and opportunities across the curriculum in line with Gatsby Benchmarks.

PSHE

Our bespoke PSHE curriculum provides a spiral approach to develop knowledge, skills and attributes, where prior learning is revisited, reinforced and extended year on year. At Ovingham Middle School, we believe that social and interpersonal skills are vital, and that emotional literacy and positive mental health are key to young people thriving in school and later on in their own lives. Therefore, woven throughout our PSHE curriculum is a strong focus on developing these personal attributes in a structured, age-appropriate and developmental way so that our pupils become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.

During key stage 2, we offer both explicit and implicit learning opportunities and experiences which reflect pupils’ increasing independence and physical and social awareness, as they move through the primary phase. Our PSHE curriculum helps pupils to manage the physical and emotional changes at puberty, introduces our students to a wider world and enables them to make an active contribution to their communities.

At key stage 3, our students build on the knowledge and understanding, skills, attributes and values they have acquired and developed during the primary phase. We acknowledge and address the changes that young people experience, beginning with transition to secondary school, the challenges of adolescence and their increasing independence. Our curriculum aims to develop knowledge and skills which will equip our students with opportunities and challenges of life. Students learn to manage diverse relationships, their online lives, and the increasing influence of peers and the media.

Embedded throughout the PSHE curriculum are our HEART (Honesty, Excellence, Acceptence/Tolerence, Resilience and Teamwork) values. Our key aims are to help pupils to become honest global citizens who really know and value who they are and how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world. We want pupils that are respectful, accepting and tolerant of others and who celebrate differences; citizens who can work together with others and who are resilient, can challenge themselves to strive for excellence, aim high and be the best they can be at all times.