At New River College, we take a holistic approach to education, and personal development is at the heart of what we offer our students. We understand that for our young people to be successful after they leave us, we need to ensure they are prepared socially, emotionally and mentally for life beyond NRC.
For this, New River College has a comprehensive system which we refer to as the Personal Development Tool. We focus on six key areas:
These key areas are then broken down further into seven subcategories that provide students with one or two specific targets.
Students are initially assessed against these six key areas. We ask feeder schools to input as much as possible so that we are able to welcome the student with a programme designed to meet their needs. Using this information, we set students two targets, which go onto their electronic report card.
Senior leaders, in collaboration with class teachers, support staff, parents and students, will then decide on a range of appropriate personal development sessions.
Throughout the delivery of these sessions, facilitators record students’ progress and this is shared with the Senior Leader Team. NRC staff are assigned to monitor each session and ensure they are appropriate and effective. Alongside this, class teachers complete student report cards and comment on any progress students are making towards their targets.
As a team, we review our students’ progress at the end of every half term. Another assessment is made against the original criteria so that we are able to monitor the impact of the support we have offered. We then review the whole offer and adjust it for the following term where necessary. Stages 2, 3 and 4 are then repeated as part of the Personal Development Cycle.