Personal Development Central to the personal development of all our young people is the promotion of Social Emotional literacy (Steiner 1997), that underpins all that we do at Oswaldtwistle School. As a team we focus on the promotion and development of pupil self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills and the difference this can make to a young person’s wellbeing and behaviour. At KS3 all students participate in Forest Schools activities one day a week which allows for the promotion social emotional literacy. At both KS3 and KS4, students engage in weekly key worker sessions and mentoring sessions to support their development in this area. We also embrace trauma informed practice and make reasonable adjustments where necessary to meet the needs of our students. We aim to ensure that our school is a safe and happy place where learning is accessible for all. Given our inherently large percentage of Pupil Premium students (often 2/3 times that of mainstream schools) and the high level of vulnerability they often present with, we work tirelessly to help our young people to appreciate the life opportunities available to them. In line with Emily Style’s (1996) notion of the “curriculum as mirror and window” – a mirror for students to be able to identify their own experience with, but also a window to see beyond their own experience to a greater, richer understanding of the world around them; we work hard to promote gains in cultural capital whilst encouraging the development of a host of skills and knowledge that will help them to be the best they can be. In so doing we aim to secure an ambitious and successful transition to their next destination in a safe and healthy manner. In support of this we work hard to develop their awareness of the country in which they live and that of the wider world. We keenly promote SMSC, British Values, the rights of the child as promoted through the Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA), and good mental health and wellbeing. Careers Information and Guidance features prominently along with the promotion of inter-personal skills. Students also access 2 Curriculum for Life lessons a week in which they learn about the multicultural country in which they live and the need for tolerance and respect for fellow citizens regardless of religion and culture. We also focus on the promotion of vocabulary in line with the research carried out by Hart and Risley (1995) who identified disadvantaged students as having far smaller word banks and poorer reading abilities than the general student population. We fiercely believe that improved vocabulary banks will help boost our students’ ability to read and write, thus improving their chances of success. Reading itself is fervently promoted and is a key curriculum feature along with writing and oracy. (see the school’s disciplinary Literacy Policy for more detail). Furthermore, we encourage our students to develop interests and further improve their talents by creating opportunities for them to engage in a variety of cultural enrichment activities, sport related activities, drop down days and lunch time activities, including music. Opportunities to encounter and understand the best of ideas, concepts and human achievements known to man are also promoted through lessons, form time activities, trips, assemblies and drop-down days. To support gains in self-esteem and learning a ‘Growth Mind-set’ (C Dweck 1985) and ‘can do’ culture is promoted in the hope that our students will improve their resilience and ability to cope with an ever-changing world of challenging situations.