“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” Aristotle

We encourage all of our students to have a thirst for knowledge and to be considerate for our community striving for these values through a knowledge rich curriculum. It is recognised that the development of students, morally, socially and culturally plays a significant part in their learning. Our aim is to develop citizens that want to create a society that is for the benefit of all. The students in our care are going to leave us into a very uncertain world where potential changes to life are going to be like nothing experienced before. We firmly believe that exam results alone will not prepare them fully for this uncertain future and that personal development is the other half of real education.

Education goes beyond academic learning. It incorporates knowledge from a range of subjects but also knowledge of our world and of wider issues and how to ensure we are our best selves.

We therefore aim to provide an education that provides students with opportunities within our curriculum that explore and develop their own values, whilst recognising that those of others may differ.

The personal development curriculum will cover a wide range of topics including how to lead a healthy lifestyle and having good mental health, how to cultivate healthy relationships through school life and beyond and how to positively contribute to communities at a local, national and international level.  Students will be encouraged to think logically and maturely about wider issues and how to make sound decisions which support their beliefs and values, with coherent reasoning behind these.

Growing and developing student character is an integral part of the curriculum, with outstanding wider personal development dovetailing rigorous academic challenge. Whilst ‘character’ can sometimes be considered a complex concept, all students at Newfield are relentlessly encouraged to be self-motivated by their own ambitious goals, linking effort and strength to successful outcomes in the long-term and overcoming, persevering with and learning from challenges in a resilient manner when necessary.  Students will learn positive moral attributes such as honesty, kindness and respect and in doing so, have the social confidence and ability to both listen attentively to others and to speak with passion to an audience about their opinions and ideas.  Strong links between self-control, self-regulation and independent learning will be communicated to students that marries these attributes to an increase in their future attainment and personal well-being.  A combination of such skills in developing positive relationships within themselves and with others allows Newfield students the opportunity to begin to put down deep roots and gives them stability in their future endeavours.

We want Newfield students to be curious: to find out the truth and the facts, seeing through political and media bias.

We want Newfield students to be committed: the future does look bleak but it doesn’t have to be, our students can be the force of change. They can be the ones that see the impact that their actions have on others and the climate. They are the ones that can be committed to creating a better future.

This can only be achieved through a personal development curriculum that recognises the value of the individual, and the impact that they can have, within a society that sees the better good as more important than individual gain. An understanding of the world, its politics and the ways that life can be preserved is essential and we are in the privileged position of supporting and nurturing our young people to gain this. To create global citizens intent on seeing a better future for the planet and humankind. That is what we at Newfield see as the personal development curriculum. Not to tell them what to think but to empower them to make informed decisions where empathy and a collective responsibility is seen as the right thing to do.

We want Newfield students to be considerate: to care for the human race as a whole and to ensure that this beautiful planet is there for future generations to enjoy. To do that will mean that sacrifices are made now but for the better good. This will take commitment, courage and strength of character that our personal development education will aim to support.