Our Wider Curriculum

Personal Development Curriculum Aims:

The aim of Eastlea’s Personal Development Curriculum is to provide our students with a variety of learning experiences that support both their personal development and well-being. The curriculum permeates across the school and extends beyond the academic, technical or vocational curriculum and also exists in the everyday interactions that students experience around the school.

Our aims are that it provides for our students’ broader development, enabling them to:

• evolve and discover their interests and talents
• learn how to keep themselves safe and make healthy life choices
• be guided in their long-term plans and decisions so that they can have, and realise, their high aspirations

In particular, much of the content is designed to raise aspirations, broaden students’ Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC) experience, increase their awareness around Relationship Sex Health Education (RSHE), their Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) related issues, and to provide relevant and up-to-date Career Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG).

How is the Personal Development Curriculum delivered?

The Personal Development Curriculum is delivered through morning tutor time, termly extended tutor sessions, assemblies, ‘Thoughts of the Week’, parents/carers information evenings and through themed events and celebrations.

• PSHE

  Our PSHE and RSHE programmes are tailored to meet our students’ needs and are appropriate to their age. These programmes are delivered tutor programme as two, 30 minute sessions per week by the students tutors across Year 7 to Year 11.  We have written these directly after the consultation with students, parents, staff and outside agencies so that they meet the needs of our students at Eastlea and we have ensured that the themes are age appropriate, and meets the needs of our students. This overall curriculum has been scrutinised by Ofsted (2023), Newham Community Learning Trust (2022-2023) and an external review by Dr. Jo Sell – all of which praised the scope, content, ambition and presentation of our curriculum. Further details can be found on the PSHE option. 

• SMSC

  SMSC will be delivered through elements of all subjects across our academic curriculum, particularly in Religious Education, PSHE and in Tutor Time as well as weekly assemblies and other weekly/monthly events. 

• CEIAG

  Our CEIAG programme provides activities appropriate to age and need. It aims to provide students with the best possible foundation on which to base not only their post-16 choices following Year 11, but also their options for GCSE subjects in Year 9.  The majority of the careers and financial education takes place through PSHE where there are 72 dedicated sessions as well as additional sessions that aim to improve students future employability. In addition, more personalised sessions take place on a 1:1 basis with our Career Advisor, as well as providing dedicated assemblies, Parents/Carers information evenings, college and university visits and careers fairs. 

• Citizenship

  Citizenship education develops knowledge, skills and understanding that our students need to play a full part in society as active and responsible citizens.   This has been incorporated into our extensive PSHE curriculum where there are dedicated Citizenship topics, as well as additional supporting sessions where appropriate In our dedicated Citizenship sessions, our students learn about politics, parliamentary procedures and voting as well as human rights, justice, the law and the economy. Through the supporting sessions, they learn about media, propaganda, British values and wider society. There are also 2 dedicated units within the Geography curriculum focusing on pressure groups and personal action. Further citizenship skills and knowledge are delivered through weekly assemblies, ‘Thoughts of the Week’, our School Council and Student Leadership opportunities.