Enrichment at Hatfield Peverel Infant and Nursery School

What is Personal Development and Enrichment?

Personal Development (PD) is the planned provision that enables pupils to develop the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours they need to thrive both now and later in life. It prepares pupils for adulthood by promoting character, resilience, wellbeing, healthy relationships, active citizenship and an understanding of the diverse society in which they live.

Personal Development should equip pupils with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values they need to stay safe, build positive relationships, manage their physical and mental wellbeing, make informed and responsible decisions, and participate confidently and respectfully in school and society. Through high-quality Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), Relationships and Health Education (RHE), the wider curriculum and enrichment opportunities pupils are prepared for the responsibilities, opportunities and experiences of later life.

Enrichment should provide all pupils with equitable access to a wide range of meaningful experiences beyond the taught curriculum that broaden horizons, develop skills, raise aspirations, strengthen wellbeing and belonging, and prepare them for successful participation in society and adult life. This includes developing a solid understanding of fundamental British Values.

Our approach to personal development

At Hatfield Peverel Infant and Nursery School we believe learning is an adventure. Inspiring a Love of Learning means we provide a rich, ambitious education that nurtures the whole child so every pupil can flourish academically, socially, emotionally, physically and morally.

A guaranteed entitlement

Our Personal Development curriculum gives every child an equitable entitlement to experiences that broaden horizons, raise aspirations and remove barriers to participation. We recognise children arrive with different life experiences, so our programme is deliberately inclusive and designed to develop confidence, resilience, creativity and leadership. Every pupil, whatever their background, receives high‑quality enrichment that fosters a lifelong love of learning.

Rooted in our values

Everything we do is underpinned by our ERIC values — Effort, Respect, Independence and Communication — and our school rules: Be Kind, Be Safe, Be the best that you can be. These principles are woven into daily school life so children learn to try hard, treat others with respect, make responsible choices and communicate with confidence.

Integrated, not extra

Personal development is not an add‑on. It is built into classroom teaching, playtimes, assemblies, clubs and community activities. Through meaningful experiences, positive relationships and purposeful opportunities to contribute, pupils learn to make informed choices, appreciate diversity, care for others and take an active part in their local and wider communities.

Curriculum Intent

Our Personal Development Curriculum has been designed to ensure that every pupil progressively develops the knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and behaviours required to flourish both in school and beyond.

We aim to provide a coherent and progressive curriculum that:

• Develops confident, articulate and resilient learners
• Promotes kindness, respect, empathy and inclusion
• Encourages curiosity about the wider world
• Develops appreciation of different cultures, beliefs and perspectives
• Fosters healthy lifestyles and positive wellbeing
• Promotes environmental stewardship and sustainability
• Provides meaningful opportunities for leadership 
• Equips pupils with essential life skills for the future
• Broadens aspirations through memorable experiences and encounters.

Our curriculum is underpinned by the Department for Education’s Enrichment Framework and complements our academic curriculum, Relationships and Health Education , Physical Education, Religious Education, Computing and wider pastoral provision.

Our curriculum is based on a carefully sequenced progression of experiences that enable children to:

• Develop positive relationships
• Understand rights and responsibilities
• Make informed decisions
• Contribute to their communities
• Appreciate creativity and culture
• Enjoy healthy and active lifestyles
• Develop practical life skills
• Become responsible global citizens.

Key areas of our Personal Development Curriculum are: 

Relationships: Healthy respectful relationships are key to a happy and safe life.

Development of character: It is key that pupils have the opportunity to explore and express their character and build the skills they need for resilience and empathy.

Citizenship – It is crucial for children to develop key knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a full and active part in society. In particular, build their awareness and understanding of a democracy, government and how laws are made and upheld.

British Values (BV) – The DfE states that all schools need to promote the fundamental British values of: Democracy, Respect for the rule of law, Individual liberty, Mutual respect, Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. Teaching British Values supports the government aim to create a more cohesive and integrated society, as well as a way to protect children from extremist ideologies. Please see our SMSC and British Values tab on our website.

Physical and mental health education – Physical and mental well-being are equally important in helping pupils to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Wider opportunities – Enrichment experiences (extra-curricular and curricular) are key components for ensuring a high quality Personal Development provision. The school exposes children to a range of wider opportunities that broaden their horizons and facilitates them to discover their true talents and interests. 

Personal development is delivered through a wide range of experiences. We believe memorable experiences are central to children’s personal development. We guarantee that every child will have access to a carefully planned entitlement of enrichment activities throughout their nursery and infant education. These experiences are not isolated events. In addition to the taught curriculum (based on the National Curriculum), we deliberately add planned and sequenced events and experiences to deepen children’s knowledge, confidence and independence over time. The full entitlement is detailed later by every child will, before leaving year 2:

• have access to a range of PSHE/RSHE lessons
• Assemblies (Picture News, British Values assemblies)
• Learn about democracy and citizenship
• Take part in planned themed enrichment weeks
• Take part in educational visits (including theatres and museums)
• Be given the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular clubs
• Take on positions of responsibility (pupil leadership opportunities)
• Participate in sporting competitions and events (competitive and non-competitive)
• Perform to an audience or take part in an exhibition
• Take part in community partnerships
• Spend time learning outdoors in every year group
• Participate in cultural celebrations
• Visit places of worship
• Take part and organise charitable initiatives
• Take part in celebration events
• Develop environmental awareness through sustainablility projects (see climate action plan)
• Take part in pupil voice activities.

Together, these experiences provide every pupil with a coherent, ambitious and memorable journey through primary education.

The Five Enrichment Strands

Our Personal Development Curriculum is organised around the five strands identified within the Department for Education’s Enrichment Framework.

Each strand is planned as a progressive curriculum from Nursery to Year 2, ensuring pupils revisit key concepts while developing increasing independence, responsibility and leadership.

We are currently developing our Personal Development Enrichment offer but below is just a few examples of what we currently do. Please keep looking for further updates to this page.

• Gardening Club: Children get their hands dirty by planting and maintaining a variety of plants, herbs and vegetables, learning how to compost fruit snack peels, and discovering how ecosystems work.
• School Garden: Our school garden is utilised across our curriculum to maximize outdoor learning, protect local wildlife habitats (like bug hotels and bird feeders), and build a love for nature.

• Community Connections: Welcoming special guests like the Essex Therapy Dogs and participating in local community initiatives.
• Aspiring Futures: Immersive events like our annual Careers Week that invite parents and local professionals to inspire our children to explore different paths and dream big.
• Cross-Curricular Themes: Creative learning blocks, such as our ‘Around the World’ week, which maps global awareness and climate right into our daily classrooms.

Leadership and Pupil Voice

Our Leadership and Pupil Voice activities ensures that every child develops the confidence, language and opportunity to express their views, influence decisions and take on meaningful responsibility. Through structured pupil voice systems, leadership roles and opportunities to contribute to school improvement, pupils learn that their ideas matter and that they can make a positive difference to their community.

Leadership opportunities include:

• Daily discussions and reflection
• Class charters and rules created and reviewed
• Shared classroom decisions
• Regular circle time or reflection times
• School Council representatives
• Pupil surveys
• School Council meetings with Headteacher
• Whole school surveys and consultations.