HomePersonal Development & Ethics (PDE) Overview 2020-21

Personal Development & Ethics (PDE) Overview 2020-21

Staff and Responsibilities

Mr P Shelton, Deputy Headteacher – Destinations (CEIAG)
Mrs B Moss, Deputy Headteacher – Pastoral & Wellbeing
Mrs R Ramsden, Director of Learning – Personal Development Strategic Planning (including CEIAG), Designated Safeguarding Lead, PDE / GCSE RS Teacher
Mrs P Birchall, WRL Coordinator – CEIAG Coordination
Mrs J Dobson, Teacher – PDE / GCSE RS Teacher
Mr L Clarke, T&L Manager RE Department – PDE Curriculum Lead & GCSE RS Teacher
All Subject Leads – Mapping of Cross Curricular PSHE
All Form Teachers – Delivering PSHE Focus Weeks

Bedford High School’s Personal Development and Ethics (PDE) curriculum has two strands, the first incorporates the Personal Social Health Education (PSHE), Citizenship, Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) and the second strand incorporates Religious Education. PDE is taught across both key stages. In addition to PDE, Religious Studies is also offered as a GCSE option at KS4.

Our PDE curriculum has been developed by using following guidance:

  • The PSHE Association: ‘Programme of Study for PSHE Education (Key stages 1–5)
  • The DfE Guidance:
    • Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education (July 2019)
    • Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education (June 2019)
    • Careers guidance and access for education and training providers (October 2018)
    • The Careers Strategy (2017)
  • Good Career Guidance Reaching the Gatsby Benchmarks (January 2018)
  • Wigan Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2017

Bedford High School PDE is intended to enable students to develop and gradually enrich their understanding of a set of ethical concepts and values. Students safely explore the moral behaviour of human beings, whilst learning to challenge unhealthy attitudes and behaviours. The work undertaken by students encourages them to analyse, interpret, evaluate and reflect upon a wide range of issues affecting our society. Throughout both key stages students will examine a range of different cultures and religions.

The main PDE concepts delivered, either implicitly or explicitly are as follows:

1. Identity (religious identity, personal qualities, attitudes, skills, attributes and achievements)

2. Relationships (including different types and in different settings, online and offline)

3. A healthy balanced lifestyle (including within relationships, work-life, exercise and rest, spending and saving and lifestyle choices)

4. Risk (identification, assessment and how to manage risk

5. Diversity and equality (including prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes)

6. Engagement (including interactions with religions and worldviews)

7. Rights (including the notion of universal human rights), responsibilities (including fairness and justice) and consent

8. Change and resilience

9. Power (how it is encountered in a variety of contexts including online; how it manifests through behaviours including bullying, persuasion, coercion and how it can be challenged or managed.

10. Pathways (including enterprise, employability and economic understanding)

We believe it is not enough to simply teach students about the issues covered. It is vital they have the opportunity to explore their attitudes, values and beliefs, and to develop the skills, language and strategies necessary to manage these issues should they encounter them in their lives. The aim of PDE is to empower students to understand issues, develop cultural awareness, respect other viewpoints and evaluate the impact of their own actions in wider society.  For this reason, PDE is delivered through dedicated curriculum time, during enrichment experiences and mapped across other curriculum areas.

Our PDE model is designed to enable the development of students’ knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. We feel it is important that our students leave school with an understanding of culture and society; with the social and moral awareness to thrive in it.

A variety of delivery techniques are used to enhance learning. Typical PDE activities include:

  • Discreet PDE lessons (Religious Education, Living in the wider world, Relationships & Healthy Living)
  • Project work
  • Cross curricula activities
  • Outside speakers / Theatre groups
  • Form time ‘PSHE Focus Weeks’
  • Enrichment days / Aspirations Week / Educational Visits