At Haughmond Schools, personal development is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that education is not just about academic success—it’s about helping children grow into confident, kind, and capable individuals who are ready to thrive in a diverse and ever-changing world.
We provide a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment where every child is encouraged to make positive choices, develop strong values, and become active members of their community. Our curriculum promotes life skills, emotional wellbeing, and respect for others, helping children to understand themselves and the world around them.
We actively promote British values—democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance—alongside our own school values, which guide how we learn, behave, and treat one another every day. Through assemblies, class discussions, and daily routines, these values are brought to life in meaningful ways.
Our personal development offer includes:
- Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development, encouraging reflection, empathy, and respect for different beliefs and cultures.
- Mental health and wellbeing education, helping pupils build resilience, maintain healthy relationships, and make informed lifestyle choices. We also work with external agencies such as BeeU and the School Mental Health Support Team (SMHST).
- Preparation for the future, from developing independence and learning behaviours in Early Years to goal setting, teamwork, and careers awareness in Key Stage 2.
We also place strong emphasis on:
- Citizenship, encouraging pupils to be responsible, respectful, and active members of society.
- Understanding protected characteristics, ensuring children respect differences in gender, race, religion, and disability.
- The Prevent duty, helping pupils recognise and challenge extremist views safely and appropriately.
- Healthy relationships, taught through age-appropriate RSE to support understanding of consent, respect, and personal safety.
- Physical health and lifestyle, promoting healthy habits through PE, science, and PSHE.
- Cultural awareness, celebrating diversity through curriculum topics, themed events, and community links.
By working closely with families and the wider community, we ensure that personal development is meaningful, consistent, and impactful. Together, we are shaping the citizens of tomorrow—curious, compassionate, and confident learners who are ready to make a positive difference.
Darwin Value Awards
At Haughmond Schools, we are proud to launch the Darwin Values Award, a personal development initiative inspired by the Severn Bridges Multi-Academy Trust. This challenge supports children in developing key life skills and character traits essential for lifelong learning and future success. Through a wide range of experiences—including volunteering, learning new skills, physical challenges like riding a bike or scooter, and participating in school visits and residential trips—children build resilience, confidence, and independence. The award also promotes British values, respect for protected characteristics, and healthy relationships, helping pupils become responsible, respectful, and active citizens. As children progress through the award levels, they are recognised for their achievements and encouraged to reflect on their growth, preparing them for the transition to secondary school and beyond.
Enrichment and Extracurricular Opportunities
We offer a wide range of clubs, trips, and leadership roles that allow pupils to discover their interests and talents. These experiences are planned to be inclusive and accessible to all. School leaders value the input of our children, and we can carefully cater our extracurricular club offer to meet the needs, wishes and interests of our pupils. The range of clubs available can be mostly categorised by but not restricted to sports, STEM, languages, construction, wellbeing and arts.
OPAL
At Haughmond Schools, we believe play is a valued and purposeful time where children not only enjoy themselves, but also develop crucial resilience and social skills. With children spending around 20% of their school day playing outside during breaks and lunch, we’ve thoughtfully designed our outdoor spaces and strategies to maximize these vital opportunities.
Over the past few years, Haughmond Schools has significantly developed its play opportunities, fostering resilience, teamwork, cooperation, and well-being in a sustainable way. Research consistently shows that play is crucial for children’s physical and emotional health, overall well-being, approach to learning, and enjoyment of school.
Recognising the vital role play holds in children’s lives, especially with current concerns about access to outdoor space and time for self-directed play, we saw considerable benefits in joining the OPAL programme for our children, parents, school, and the wider community. Through close collaboration with our OPAL mentor and a dedicated action plan, we are incredibly proud to have been awarded the Platinum OPAL Award in June 2024!
Safe Squad
At Haughmond Schools, our children are kind, caring and considerate. As part of helping one another we have developed a Children’s Safeguarding Board in KS2 called the Safe Squad. to promote and improve safety across our schools for all our children. They work alongside Mrs Davies and Mrs Evans, so they have the knowledge and skills to respond when children have a worry or a concern.
The children are visible at break and lunchtimes, identified by their purple lanyards, so that they can talk to other children about any worries or share concerns that they might have. This group also takes responsibility for poster designs, classroom visits to promote all aspects of safety and they have taken part in assemblies.
House System
At Haughmond Schools, to help foster strong relationships across our entire school community, we have a special House system that includes every pupil and member of staff. Only the Headteachers and Deputy Headteachers remain outside the Houses, allowing them to act as impartial judges during competitions.
Our four Houses—Lions, Panthers, Tigers, and Wolves—are cherished parts of our school’s identity. They are not only well known across our current school community, but also fondly remembered by generations of past pupils. For many parents and former pupils, House events are among their happiest school memories—moments filled with laughter, teamwork, and a strong sense of belonging. Whether it was the thrill of Sports Day, the excitement of House competitions, or the pride of earning points for their team, these experiences have left a lasting impression.
When children join Haughmond Schools – Sundorne Infant School and Nursery and Harlescott Junior School – they are assigned to a House. Throughout the year, pupils take part in a wide range of friendly, inclusive competitions—not just on Sports Day. These events encourage teamwork across year groups and by working with peers of different ages we can nurture confidence, resilience, pride, and determination—qualities that help shape our pupils into well-rounded young individuals.
Each House is led by two Year 6 House Captains, elected by their peers in the Autumn term. These Captains are outstanding role models who help organise House events and provide leadership, encouragement, and support to younger pupils.
Forest School
At Haughmond Schools, our Forest School programme is a valued part of our personal development and inclusion offer. Led by our experienced Forest School teacher, Ms Holland, children from EYFS to Year 6 take part in regular outdoor learning sessions each term. These sessions provide rich opportunities for pupils to build resilience, teamwork, independence, and confidence in a natural environment. Forest School supports emotional wellbeing, encourages curiosity, and helps children develop a deeper connection with the world around them. It is inclusive by design—every child is supported to participate fully, regardless of ability or background—and is consistently one of the most loved aspects of school life. Through hands-on experiences, reflection, and exploration, Forest School helps children grow personally and socially, preparing them to be thoughtful, respectful, and active citizens.