Personal Development
The School mission statement aims at "The rigorous pursuit of excellence balanced by compassionate concern for individuals". This "pursuit of excellence" and "concern for individuals" encompasses the development of the whole person, mind, body and spirit. Central to Trinity then is the belief that the education provided is not only about the gaining of knowledge and the acquiring of essential skills, important though they are, but that it is also about the personal development of each pupil, in its fullest sense. The fullest sense is one which includes the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of each pupil. Given the Christian foundation of Trinity, there is a sense of moral and spiritual values which serve as an ever present backcloth to the ongoing life of the School.
The main aim of Personal Development is to encourage each pupil to develop self-discipline, responsibility, physical and emotional well being, moral and spiritual values, and the highest possible standards of behaviour, leading to confidence in themselves and consideration for others. Trinity strives to prepare pupils for life beyond school through an understanding of higher education and career possibilities, an informed appreciation of the diversity of the world and a sense of service to the wider community.
The School values each pupil as an individual with specific needs and therefore it is the task of the School to ensure that an adequate foundation of experience and knowledge, with opportunities for discussion, reflection and evaluation is provided, so that pupils can be given maximum scope to develop their own unique, spiritual, moral, social and cultural dimensions. Where this development takes place in a group, we work to ensure that all relationships in the School are based on mutual respect.
The moral, spiritual, social and cultural (personal) aspects of a pupil's development do not form part of any separate curriculum area's scheme of work. The formation of character, beliefs, values and a spiritual centre, is really the development of character and is not something which can be attained by formula, curriculum organisation or prescription. Personal meanings, beliefs and values which constitute a person's spirituality, and the qualities of character and value from which morally good and socially responsible action proceed, are built up steadily, slowly, continuously and cumulatively in the on-going process of how we relate to each other as human beings. It is a fact that the process began before the pupils came to Trinity and will continue after they have left.
No single system or institutional structure within the School, no single department or procedure is responsible for the moral, spiritual, cultural or social developments of the pupils at Trinity School. The School, however, can endeavour to provide an ethos where such development can take place through the general day to day quality of relationships. The so-called hidden curriculum is of immense importance and can aid development. Some areas of the School's life may have a greater responsibility in the process of these characteristics than others. As far as the pupil is concerned the precise nature of this variance will be individual and possibly idiosyncratic. What is important within these four areas is that positives must be emphasized, and actions and attitudes which favour the opposite should be discouraged.
In an attempt to achieve its aims, the School does have a number of more formal structures which are intended to contribute to the general process of moral, spiritual, social and cultural development. It is not intended that these structures obviously and clearly deliver moral, spiritual, social, or cultural development, but that collectively they underpin the more important aspects of the general social relationships which exist within a school. They also provide some of the contexts within which creative personal interaction and development may take place.
Full details of the scheme of work for Religious, Personal and Social Education can be found in the RPSE Handbook.
Updated June 2010
