Personal Development – Building Better Humans Beyond the Classroom
At Brinsworth Manor, we don’t just educate, we inspire, challenge, and empower. Our pupils think big, bigger, biggest, tackling challenges that stretch their minds, bodies, and hearts. Through our Personal Development offer, children develop the knowledge, values, and skills to thrive in a diverse world. Weekly Tribe Time sessions and Big Questions explore themes such as Special Educational Needs (SEND) and inclusivity, Identity, Culture, and Belonging, Gender, Identity, and Stereotypes, Relationships, Safety, and Respect, Community and Socioeconomic Differences, and Celebrating Differences and Inclusion, helping pupils reflect, collaborate, and act with empathy and confidence.
At Brinsworth Manor, our X Events are bigger and better experiences designed to enhance pupils’ personal development. These events take learning beyond the regular curriculum, helping children broaden their horizons, make connections with the community, and aim higher. From community projects and residential trips to caving, high ropes, and long treks, pupils are challenged to develop resilience, creativity, leadership, and social responsibility.
Our curriculum also embeds Windows and Mirrors, reflecting pupils’ own identities while opening windows into the lives and experiences of others. Through these experiences, children learn to celebrate diversity, challenge discrimination, and take responsibility for themselves, each other, and the planet.
At Brinsworth Manor, every child leaves school not just educated, but ready to lead, innovate, and make a difference. We don’t just build minds, we build better humans.
Our 2025/2026 Events
-
X Sponsored Run: Pupils test endurance, teamwork, and resilience—can BMJ run 100 miles in a day?
-
X Rockstars: Builds confidence and creativity through assemblies and live performance battles between pupils and staff.
-
X Careers: Inspires aspiration and ambition through keynote talks and hands-on career workshops.
-
X Christmas: Combines creativity, teamwork, and community engagement through fayres, choir, and fundraising.
-
X Individuality: Promotes awareness that each child is unique and celebrates differences.
-
X STEM: Hands-on science experiences fostering curiosity, problem-solving, and innovation.
-
X COP: Develops environmental responsibility and citizenship through sustainability projects and eco initiatives.
-
X Games: Links to local sports clubs and gives pupils a chance to try non-traditional sports.
-
X Athletics: Like sports day, but bigger and better—held at Herringthorpe Stadium with multiple athletic challenges.
-
X Fest: Celebrates creativity, social skills, and the end of the school year with music, games, and fun activities.
Our Half-Termly Personal Development Themes
-
Autumn 1: Special Educational Needs (SEND) – Understanding diverse needs and promoting inclusivity
-
Autumn 2: Identity, Culture, and Belonging – Celebrating diversity and fostering community
-
Spring 1: Gender, Identity, and Stereotypes – Challenging norms and encouraging authenticity
-
Spring 2: Relationships, Safety, and Respect – Promoting healthy relationships online and offline
-
Summer 1: Community and Socioeconomic Differences – Raising awareness of inequality and justice
-
Summer 2: Celebrating Differences and Inclusion – Integrating learning and encouraging support for others
Tribe Time
At Brinsworth Manor, Tribe Time is our structured weekly session where pupils explore personal development, social skills, and community values in a meaningful, engaging way.
-
Monday – Community Tribe Time: A whole-school discussion around BMJ’s Big Question of the Week, replacing the traditional assembly and fostering awareness of community, inclusion, and empathy.
-
Wednesday – Class Tribe Time: Pupils work in their classes to explore scenarios, stories, or challenges that deepen understanding of personal, social, and moral themes.
-
Friday – Reflective Tribe Time: A reflective or takeaway activity encourages pupils to consider their learning, apply it to their own lives, and set goals for action.
Each session is supported with carefully planned unit plans, key vocabulary, safeguarding themes, and active learning resources like think-pair-share activities to boost engagement, discussion, and oracy skills. Tribe Time ensures that every child develops the knowledge, values, and skills to thrive in a diverse and inclusive community.
