Skip to content ↓
Rooks Heath School

Rooks Heath School

Strive to be your best

Personal Development

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (PSHE ASDAN Short Course) 

  

Overview 

The Personal Development course follows the structured ASDAN PSHE Short Course framework to offer students an alternative, highly practical pathway for developing essential life skills. Designed to complement and expand upon the statutory Key Stage 3 requirements, this multi-level framework rewards students for undertaking real-world challenges that build independence, self-advocacy, and emotional maturity. 

Rather than relying on traditional exam testing, the course utilizes a flexible, portfolio-based learning structure. Students progress through 11 dedicated topical modules, accumulating evidence to earn between 1 and 6 credits (accrediting 10 to 60 hours of active learning). This learner-driven format allows students to take active ownership of their progress, translating classroom concepts into accredited, tangible accomplishments. 

Curriculum Intent 

The department aims to: 

  • Accredit personal growth and reward students for developing vital, non-academic life competencies. 

  • Cultivate independent learning skills through student-led planning, goal setting, and self-evaluation. 

  • Deepen understanding of core PSHE modules by applying them directly to real-world community and personal challenges. 

  • Boost self-esteem and agency in students who thrive in non-traditional, project-based learning environments. 

  • Equip students with a portable portfolio of evidence that showcases transferable skills to future employers and educators. 

Key knowledge includes: 

  • Portfolio organization, evidence tracking, and formal ASDAN self-assessment criteria. 

  • Practical health navigation, employment routes, and digital consumer safety frameworks. 

  • Community support systems and pathways to engage with local civic structures in modern Britain. 

Key skills include: 

  • Creating, executing, and reviewing short-term personal action plans. 

  • Teamworking and collaborating effectively to deliver student-led group projects. 

  • Gathering, organizing, and presenting diverse forms of practical evidence. 

Curriculum Implementation 

Teaching Approach 

  • Use of the structured ASDAN student logbooks to provide a clear framework for individual progression. 

  • Emphasis on establishing core skills (Teamwork, Problem Solving, Communication) from the very start. 

  • Modelling and scaffolding of portfolio organization and action planning before independent project work. 

  • Regular retrieval practice of safety concepts, legal rights, and financial literacy through practical tasks. 

  • Interactive challenges, collaborative team projects, community research, and peer-led presentations. 

Sequencing of Learning 

  • Begins with Phase 1 (Foundations) focusing on emotional wellbeing, basic home/community safety routines, and understanding respectful relationship boundaries. 

  • Builds to Phase 2 (Navigating the World) dealing with complex social influences, media literacy, substance awareness, and physical/sexual health choices. 

  • Progresses to Phase 3 (Adulthood Preparation) exploring family roles, real-world financial choices, career goal setting, and exploring values within modern Britain. 

  • N.B. The 11 modules are designed to be highly flexible; challenges are personalized to match individual pupil targets and needs. 

Assessment 

  • Regular formative assessment through student-led planning sheets, progress reviews, and action plan updates. 

  • End-of-challenge reviews checking core knowledge application, skill development, and portfolio evidence. 

  • Summative internal moderation of completed student logbooks and collected verification materials. 

  • Feedback focused on improving evaluation skills, expanding evidence quality, and deepening self-reflection. 

Curriculum Impact 

Success is measured through: 

  • Student progress in all six core personal, learning, and employability skills. 

  • Increasing independence and complexity in self-directed planning and project execution. 

  • Confidence in compiling, formatting, and presenting a formal body of work. 

  • Successful internal and external moderation outcomes, leading to official ASDAN certificates. 

  • Student voice, indicating a sense of personal accomplishment, agency, and growth in self-esteem. 

Examples of impact: 

  • Students successfully completing verified portfolios to achieve 1 to 6 credits (10–60 hours of learning). 

  • Portfolios displaying rich, student-led evidence of community research or peer-support planning. 

  • Documented progression where credits can count directly toward full Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE) pathways. 

Curriculum Structure 

Key Stage 4

Phase / Focus  Associated ASDAN Modules  Topics / Units  Key Knowledge & Skills 

Phase 1 

 

Foundations of Personal Wellbeing 

Module 1: Emotional Wellbeing 

 

Module 2: Keeping Safe & Healthy 

 

Module 7: Respectful Relationships 

Personal Health & Baseline Safety 

 

Setting personal growth targets; managing safety risks; exploring healthy boundaries. 

Ground rules, identifying emotional changes, and mental health baselines 

 

Mastering personal physical health, home safety, and emergency response plans 

 

Defining healthy relationship choices and practicing active consent 

Phase 2 

 

Navigating the Digital & Social World 

Module 3: Social Media 

 

Module 4: Alcohol 

 

Module 5: Tobacco and Drugs 

 

Module 6: Sexual Health 

Social Pressures & Lifestyle Risk 

 

Analyzing digital environments; evaluating health habits vs. dependency and risk behaviors. 

Tracking digital footprints and evaluating social media impacts 

 

Critically examining substance facts, laws, and managing peer pressure 

 

Understanding biological maturity, contraception options, and local healthcare access 

Phase 3 

 

Preparing for Adulthood 

Module 8: Families and Parenting 

 

Module 9: Financial Choices 

 

Module 10: Careers & Your Future 

 

Module 11: Living in Modern Britain 

Future Horizons & Economic Independence 

 

Developing practical life skills, budgeting, and planning pathways to active employment. 

Deconstructing changing family dynamics and parenting responsibilities 

Practical budgeting, handling credit/debt, and tracking safe spending 

Assessing personal learning strengths, building a CV, and mapping paths to work 

Exploring civic values, human rights, diversity, and the Equality Act

ASDAN Framework Note: The course is explicitly structured around six core personal and employability skills: Ability to Learn, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Communication, IT skills, and Numeracy. Every selected challenge requires the student to track and reflect upon how these specific transferable skills are being developed. 

Textbook(s): 

  • ASDAN PSHE Short Course Student Logbook (and/or e-portfolio access) 

Useful Websites: 

  • ASDAN Official Site (asdan.org.uk) 

  • BBC Bitesize GCSE PSHE / Citizenship 

  • The Mix (Essential support for under-25s) 

  • MoneyHelper UK (Government-backed financial guidance) 

  • Childline / YoungMinds Mental Health Hubs