Discovery (PSHE and Careers)

Our Discovery Curriculum at The Grove School

At Grove School and Sixth Form, we provide opportunities for students to develop their knowledge, skills and aspirations around careers, PSHE and the issues that are part of living as a citizen of Shropshire, the United Kingdom and the world through a combination of little-and-often experiences. We have developed our Discovery Curriculum to encompass elements of Personal Development, PSHE and Careers (our ‘Future Me’ programme) with this programme of study being enhanced through the use of accredited resources developed by Jigsaw, that launched in September 2022. These opportunities include:

Daily Discovery

With their tutors, students follow a timetabled programme which includes ‘Character Development’ which provides opportunities to listen to leading experts on how they build their success and what skills they needed to foster in order to be a success in their career.

E-learning sessions are also provided for students to access their UniFrog accounts for then to complete tasks linked from their Discovery Lessons, of which some focus on essential career skills.

Within Daily Discovery, students also debate key themes from current news, which allows them to apply employability skills such as listening and effectively forming and communicating a point of view in an appropriate manner.

Assemblies within this time also direct students to key skills and events related to careers for their year group.

Discovery Curriculum

As our timetabled Discovery curriculum, students experience a broad range of Careers-themed lessons are intertwined within other sessions where by students link their learning of careers to various PSHE/RSE themes. These themes also form the basis of Discovery Days where employability skills and qualities such as effective communication, empathy and equality are demonstrated. This fusion of PSHE and our Future Me careers programme is a valuable opportunity for students to explore and reflect upon their own place within the world and consider their options for character and careers as they prepare for a life and world beyond our school.

Lessons within the wider curriculum will also, at appropriate times, link their learning to future employment. This allows students to make clear links about how their current learning will support them for life beyond Grove.

Our Year 9 students also have dedicated lessons to support them in achieving the Duke of Edinburg Bronze Award along with the Art Award Bronze-level qualification, provided by the Trinity Music Exam Board. These qualifications are nationally accredited and are recognised in supporting students develop key employability experiences and skills.

Our Key Stage 4 students also complete qualifications as part of the academic Discovery curriculum. Currently, as part of our Discovery curriculum, we offer Citizenship as a GCSE qualification in Year 11 because we believe that it is important to teach our students about diversity and Modern British Values. This pathway has been adapted from September 2022 to encompass the updated SACRE guidance and means that all of our students will now study for the GCSE Short Course qualification in Religious Studies from August 2024.

Our Discovery Curriculum is further enhanced by half-termly Discovery Days, a focused drop down day that explores key issues linked to the PSHE curriculum and a specific theme across the school, and our No Limits Week in July providing an immersive range of experiences and opportunities for students. In addition to this, students will also experience a range of workshops, speakers, assemblies and events that have been scheduled for throughout the academic year.

UniFrog

Every student at Grove has their own UniFrog account which provides them to a vast array of resources to support them with future careers support. UniFrog allows students to log experiences to support with future CV creation, access webinars, online study along with identifying further and high education courses which students can access within school and their own time.

Ad Hoc Opportunities

Often opportunities arise throughout the academic year for students to gain career experiences and skills through a variety of organisations. Where possible, we will signpost students and parents/carers to these opportunities and support them wherever we can.

Careers Development Institute (CDI) Framework

From September 2022, we are starting a long-term project to embed CDI’s six learning areas across the school so students can clearly identify the skills, knowledge and attitudes that individuals need to have positive careers.