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Aspire to Be (A2B)
At Woking High School, we promote personal development and wellbeing through a comprehensive and bespoke Personal Development educational programme, tailored specifically to enhance and challenge our students’ understanding of the wider world and themselves.
The Aspire to Be (A2B) Programme is the umbrella term for all activities which support the personal development of our students. At Woking High School, we firmly believe that this programme will provide our young people with the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live safe, healthy, productive lives and meet their full potential. It is crucial that our students are encouraged to develop the qualities and attributes needed to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society and as a result, the Woking High School Core Values underpin all aspects of the A2B Programme.
Staff Contacts
Assistant Headteacher for Safeguarding: Mr M. Crowley
Subject Lead for A2B: Mrs K. Wilson
A2B Programme Overview
The A2B programme includes:
♦ Relationship & Sex Education (Statutory)
♦ PSHE Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic)
♦ Citizenship
♦ Careers
The A2B programme is delivered by the Tutor as follows:
♦ 1 timetabled A2B lesson per cycle – 1 hour duration
♦ 2 x A2B Values Project sessions per cycle – 20 minute duration (Tutor Time Programme)
♦ 1 x A2B Careers session - 20 minute duration (Tutor Time Programme)
Furthermore, Aspire to Be Days will also feature exciting activities focusing on personal development in addition to some of the other traditional visits and workshops led by curriculum departments.
A2B Curriculum
Woking High School are members of the PSHE Association (the national body for PSHE Education), and we model our curriculum on guidance from this DfE-recognised organisation. Within the A2B programme, students explore three areas in their studies:
♦ Health and Wellbeing
♦ Relationships
♦ Living in the Wider World
Our spiral curriculum allows students to re-visit and build on skills progressively as they work their way up the school. The curriculum content has been shaped by:
♦ Government requirements
♦ The PSHE Association
♦ Public Health data for Surrey
♦ The Woking High School Safeguarding Team
♦ The Woking High School SEND Department
♦ The Woking High School Student Voice Community
Aspire to Be Days
Aspire to Be Day takes place once every half term, resulting in six taking place each year. Any Aspire to Be Day will feature the collapse of the normal school timetable, and provide opportunities for students to broaden their horizons and support their personal development.
The range of activities are very broad. Students are able to participate in a variety of workshops, A2B activities, visits, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions or working with visiting speakers and organisations. Each day is completely different, and personalised for each year group.
Recent activities have included:
| First Aid Training | Mindfulness and Meditation |
|
Theatre Performances from 'Peer Productions' and 'The Guildford Shakespeare Company' |
Sustainability Day |
| McLaren STEM Workshop | Author Speakers |
| Tik Tok sensation 'Hear at Last' performance | Finance Education |
| Enterprise Skills | GCSE Options Workshops |
| Post-16 Pathway presentation | Medieval Survival Game |
| Speed Career Networking | Scientific dissection |
| Geography Field Trips |
A highlight for our Key Stage 3 students is our annual ‘Summer Fest’ which is a celebration of community. This event is designed to bring us together to participate in a variety of activities and have a really fun day. Students experience a carousel of workshops including a Physical Challenge, Identity Challenge, Art Challenge and Culture Challenge. We also have an extend picnic lunch, as well as selling BBQ food, ice creams and merchandise. It is a wonderfully exciting day.
Recent activities have included:
| African Drumming | Art Attack |
| International Cooking | Tai-Chi |
| Bollywood Dance | Dance through the Decades |
| Team building through Sport | Percussion workshops |
| Crown making |
Assemblies
All year groups will have one assembly per week. Each week will focus on a particular theme which will support students in their personal development. In addition, all assemblies make very clear links with our Woking High School Values.
Recent assembly themes have included:
| Equality | Health and Fitness |
| Online Safety | Literature |
| Inclusion | Holocaust Memorial Day |
| Challenging discrimination | Ramadan |
| Resilience | Freedom |
| Friendship |
Visiting speakers also present to our students within this forum. Recent visitors have included:
♦ The 'Oddballs' Foundation: Speaking about the signs of testicular cancer
♦ RASASC (Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre, Surrey): Speaking about the topic of sexual assault and harassment.
♦ Defeat, Don’t Repeat (Rhys Rutledge): Speaking about the dangers of drug crime and turning his life around.
Careers
In keeping with our commitment to provide students with outstanding careers guidance and tailored support when choosing the next steps beyond secondary school, we also use Unifrog within our A2B Careers programme. Unifrog is an award-winning online careers platform which works with over half the schools in the United Kingdom.
The Unifrog platform is designed to support learners in making the most informed decisions about their futures and has a range of tools that are suitable for all year groups. Key features of the platform include:
Exploring Pathways – personality quizzes, career and subject profiles and webinars.
Recording – self-reflection about extra-curricular activities and key employability skills.
Opportunities – search tools showing live vacancies/courses/placements for apprenticeships, FE, virtual work experience and much more.
Applications – tools to help students build applications for a range of pathways (e.g, CVs, Personal Statements).
Visiting Speakers and Agencies
We have a variety of visiting speakers and external agencies to support us in our delivery of A2B activities. A sample may be seen below:
PSHE Focus:
♦ The Oddballs Foundation: A presentation to promote awareness of Testicular Cancer.
♦ Defeat, Don’t Repeat: Rhys Rutledge established this initiative, featuring a presentation delivering an inspirational message about the dangers of Drug crime and turning one’s life around.
♦ Peer Productions: The highly respected theatre company are regular visitors to Woking High School, presenting theatre performances with a powerful, educational message. Productions focus upon Knife Crime, Mental Health, and Relationship and Sex Education.
♦ Here At Last: A new pop band, sharing their music and discussing important messages about Mental Health, Online Safety and Cyber-Bullying.
♦ WEAct: Woking Environment Action is a local organisation, promoting projects in the area to support Sustainability.
♦ Take the Jump: An organisation promoting simple lifestyle changes that will help the planet.
♦ Back to Life: Leading a workshop on Emergency First Aid.
♦ Vibez: Leading a Bollywood Dance workshop to promote understanding of community.
♦ Anita Ho: Leading a Tai Chi workshop to promote understanding of wellbeing.
♦ Dance Woking: Leading a Dance workshop to promote wellbeing.
♦ Echofox: Leading an African Drumming workshop to promote understanding of community.
Careers:
♦ The BBC 100 ‘Share Your Story’ Initiative: Alex Mansuroglu, David Harper and Hetal Bapodra shared their inspirational stories, prompting student consideration of Careers opportunities, as well as the process of overcoming obstacles.
♦ McLaren: Leading an Engineering workshop to promote careers in STEM industries.
♦ NHS Carers: Theatre performance to inform students of the diversity of careers opportunities available to them in the NHS, and exploring the fascinating world of healthcare.
♦ University of Surrey: A presentation about Post-16 and 18 Careers.
♦ Association of Learning Providers: A presentation about Apprenticeships.
♦ Dreaming Fish: A workshop promoting careers for Women in the Film Industry.
♦ Astellas Pharmaceuticals: A mock interview workshop.
♦ Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: A workshop on careers delivered by a STEM Ambassador about her career & jobs in the environmental industry.
♦ BAE Roadshow: An MGA collaboration with BAE Systems, The Royal Air Force, and The Royal Navy to deliver an engaging theatre roadshow celebrating STEM.
♦ Speed Networking: Over 30 employers from a variety of different industries deliver a Speed Networking event.