SJBC's Personal Development program aims to support our students to handle everyday challenges and prepare them for adulthood. The study program helps our students to lead healthy, safe and fulfilling lives by developing their confidence, independence and encouraging them to build positive relationships across the school and wider community. The skills acquired enable them to make informed and responsible life choices.
Assembly Weekly assemblies bring students together to reflect on important values, foster a sense of belonging, and build their understanding of key societal and personal themes. Each week’s theme is underpinned by our Character Virtues of Respect, Understanding, Affection and Humour. These virtues encourage students to grow into thoughtful, empathetic, and capable individuals.
Character Debate Weekly debates give students the chance to discuss complex and sometimes controversial topics, helping them develop critical thinking, confidence in expressing opinions, and the ability to consider multiple perspectives. An example debate on "Freedom of Speech" allows students to examine the balance between free expression and respect for others, preparing them for nuanced real-world discussions.
Community Activities are designed to build a sense of shared identity and responsibility within the school and beyond. They also encourage students to engage with broader societal issues. For example, during Black History Month in October, students celebrate and learn about the contributions of Black individuals to society, fostering understanding and appreciation of diversity.
Challenge Weekly challenges provide fun and interactive opportunities for students to apply their skills, problem-solve creatively, and work collaboratively. Tutor groups compete against the other houses with points won counting in the interhouse cup.
Tutor reads The Tutor Reads programme is a weekly initiative where form tutors read aloud to their students, creating a shared literary experience that is both engaging and educational. This program is an essential part of fostering a love for reading and improving literacy skills across all year groups.
Hearing a fluent reader brings stories and texts to life, exposing students to rich vocabulary, complex sentence structures, and diverse genres that they might not encounter otherwise. This exposure strengthens their reading comprehension, broadens their cultural awareness, and enhances their ability to articulate ideas in writing and discussion.
Relationships, Sex and Education (RSE) The rationale of sex education in St John Bosco College is guided by the principle that sexual activity can only be correctly understood in the context of loving human relationships. The sex education programme aims to encourage a Catholic understanding of all loving human relationships, not just those of a sexual nature. Consequently, education in loving human relationships will be known as Relationships, Sex Education (RSE), as outlined by the DfE in 2019.
In Relationships, Sex and Education, St John Bosco College seeks to be faithful to the aim of its founder, St. John Bosco: “To enable each pupil to become a good Christian, an honest citizen, able to earn his bread”. St John Bosco College aims to do this by providing an informative and balanced curriculum, faithful to the teaching of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and inspired by the spiritual insights of St. John Bosco. A programme of study in Relationships and Sex Education is, therefore, a central feature in attaining the mission aims of the school, especially in today’s world where the presentation of matters sexual is pervasive online and in the media and whose values are not consonant with the Christian faith. As the Church teaches, it is the family, which is the primary educator of children, the Church acting in an auxiliary role. However, many parents of children in Catholic schools, not least St John Bosco College, rely upon the school – rightly or wrongly – to teach their children in this most important matter of Relationships, Sex and Education. It is also a requirement by law that Relationships and Sex Education is taught in all secondary schools.
