In addition to the academic education that we provide in Marling School, we deliver a wide programme of Personal Development education and activities. Personal Development encompasses everything we do, beyond the core national curriculum, to support students to develop in many diverse areas of life, helping them to manage their wellbeing and relationships, preparing them for the adult world and teaching them how to engage with society.

We believe that Personal Development education is important. Adolescence, through to the later teenage years, can include challenging times, and we want to help our students manage that transition. In addition, the world our young people live in seems increasingly complex and we need to help them to navigate that safely. Overall, we want to help our young people to be the best they can be - we want them to be kind, tolerant, respectful of others and educated about how to keep themselves safe in relationships and in the world.

In KS3 and KS4 we provide Personal Development education via timetabled Life skills lessons, tutor time activities and assemblies. In KS5 fortnightly tutor time sessions replace the lower school Life skills lessons. Cross-curricular links mean that PSHE topics are also reinforced by many other departments. Our taught programme is outlined along with our RSE Policy in the Policies section of this website. In addition to timetabled sessions, an extensive programme of trips and talks, along with extra-curricular opportunities and student engagement, extends students’ personal development.

Our approach to students’ personal development in Marling is embodied in our We Are Marling initiative, as part of which students come together to develop character through study and celebrate unity through diversity. We aim to ensure our diverse school is an inclusive and welcoming community for all.

For a detailed breakdown of the Careers Education, Information and Guidance (CEIAG) rationale at Marling School, please see the CEIAG policy below. 

There has never been a time when Careers guidance has been as important for young people as it is today. The landscape of education, training and employment opportunities that students need to navigate is complex and challenging. Careers education helps young people to develop the knowledge, confidence and skills that they need to make well-informed, carefully considered choices and plans that enable them to progress smoothly into further learning and work, and to help them manage their careers and sustain employability throughout their lives. 

Our careers programme relates to a range of work related elements of the Marling school curriculum and the principles of the eight Gatsby Benchmarks, a framework of guidelines that define the best careers provision in schools and colleges, namely;

• A stable careers programme
• Learning from career & labour market information
• Addressing the needs of each student
• Linking curriculum learning to careers
• Encounters with employers & employees
• Experiences of workplaces
• Encounters with further and higher education
• Personal guidance
• (See Appendix one of the CEIAG policy for a fuller explanation of these benchmarks.)

Delivery of the careers programme is done throughout the curriculum in all subject areas as well as in PSHE programmes, assemblies and fortnightly tutor time activities. There are also opportunities such as Guest Speaker visits to School to explore an expansive range of Career routes, trips to local employers, colleges and Universities as well as experience days focusing on Mock interviews and Employability skills amongst many others. National Careers Week and National Apprenticeship Week’s are also celebrated throughout the School with further activities. 

As part of the continual development of the Careers, Education, Information and Guidance  programme, Marling School regularly puts measures in place to assess the impact of the activities undertaken. This is done through student voice and reflections of activities logged on Google Classroom and Unifrog platforms. The staff members responsible for the Careers programme work closely with a Careers Advisor and Enterprise Coordinator from GFirstLEP to refer to this information as well as using Compass+ data which is the Schools careers monitoring system. This is done when making choices about any adaptations to the programme in order to create the most personalised experience for our students. This supports them in making informed decisions about their future pathways.

Our Careers Leader is Mr S Bailey - SXB@marling.school Tel. 01453 762251.

Marling Careers Education, information and guidance programme is reviewed annually, the next upcoming date is 01/07/2023.

Further information about CEIAG provision at Marling School can be found using the links below.

Extracurricular and Super-Curricular Activities

At Marling we place great value on our extracurricular and super-curricular activities; they enhance skills, widen experiences and develop cultural capital, encourage passions, support well-being and social interactions, foster community relations, enhance career development... and so much more! They play a vital role in fostering well-rounded individuals who are not only academically prepared but also equipped with a wide range of skills, experiences, and interests that contribute to their personal growth and future success. 

Trips, Visits and Events 

Marling School is proud to offer a huge range of trips, visits and events. As part of the Marling School journey, educational visits provide opportunities for students to gain real world experience, learn independence and build character, and we work hard to ensure that a full range of visits are available to all our students. We are committed to organise trips, visits and events which cover the breadth of our curriculum, open up a variety of experiences to appeal to everyone, and are at a range of costs to ensure that our offer is fully inclusive.   

Plans for residential trips are published well in advance to enable parents to plan; these can be seen here Some are designed to be ’once in a lifetime’ trips and others are more closely aligned with the curriculum and are designed as super-curricular.  

Each year we run well over 50 day trips and in-school events, catering for all interests, subjects and year groups. These include subject lectures given by experts, wellbeing workshops, language experience days, trips to the theatre, industry days, participation in competitions, fieldtrips, university open days, science conference, and prison visits. Our most recent events and trips can be seen on our newsletter our social media feeds. 

Clubs 

Catering to all ages and interests, our lunchtime and after school clubs allow our students to be creative, perform, play sport and be active. Some clubs run regularly for the whole year, others may be focused on a short-term goal. Our current offering can be found here and include, among others, the Y7 ‘We are Marling’ camp, a fieldtrip to the Welsh coast, a GCSE Spanish trip to Cadiz, the History Department’s legendary Battlefields trip, a visit to CERN, and the annual Ski trip. 

Opportunities to contribute to our community 

Students from all year groups have the opportunity to give something back to their school community. From leading a club, to mentoring a younger student, from being an Eco or an Inclusion rep, to academic coaching, there are numerous ways that our students can contribute. At sixth form, this becomes a core part of the programme of study with all students taking part in activities that “Make a Difference” or “Inspire others” as part of the Marling Diamond programme.