Preparing young people for life, not just exams

At Carshalton Boys Sports College, we believe Sixth Form is about more than qualifications. Over two years, students are stepping into adulthood — making decisions about money, relationships, health, careers and identity that will shape the rest of their lives. Our Personal Development programme exists to make sure they're ready for that, not by chance, but by design.

This isn't a bolt-on PSHE lesson once a fortnight. It's a genuinely spiral curriculum, woven through tutor time, structured PSHCE lessons, assemblies, drop-down days, careers education, leadership  and enrichment — each building on what came before, and each responding to where our students actually are, socially and emotionally, at each stage of Year 12 and 13.

How the programme is built

• A bi weekly rhythm.  Bi weekly, Year 12 and Year 13 students have dedicated daily tutor time and a PSHCE lesson, each with a clear theme for that fortnight — from managing exam pressure and financial literacy, to consent and healthy relationships, to recognising misinformation online. Nothing is generic: content is written specifically for where students are in the academic year, whether that's induction in September or results-day preparation in June.

• Four full drop-down days.  Four full drop-down days a year give time and space for the topics that need more than a single lesson — study skills and revision strategies, a full careers exhibition (Directions & Destinations), and a dedicated Sexual Health and Relationships carousel delivered by specialists.

• A bi weekly Sixth Form assembly.  A weekly Sixth Form assembly programme gives students a shared moment each week — hearing from alumni, discussing ethics and identity, and reflecting on themes like resilience, digital wellbeing and what it means to lead.

• Careers and futures fully integrated.  UCAS preparation, apprenticeship applications, personal statements, interview skills and labour market awareness run alongside — and are timed to match — every other strand of the programme, so that personal development and future planning reinforce each other rather than competing for space.

• Academic Enrichment and super-curricular study.  All Year 12 students take timetabled Academic Enrichment lessons, building super-curricular experience beyond the exam specification and logging it on Unifrog — evidence of genuine intellectual curiosity, not just a line on a personal statement.

What students actually cover

The programme is built around clear, recognisable strands:

• Health & Wellbeing —  mental health literacy, resilience, sleep and stress, sexual health, drugs and alcohol harm reduction, bereavement support.

• Relationships & RSE —  consent, healthy relationships, recognising coercive control, navigating adult relationships, building on GCSE foundations rather than repeating them.

• Identity & Values —  who they are becoming, ethics and philosophy, masculinity and respect, self-confidence.

• World & Citizenship —  British values in action: diversity and protected characteristics, active citizenship and student voice, community and volunteering, understanding misogyny and being an active bystander.

• Future & Ambition —  careers, the labour market, financial literacy, employment rights, and life after CBSC.

• Practical life skills —  budgeting, tenancy and housing, tax and payslips, cooking, first aid — the things every young adult needs to know and rarely gets taught explicitly.

Built for progression, not repetition

The programme is deliberately sequenced across the two years. Year 12 starts with transition and identity — “Who am I now?” — and Year 13 closes with “Leaving Well,” preparing students for life beyond CBSC. Topics that appear in both years — sexual health, personal safety, resilience — are revisited with clear progression, deepening rather than repeating, so that by the time students leave, they've built on the same foundations twice, not covered the same ground twice.

Explore the programme in more detail

RSHE →  Our approach to Relationships, Sex and Health Education in the Sixth Form.

Tutor Programme →  How tutor time supports every student, every week.

British Values →  How democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance are embedded across the Sixth Form experience.

Enrichment & Super-Curricular →  Academic Enrichment, Aspire, and the opportunities that go beyond the classroom.

Leadership & Responsibility →  Genuine leadership, volunteering and paid roles for students across the Sixth Form.