PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ENRICHMENT
At IGS we have a unique approach to Personal Development which runs in parallel with, and interconnects with academic development. We see Personal Development as a ‘web’ of interconnected experiences and skills which combine and develop in each individual person over time. 
In order to flourish and to achieve their individual potential students need to engage with as many Personal Development opportunities as possible in a combination that is unique to them.
The objective is for students to develop a portfolio of personal, social and academic skills and experiences which combine with your academic studies to ensure you can make competitive applications and secure the best possible destination.
At IGS these Personal Development skills and experiences are delivered through a combination of the taught curriculum, tutor time, Wednesday PBT (Personal Best Time), CEP lessons (Curriculum Enhancement Programme), and all the various leadership and extra-curricular activities on offer.
During their time in Post-16 students will produce a competitive student profile. This will be compiled using a combination of the Personal Development folder on Showbie and the destinations platform Unifrog and will be used inform personal statements, CVs and references.
Have a look at the information below to get a flavour of the range of Post-16 opportunities in each area of the Personal Development web and also where in the curriculum these opportunities will be offered.
Active Citizenship and Community
As part of the Personal Development programme students are strongly encouraged to participate in voluntary work during their time in the Sixth Form. This includes volunteering in local charity shops, nursing homes, the local medical patients’ council and local primary schools.
Post-16 students also support many charities through a wide range of initiatives. Every year we hold a 'Charities Week' in order to raise money for the chosen charity.
Charities Week and events throughout the year are used to support a range of charities selected by our students: Cancer Support Yorkshire; Bradford Hospitals’ Charity; The Clarke Foley Centre and The Eve Appeal. Over the Christmas period Post-16 students also make donations to the local food bank.
Previous whole school annual fundraising totals
- 2019-20 £7,500
- 2020-21 £14,600
- 2021-22 £15,280
iLeader roles which fall within this strand are:
- Eco-iLeader
- Community iLeader
Leadership and influence
At IGS we are committed to supporting students in achieving their potential through developing leadership skills. At IGS there are various opportunities for students to develop these skills and attributes. There are interconnected leadership opportunities within each Personal Development strand as well as a single strand dedicated to leadership itself.
Examples of leadership opportunities include:
- Student Leadership Team (SLT),
- PBT iLeaders (accredited position),
- Mental Health iLeaders (accredited position),
- Subject Ambassadors,
- Student Council
- Debating and Public speaking
- Other iLeader opportunities
Below is an outline of the responsibilities these positions entail:
Student Leadership Team (SLT)
Being a member of the SLT is seen as being an honour and is something that younger students aspire to become. Students have to formally apply for the position supported by sponsorship of one member of staff. Selection is not automatic as there are specific requirements to fulfil.
There are typically two Head Students each year, 5 deputies supported by a team of between 10 and 20 members of SLT who will all be attached to a year group and will be part of a sub-committee working on an identified priority such as student mental health or the environment.
Following the application round when students express interest in putting themselves forward to be Head Student and/or Deputy in writing, applicants then attend a short informal 1:1 pre-interview to discuss the roles in more detail. Students are then invited to progress to the final round of interviews before a selection panel.
The final Post-16 SLT team is then finalised based the written applications and the informal interviews. The whole team is typically around 18-20 students.
Alongside the final interview student and staff voice is taken into account before making a final decision about the Head and Deputy Head Students.
Requirements:
- You must be a first-class Post-16 role model for all students lower down the school
- You must be mature, polite, trustworthy, well organised and committed
- You should have a record of giving your Personal Best, during your time in Post-16 and/or previously.
- You should have an excellent or significantly improved record of attendance and punctuality
- You should have excellent inter-personal skills and have the ability to show leadership alongside being a team player
- Over time you are likely to have made a significant contribution to the life of the school (sport, music, drama, charitable, volunteering, etc.)
- You should be willing to support and challenge the school
- You should be committed to using your own personal skills and experience to making a positive difference to others
Duties:
- To meet fortnightly with members of the school Student Leadership Team
- To represent the student body at Department meetings, staff Learning Forum as required
- To meet with the Headteacher, Leadership Team and Governors as required
- To attend a variety of school events both in school (Open Evening/Parents’ Information Evenings, etc) and in the local community (Presentation Evenings, Red Kite Alliance events, etc)
- To commit to 1 breaktime and 1 lunchtime duty per week. These will always be conducted in pairs and you will be deployed according to your skills and experience
- To make a commitment to the wider iLeader Programme to strengthen wider student leadership activity across the school
- Each Deputy Head student will have responsibility for a KS3/4 year group and will act as a link between Post-16 SLT and the PrExL/Head of Year as well as having responsibility for an identified ‘priority area’ e.g. student wellbeing
Personal Best Time (PBT) iLeaders (accredited SSAT position)
This position allows students to work closely with a specific form group in either Year 7,8 or 9 and to help students build their confidence and skills. Students will have the opportunity to lead on sessions within PBT, a chance to develop their own PBT sessions on topics they are passionate about and want other students to share in that passion, as well as supporting other year groups at events such as Charities Week. Students also have the opportunity to accompany a year group during the Challenge & Celebration week should they wish. Students volunteer for this position which also allows students to work towards achieving the SSAT Student Leadership Accreditation certificate, giving them a chance to develop their own leadership qualities and skills which can be used to help support future applications to Universities or Employers.
Student Council
This well-established position allows students to have their voices and the voices of their peers heard at a whole school level. It provides students with opportunities to work with the school leadership as well as the Post-16 SLT to make positive difference to the experiences of students here at IGS. Students will represent their form group at the Year Team Council run by Mrs Pickard and then can represent the year group at the School Council Meetings run by Mr Boyd.
Debating and Public Speaking
Students are encouraged to engage in the Debating society and be involved with the public speaking competitions which are organised by the local Rotary Clubs and other organisations such as Debating Matters
There is also a student led Post-16 discussion group which seeks to explore sensitive and/or controversial issues.
Other iLeader opportunities
As part of the school’s wider Leadership programme, students will have access to a bespoke menu that offers a large range of leadership opportunities for students to get involved with and really enhance their Sixth Form experience. These opportunities will always fall under at least one of the 8 Personal Development strands and will give students the chance to develop those softer skills outside of the academic world which can be used to support their future applications to universities and employers. For further information, look out for the Student Leadership Menu (example below) or speak to the Student Leadership Coordinator.
Scholarship and curiosity
Subject Enhancement Lists
Each subject studied at Post-16 produces a booklet with books, films, podcasts, journals which will offer students a deeper insight into the subjects they are studying. Please click on an A-Level subject to download the subject enhancement lists produced for each subject by our Post-16 staff.
Subject iLeaders
This position allows students to be an advocate for a subject area supporting learners, curriculum-based events and promoting their subject area. Students volunteer for this position which is supported by subject staff. Students who are following the Work Experience enrichment strand will initially be a subject iLeader until their work experience is organised and approved.
Duties:
- To promote/advertise the subject within the Post-16 area
- To support students lower down the school in their learning within lessons
- To attend Post-16 and whole school Open Evenings to support the subject area
- To offer a student’s view of the subject on Taster Day
- To support ‘choice’ events/programmes e.g. KS3 into 4 options
- To support whole school curriculum-based events e.g. Arts Evening, Public Speaking, etc.
Subject Ambassadors
Students can apply to be subject ambassadors and promote the subject at school events e.g. Open Evening. Ambassadors will be first approved by the subject area. They can also be proposed by subject areas.
Other iLeader roles which fall within this Personal Development strand are
- Library iLeaders
Next Steps and Careers
This Personal Development strand is woven into all aspects of school life, from subject lessons to micro-curricula in PBT, assemblies and activities organised with school or taking place out of school such as Work Experience. Year 12 Next Steps Week which takes place in the summer term each year is packed full of events to ensure students are informed about the range of Post-18 pathways available. The aim of the programme is to ensure that all students are prepared for their next steps whether it is transition into Post-16, to College or an apprenticeship or an application to university or for employment. For further information see the Post-18 pathways section of the website.
Careers iLeader
Students signing up for this iLeader role will have an interest in how the world of work intersects with school. They will support careers-related events such as the Careers and Aspirations Fair as well as other events taking place in and out of school.
Sport, interests and Culture
Sport
The school competes in both local area and national sporting competitions in a variety of different sports, including netball, rugby, hockey, football and cross country and also offers opportunities for social sport in Post-16. We also offer students the opportunity to gain a Level 3 qualification in Sports Leadership as part of our enrichment program and students lead lunchtime clubs as well as events with primary schools and other organisations. Post-16 is not just about the academic – its important students stay physically fit both mentally and physically to help them in their quest for excellence.
Music and the Performing Arts
The school puts on dance, drama and music productions during the year and Year 12 and 13 always play key roles both on stage and backstage. These are all seen as a major feature of school life. This year the school production will be ‘The Sound of Music’ and will be featuring many of our talented Post-16 musicians.
As well as the traditional school orchestras, Ilkley Grammar School has a wide range of student driven bands playing a diverse range of rock, ska, funk, acoustic, bands and vocal groups depending on the talents of students in each year group. These bands play at Christmas assemblies, leaver’s presentations and charity fundraising events.
Art and Photography
The art department offers a range of enrichment opportunities. These include visits to local and London galleries, a programme of visiting speakers from the art industry, and the opportunity to enter local and national competitions. We have links with the Ilkley Art School, where many of our students attend Life Drawing classes.
Post-16 student achievement is celebrated with an end of year exhibition, curated and presented by Yr12 students in collaboration with the Manor House Gallery in Ilkley.
The annual Creative Arts Evening which takes place in July each year draws together all the arts-based subjects at IGS into a celebration of creativity at IGS.
ILeader roles which fall within this Personal Development strand are:
- Dance iLeader
- Sport iLeader
- Sports Council
- Art and Photography Club iLeader
- Choir iLeader
Other
Students are also encouraged to initiate their own clubs and societies either with their peers or with Key Stage 3 and support is provided by the Post-16 SLT and staff team where possible.
Ilkley Literature Festival
IGS is actively developing links with the Ilkley Literature Festival which takes place each year. In 2022 IGS became a venue for the festival and hosted 9 events. To support this link the school has created an Ilkley Literature Festival iLeader strand which will enable students to play an active role in supporting the event.
Mental Health and wellbeing
This Personal Development strand is delivered to students in all year groups as a core entitlement through a combination of micro-curricula in PBT and Citizenship (CEP in Post-16), assemblies and other one-off events such as wellbeing week.
With a qualified MHFA trainer based in school and 80+ staff having completed the two day MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) training and further training of staff and students scheduled for this year, this is a real strength of our provision at IGS and demonstrates a commitment to working together as a community to meet our wellbeing needs.
Mental Health iLeaders (accredited position)
This key position allows students to develop their understanding of Mental Health issues as well as explore multiple strategies that can support when people are experiencing poor mental health. Following a bespoke training plan, iLeaders will use their new skills to raise awareness of Mental Health and promote methods to improve student wellbeing through assemblies, PBT sessions, and a whole Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Week. This position will develop leadership qualities and skills to improve whole school provision of Mental Health support at IGS. It will also provide an opportunity for self-reflection and support with iLeaders own journey in becoming better practitioners in terms of their own day-to-day mental health.
Respect, Equality and Diversity
The school is currently working towards the RED Award which is an accreditation developed by the Red Kite Alliance. The school takes pride in the fact that many initiatives are planned and led by students. There are two iLeader roles which fall within the remit of Respect, Equality and Diversity:
- Anti-bullying iLeaders
- LGBTQ+ iLeaders
- Breakfast Club iLeader
- Model United Nations
The annual Diversity Day is delivered to all year 8 and 9 students and activities are led by a combination of external providers, IGS staff and student leaders.
Discovery and Adventure
As a Post-16 student students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of trips - from Iceland and CERN (Geography & Science), Krakow, a cultural trip to Paris, Geography trips to Cranedale, Skiing in Europe and/or USA/Canada, Exchanges to France and Spain, Theatre and Art Trips to London…the choice is enormous. Our staff are committed to extra-curricular opportunities and Ilkley Grammar School prides itself on developing the whole student both academically and socially. A list of available trips and their cost is published each year in advance to assist with budgeting. Students in receipt of the Post-16 bursary can apply for financial support to participate in trips and visits.
World Challenge
Are you up for a challenge of a lifetime? Trekking, camping, teamwork, leadership, exploring, completing a community project, fundraising are all part of a World Challenge trip. IGS are taking a World Challenge team to Nepal in July 2022. The next destination is Vietnam in 2023.
