PDL Drop Down Day and Careers Fair 2025

On Thursday 3 July we will hold our Personal Development Learning (PDL) Drop Down Day and Careers Fair.

Drop Down Day – A Focus on Health and Wellbeing

This term’s Drop Down Day centres on the theme of health and wellbeing, giving students a valuable opportunity to explore physical and emotional health, learn essential life skills, and reflect on personal growth.

Throughout the day, students will take part in a range of engaging sessions, including:

• Sleep Hygiene and Managing Screen-Time – helping students understand the link between rest, routines, and wellbeing.

• Awareness presentations from Oddballs (testicular cancer) and a Breast Cancer Charity – raising awareness of important health issues in age-appropriate and informative ways.

• First aid training delivered by St John’s Ambulance, including practical CPR practice.

• Team building activities on the sports field, promoting collaboration and resilience.

• A Careers Fair in the Sports Hall, showcasing a wide range of pathways and employers, including talks from visiting professionals.

Student Leadership Team Voting

In the afternoon, students will attend a special session where candidates for next year’s Student Leadership Team will present their speeches before the vote—an opportunity to promote student voice, democracy, and ambition.

Students should attend in full school uniform as normal. The timings of the school day remain unchanged, and students will not need their usual exercise books.

Looking Back and Ahead

These activities come at the end of a year in which we have focused on helping students develop greater resilience, emotional regulation, social responsibility and career readiness—all grounded in the principles of Competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness. Our topics this year have ranged from social media and digital safety to global conflict, ethical choices, and inclusive relationships education.

In the year to come, our PDL programme will continue to evolve. We plan to sharpen the focus on belonging, aspiration and the embedding of life skills, with more opportunities for students to celebrate their strengths, reflect on their personal growth, and deepen their awareness of careers, community, and themselves. Thank you to those parents and carers who have expressed an interest and willingness to be part of the PDL Parent Forum. If anybody else would be interested in joining this consultative group please let me know and I will gladly provide more details.

Mr S Barnes, Director of Personal Development