About Me

Personal Development Matters is the education consultancy company of Sarah Huggins

About Me

I have over 20 years’ experience in education, starting as a Primary teacher I then moved into road safety education. In this role I delivered a wide range of sessions to children and young people of all ages and wrote numerous resources.

I then moved into Staffordshire County Council’s advisory team where I held a number of roles. These all focussed on personal development and wellbeing and included the National Healthy Schools Programme, PSHE education, Citizenship, pupil voice, Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development and mental health.

In these roles I developed my skills to support school improvement including staff training, delivering sessions for children and young people and writing educational materials.

I took the decision to form my own company as I am passionate about supporting schools to effectively address the personal development of their children and young people. Now more than ever, it is vital we provide a broad and balanced education which helps children and young people to be happy, healthy, safe and fully prepared for the next stage of education and for adult life.

I recognise the pressures on those working in education, so I aim to provide high quality services which make life easier for the busy school leader or class teacher.

Working predominantly in primary schools I offer support in the following:-

• Statutory Relationships Education

• Statutory Health Education

• Ofsted requirements for Personal Development

• PSHE education

• Citizenship

• School Council

• Peer mentoring

• SMSC including British Values

• Staff wellbeing

I am also able to write resources and articles on the above topics. Over the last few years I have worked for Kapow Primary, Picture News and Pango Education.

Please contact me to discuss how I can best support you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you support secondary schools?

Yes, I can offer support for secondaries, please contact me to discuss your requirements.

What qualifications and experience do you have?

I have a degree and am a qualified primary school teacher. I also have years of experience working for a local authority in a range of areas relating to Personal Development.

Are there any specific requirements when you work with groups of children?

Yes, to comply with Keeping Children Safe in Education and Ofsted guidance on safeguarding there should be an adult from the school in the sessions. The nature of some topics I deliver can be sensitive and it is important that someone who knows the children is able to follow up any issues which are raised.

When I train children for specific roles e.g. peer mentor the adult who will be supporting them in their role should be in the session.

Are you insured?

Yes, I hold public liability and professional indemnity insurance.

How much do you charge?

Prices for my courses are displayed in the training section of this site.

When I offer consultancy I aim is to keep prices as reasonable as possible as I understand the constraints on school budgets. Please contact me to find out more.

Do you have the relevant DBS clearance?

Yes, I hold an enhanced DBS certificate for working with children.

It is great to receive feedback on the services I provide.

Below you can read some recent feedback from people I have worked with.

“I just wanted to say the hugest thank you for the training you delivered to us today – I took on the role of PSHE Lead at the very end of July this year and so everything is brand new to me and today’s training has helped me more than I can tell you. It was so thorough, answered so many questions and has generally helped that feeling of sheer panic to quieten down! Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your knowledge with us.”

Leanne Pettingale

Elmsleigh Infant and Nursery School – Derbyshire

“Sarah was absolutely wonderful at delivering the session. It was so helpful, I feel much more prepared and informed and now know my next steps moving forward. One of the most worthwhile courses I’ve attended in a while!”

Tricia Kheejoo

Mayflower Primary School – Essex

“Thank you so much for this session. This is the first time I’ve joined one and it was very informative. It has given me a lot to think about and things that I want to share with the staff.”

Jane Arundel

St Margaret’s Junior School – Staffordshire

‘’The presenter has a very calming and sensitive nature and allows the children to feel comfortable and safe in the session. Extremely informative, plenty of appropriate and important information was given. Lots of opportunities for questions in a safe inclusive environment"

Y6 Teachers

Puberty Sessions for children