Character Education

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking." - J.C. Watts

We firmly believe that we have a duty to ensure that our students are able to fulfil their academic and personal potential. Central to achieving both of these is ‘character education’. As we enable students to develop their personal qualities, they will become better learners and have the ability to make a positive contribution to society.

What is Character Education?

“Character education includes all explicit and implicit educational activities that help young people develop positive personal strengths called virtues.” - A Framework for Character Education in Schools

Each child has a right to character education. Good character is the foundation for improved attainment, better behaviour and increased employability, but most importantly, flourishing societies.

Our approach to Character Education

The Windsor Academy Trust approach to character education is based on the extensive research and projects carried out by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues. The work undertaken by the Jubilee Centre has identified a range of virtues that are indicative of good character. At Cheslyn Hay Academy there are six ASPIRE character virtues:

• Respectful - to treat someone or something in a way that shows they are valued
• Responsible - to act knowing that our choices will lead to certain outcomes
• Resilient - to try, even when something is challenging, and ‘bounce back’ when faced with disappointment
• Courageous - to be brave and aim high
• Creative - to think of different ideas and perspectives
• Compassionate - to show care and kindness to others

Taught, sought, caught

To ensure that our students are constantly exposed to positive character virtues, we employ a taught, sought, caught approach to character development:

• Taught - Students can be taught about what good character looks like through their
  educational experiences, and we ensure that opportunities to exploit links to character are made through the curriculum.
• Sought - Students are encouraged to seek out opportunities to develop their character
  through extra-curricular experiences and an array of leadership opportunities.
• Caught - Constant exposure to positive role models, and a recognition of when good
  character has been demonstrated means that students are able to ‘catch’ positive character traits.