Character Education
What is Character Education? Put simply it is recognising, understanding and developing the character traits that make us unique and then using these ‘character muscles’ to allow us to be the best version of ourselves. At the heart of character education is creating a culture in and out of school where pupils are given every opportunity to rehearse and strengthen their sense of themselves.
Why is it important for my child? Children starting school in 2018 are unlikely to retire until 2082 at the earliest! There is a growing recognition of the need to equip pupils with a set of personal characteristics that will make them successful in all occupations and go a long way to making them happy and healthy adults.
What is the school doing to improve pupils’ character muscles? The school is taking part in a fully funded training programme called Route to Resilience along with other schools in the Diocese of Leicester Academies Trust. We have been introducing the vocabulary of character traits to pupils in the school in lessons and in assemblies. Activities may include mini activities to warm up the muscles that are needed to help the children succeed. Classes across the school will have key character muscles they are working on and these will increase for our older children.
What will I notice at home? Your child will begin to use character vocabulary at home and you will see the words mentioned more often in the certificates your child receives from school. You may find that your children will want to talk to you about the character traits they find more difficult or the ones they are very proud of. At the end of the school year, staff will comment on character muscles in the end of year report and your child will get the opportunity to reflect on which ones they feel they have really worked on this year.
The character muscles vocabulary
Concentration
| Making links | Independence |
Curiosity | Managing impulsivity
| Imagination |
Creativity | Perseverance
| Passion for learning |
Reasoning | Revising and improving | Friendship |
Good humour | Resilience
| Risk taking |
Optimism | Self esteem | Feeling safe and secure |
Imitation | Listening
| Communication |
Questioning | Problem solving | Empathy and compassion |
Respect | Humility and Gratitude | Integrity |
Co-operation | Peace
| Kindness |
Courage | Confidence
| Inclusiveness |
Meta-cognition | Self-efficacy
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Meta-cognition is the ability to be aware
of the way you think, it’s thinking about
thinking!
Self-efficacy is the belief you hold that you
have the power to change things both in
your life and the world around you