Character Education

Character education is all about helping students become the best version of themselves—not just in school, but in life.

We teach Character Education at the Prescot School in order to:

1. Build Moral and Ethical Foundations

Character education helps students develop virtues such as kindness, integrity, and respect, guiding them to make ethical decisions and treat others with fairness and compassion.

2. Promotes Resilience and Personal Growth

By fostering traits like tenacity and resilience, students learn to overcome challenges, persevere through difficulties, and maintain a positive mindset in a changing world.

3. Prepares Students for Citizenship

Character education encourages responsibility, empathy, and social justice, equipping students to contribute positively to their communities and engage with local, national, and global issues.

4. Enhances Academic and Social Success

Virtues such as diligence, confidence, and curiosity support academic achievement and help students build healthy relationships, improving overall wellbeing.

The Character Curriculum is taught through Make it Matter sessions during form time. It is designed to guide students through their own personal development journey and help them thrive, becoming the best versions of themselves. It is designed to nurture character virtues with learning and reflection, with a focus on Oracy.

We have used the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues research to support our lessons. This highlights how fostering key traits like resilience, integrity, and empathy in young people is crucial for flourishing in society.

‘Character is largely caught through role-modelling and emotional contagion… Character should also be taught: direct teaching of character provides the rationale, language and tools to use in developing character elsewhere in and out of school.’ – Jubilee Centre

The Prescot School is proudly working towards being accredited with the ACE (Association for Character Education) Quality Mark, which will recognise our commitment to excellence in character development.

Character Type	Examples of Characteristics	Examples in School Life
Moral Character	Kindness, Integrity, Honesty, Compassion, Justice	Peer mentoring, Anti-bullying campaigns, Assemblies on respect
Performance Character	Tenacity, Resilience, Diligence, Confidence, Courage	Sports teams, Academic competitions, Leadership roles
Civic Character	Responsibility, Service, Volunteering, Respect for Law	Student council, Charity events, Community projects
Intellectual Character	Curiosity, Reflection, Creativity, Open-mindedness	Debate club, STEM enrichment, Trips to museums and universities

Virtues are positive qualities or moral habits that guide how we think, feel, and act. They help us make good choices and live well. Virtues are like the building blocks of good character—they shape who we are and how we treat others.

We need virtues:

• To make good decisions – Virtues help us choose what’s right, even when it’s difficult.
• To build strong relationships – They teach us to respect and care for others.
• To succeed in life – Qualities like resilience and honesty help us achieve goals.
• To create a better community – Virtues encourage fairness, responsibility, and helping others.
• To prepare for the future – They give us a moral compass in a changing world.