Character Education

What exactly is meant by “Character”?

The Department for Education defines it as the ‘character traits, attributes and behaviours that underpin success in education and work’ e.g.

  • perseverance, resilience and grit
  • confidence and optimism
  • motivation, drive and ambition
  • neighbourliness and community spirit
  • tolerance and respect
  • honesty, integrity and dignity
  • conscientiousness, curiosity and focus.

Five foundations of character education

At Brannel we have a structured approach to character education which focuses on:

  1. Sport – which includes competitive sport and activities such as running, martial arts, swimming and purposeful recreational activities, such as rock climbing, hiking, orienteering, gym programmes, yoga or learning to ride a bike.
  2. Creativity – this involves all creative activities from coding, arts and crafts, writing, graphic design, film making and music composition.
  3. Performing – activities could include dance, theatre and drama, musical performance, choir, debating or public speaking.
  4. Volunteering & Membership – brings together teams for practical action in the service of others or groups, such as volunteering, litter-picking, fundraising, structured youth programmes and the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme.
  5. World of work – practical experience of the world of work, work experience or entrepreneurship. This involves opportunities to meet role models from different jobs.

Further information can be viewed from the links on the left of this page and on our careers education page.