In November 2019 OFSTED released a document titled; “Character Education - Framework Guidance”. The document is intended for use by school leaders and teachers when considering the rationale for character education. This focus on building a child’s character is core to The Children’s Challenge Schools offering. OFSTED highlight 6 character benchmarks that summarise the most important features of good provision for character education. These benchmarks are shown below along with some further explanatory text provided by OFSTED. They are highly supportive of the work of The Children’s Challenge and the creation of Expedition Societies and participation in Virtual Challenges.
What kind of school are we?
How effectively do we create a sense of pride, belonging and identity in our school?
What are our expectations of behaviour towards each other?
How well do we promote a range of positive character traits among pupils?
How well do our curriculum and teaching develop resilience and confidence?
How good is our co-curriculum provision?
Does it cover a wide range across artistic, creative, performance, sporting, debating, challenge, team and individual etc. so all pupils can both discover new interests and develop existing ones?
Do we make use of or promote local, national or international programmes or organisations? (e.g. uniformed organisations, Duke of Edinburgh, National Citizen Service etc.)
Is provision of high quality and does it challenge pupils and build expertise? Is participation sustained over time?
Are there ample opportunities for pupils to compete, perform etc., and is success acknowledged and celebrated?
How well do we promote the value of volunteering and service to others?
How do we ensure that all our pupils benefit equally from what we offer?
Do we understand and reduce barriers to participation (e.g. cost, timing, location, logistics, confidence, parental support etc.)?
Do we enable young people from all backgrounds to feel as if they belong and are valued?
Is our provision, including our co-curricular provision, appropriately tailored both to suit and to challenge the pupils we serve?
Further statements made by OFSTED, implicitly supporting the creation of Expedition Societies and participation in Virtual Challenges at primary schools, are as follows:
Schools have a statutory duty, as part of a broad and balanced curriculum, to promote the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural (SMSC) development of pupils and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. Character education contributes to this duty to promote SMSC.
From September 2019, Ofsted inspections recognise the importance of schools’ provision for character education through its inclusion in the new judgement on Personal Development in all Section 5 and Section 8 inspections.
Research suggests that there are enabling character traits which can improve educational attainment, engagement with school and attendance. A literature review for the Education Endowment Foundation and Cabinet Office found that:
High self-efficacy, or self-belief, is associated with better performance, more persistence and greater interest in work;
Highly motivated children (linked to tenacity) driven internally and not by extrinsic rewards show greater levels of persistence and achievement;
Other studies have suggested that: Schools which develop character well help drive equity and social mobility for their pupils.
Alongside the school’s ethos and taught curriculum there is strong provision for co-curricular activities. The programme is designed to focus on high quality activities across a wide spectrum of different domains (for example cultural, creative, sporting, physical, service-oriented, volunteering) which enable pupils to participate over time, learn and improve in their chosen activities and compete or perform as appropriate. Participation is enabled for all pupils in the school, including the least advantaged pupils, through a careful understanding of the most common barriers to participation. Activities which offer pupils experiences which they would not otherwise get, taking into account their background and home circumstances, are prioritised.