Character education is firmly on the government’s agenda. Throughout the last few years there have been a number of policy announcements in this area, including character education’s newly found prominence in Ofsted’s Education Framework.
In recent times, there has been a clear tension and debate about the purpose of education. Many parents, schools and professionals have argued against the one sized fits all academic route for young people and many consider schools to be ‘exam factories’ rather than places of holistic learning. This is not to denigrate in any way the importance of learning core subjects but simply a recognition that young people learn in different ways.
In response to this, the government have sought to change the emphasis on not ‘just’ academic success but to also focus on upskilling vocational education. Alongside this is the worry that there has too often been a lack of focus on developing our young people’s social skills through character education. A recent review of extra-curricular activities by the Social Mobility Commission found a strong link between soft skills and success in the workplace. This research has led us to emphasise a career focus in all elements of this programme.
Introducing a Character Education Programme throughout Homes2Inspire will be crucial to improving our young people’s ‘stickability’ throughout their life. Our internal Character Education Programme will be based on the five pillars set out by the government:
1. Sport
Includes competitive sport and activities such as running, martial arts, swimming and purposeful recreational activities, such as rock climbing, hiking, yoga or learning to ride a bike.
2. Creativity
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, any structured youth programmes or uniformed groups.
5. World of work
Practical experience of the world of work, work experience or entrepreneurship. For primary age children, this may involve opportunities to meet role models from different jobs.
Our Character Education Programme will comprise of a series of workbooks. They will include a range of different activties, such as: videos, quizzes, interactive games, PowerPoints and much more. All of which will have a focus on the Gatsby Careers Benchmarks. They will be for a variety of age groups and our keyworkers will take the lead on delivering these sessions.
Our themes include:
- Careers in Animals
- Careers in Sports
- Careers in Music
- Health and Fitness
- Creative Writing
- Soft skills sessions
- Volunteering
- University Support
- Traineeships, Apprenticeships and Jobs
- Training Courses
