An outstanding education should extend far beyond a child’s academic attainment and exam results, although very important, academic results should be just part of the measures of a quality education. However, Character Education is as vital a part of a child’s educational experience as the best 11+ results, best SATS results or GCSE results and is sometimes neglected. But what is Character Education and why is its importance greater than ever in our rapidly changing world?
What is Character Education?
Character Education refers to explicit and implicit efforts to cultivate virtues and ethical values. The underlying principle in Character Education is to develop character traits and behaviours that instil motivation and guide conduct, so that pupils reflect wisely, learn eagerly, behave with integrity and work well with others; qualities that they need to flourish in our society. At Holmwood House School in Colchester, Essex Character Education is embedded across our formal curriculum, school culture and extra curricular activities.
Why is Character Education Important?
As an integral part of a balanced and well rounded curriculum, schools have a duty to foster the social, moral and cultural development of pupils and prepare them for the challenges and responsibilities they will inevitably encounter in their future lives.
Character Education is crucial in today’s society, as it equips pupils with the positive personal traits, dispositions, moral and ethical compass required to navigate our increasingly complex world. While we cannot prepare children for jobs, experiences, problems and technologies yet to be conceived, Character Education serves to equip pupils with a toolkit to flourish in a job market and society that is continuously changing and evolving. They also develop the capacity of knowing how to select the best course of action in difficult situations.
What are the Benefits of Character Education?
A dedicated approach to nurturing character yields many benefits. As research indicates, it can result in increased well being and academic attainment for pupils.
Character Education fosters resilience and self-confidence. When pupils face challenges or setbacks, they learn to persevere and bounce back. Confidence in their abilities grows, enabling them to tackle new challenges with determination.
By fostering virtues of responsibility, citizenship and service, pupils are encouraged to contribute to the common good and actively contribute to the betterment of their communities and society.
Our Commitment to Character Education
At Holmwood House, we firmly believe cultivating character is the cornerstone for improving well-being, attainment, behaviour and for preparing pupils to prosper in society. Through character development and learning we allow children to grow into resilient adaptable individuals who can shape their own future.
Mr Edward Bond, Head of Holmwood House says “Character Education is important to us, schools are about discovery and growth, both academically and personally. We prepare young people for life so their well-being, conduct and character matter to us. We want them to understand how to take on life’s challenges, know how to seek support, when to take risks, be polite and treat each other well. Holmwood has a proud reputation for turning out super young women and men, ready to take on their next challenge.”
The World Economic Forum produce a regular ‘Future of Jobs’ research document. Third and fourth on the list of skills highly prized (behind creative and analytical thinking) are ‘resilience, flexibility and agility’ and ‘motivation and self-awareness’ – both groups being strong character traits.
Our tradition of excellence, our commitment to Character Education, and our dedicated educators makes our school the perfect setting for pupils who want to extend their education; it’s about becoming responsible, empathetic, and resilient and well rounded adults.
To discover more about Holmwood House and to book a tour please visit www.holmwood.house/admissions/visit-us
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