The Character We Carry Forward

Character is shaped at school – whether we like it or not.

The Jubilee Centre at University of Birmingham was founded in 2012 and has become one of the leading institutions in character research and education. Research continues to endorse that character education increases student performance and final outcomes in schools, yet it is so often undermined.

The Jubilee Centre’s research is extensive, involving more than 30 000 students and 200 teachers. The pillars of character development include Intellectual Virtues, Moral Virtues, Civic Virtues and Performance Virtues. These pillars ultimately enable young people the opportunity to develop ‘good sense’, or practical wisdom; the capacity to choose the right course of action in difficult situations. So much of what is learnt at schools comes not only from direct academic instruction, but from what students’ experience, observe, and signals that are sent in daily interactions. What is modelled to, and by students, has always been as important as what is taught but arguably the complex world our young people will need to navigate has put character education once again front of mind.

With this in mind, it is no surprise the Jubilee Centre’s research suggests that character is Caught, Taught and Sought. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Education and Skills Policy Programme created a framework that that offers a broad vision of what students will need to thrive in 2030 and beyond. It comes as no surprise that values, attitudes and the ability to find direction in meaningful and responsible ways.

We have been reflecting on how character education is taught at Somerset explicitly as part of our academic curriculum, within experiential learning activities, outdoor education program and service-learning initiatives. We are committed to ensuring that developing young people of character sits at the core of what we do and is acknowledged accordingly. Ensuring virtues literacy is something that accompanies our students into the world beyond Year 12 is important and will put them in good stead to successfully lead teams, businesses, families and friendships.

In the first week of Term 3, Year 11 worked with the team from Peer Power in our inaugural focus on character session. Students were challenged to consider what student agency looked like, what goals they aspire to achieve in 2027 may look like and how the College can support them in reaching them. Our Head of Year 11, Mrs Bronwyn Wright, led the cohort as they created goals that were measurable, and shared amongst the cohort. IT as interesting to note, these goals held a strong correlation to our Graduate Profile – aspirations for the character we believe students who graduate from Somerset College develop through all they learn, observe, participate in and contribute to.

Students suggested:

I think something that was incredibly helpful was teaching us about Confident, Secure and Pensive in order to help us join together and bond the school as one. I think amidst generating goals for houses and our cohort it jogged my thinking on personal goals that I can use to extend myself as a socially confident student.

I thought the goals shared amongst the whole grade was helpful in determining what the cohort is aiming to achieve in Year 12. I learnt that I think more logically about my decisions through the personality quiz. I think this knowledge will impact my behaviour by giving me an outlook of what the grade will do in Year 12 and how myself as a person can contribute.

I enjoyed talking to all different people, this was certainly helpful. this impacts my behaviour because my goal is to be more approachable. This is a great step into right direction. I really enjoyed today and learned a lot.

Our Year 11’s are partnering with a Character and Conscience programme, which continues to have a positive impact on students. Creating space for students to engage using a common language around the importance of who we are, and the importance of character cannot be under-estimated. It is ultimately an illustration that character is formed within the classroom but equally, beyond it.