Framework In Action

About Colmore Junior School

Colmore Junior School opened in 1909 and is based in Birmingham. Colmore provides a rich curriculum to pupils and has an excellent reputation for its supportive community and academic success. Colmore is a nationally recognised school for character education and provides training to other schools through the South Birmingham SCITT.

‘Character education has been an important part of our curriculum for a long time, and we see tremendous value in equipping other schools to prioritise it too. Our partnership with the Jubilee Centre has been really positive and we really hope this training tool is a useful resource for others in the teaching profession.’

Tony Bradshaw, Head of School at Colmore Junior School

Find out more at: www.colmorej.co.uk

To demonstrate how the building blocks of character can be implemented, Colmore Junior School have designed a character-focussed CPD programme. The Character Education Portal has been developed to support Initial Teacher Trainees and Early Career Teachers to understand the language of character and deliver explicit character education lessons.

Character Education Lead at Colmore Junior School, Robin Venn said, ‘I think what [the portal] provides is to go back to the very roots of why you wanted to become a teacher’.

The portal has been designed to support trainee teachers and those in the early stages of their career to better understand the benefits of character education for their pupils and how they can develop their own teaching practice.  

The portal can be accessed here:  https://colmoreceportal.com/

About Yeading Junior School

Yeading Junior School is a community school based in Hayes. Yeading has been awarded a Kitemark Plus as a School of Character in recognition of their character education provision. Through character education, the school engages in tailored social action projects which provide an important vehicle for children to develop. Character education at Yeading Junior School incorporates a range of activities and projects – embracing volunteering for a charity, caring for someone in the community, campaigning or fundraising for a specific cause.

‘[Social action] has been an enabler for us to demonstrate the children’s real understanding of character education and what the virtues mean to them and therefore we’ve been able to demonstrate that within school and beyond.’

Carole Jones, Headteacher

Find out more at: www.yeadingjuniorschool.co.uk

Yeading’s ‘Framework in Action’ project

To demonstrate how civic virtues can be developed through the lens of social action, Yeading Junior School have produced a set of resources including lesson plans, dilemma cards and guides for teachers and pupils. The resources have been developed to support and inspire other schools interested in embedding social action into their provision.

Headteacher at Yeading Junior School, Carole Jones said, ‘It’s something that schools could look at as an example and try and do something with their own context.’

The resources aim to demonstrate how social action can support the development of civic virtues, enabling children to flourish as members of a society.

The resources, produced by Yeading Junior School, can be accessed below. Click on the buttons to download each of the resources. 

About The London Oratory School

The London Oratory School is a Catholic secondary school for boys aged 7–18 and girls aged 16–18 in West Brompton. The school endeavours to provide an excellent education of the intellect alongside an education in the spiritual and moral virtues. The London Oratory School sees the identification, pursuit and celebration of the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude as a central part of their provision. Pupils are encouraged to grow in the practice of the virtues, to recognise the importance of them in their lives, and to celebrate those who demonstrate particular virtues in the course of time spent at school.

‘As a Catholic school, we draw upon the theological and cardinal virtues as established by the Church and Aristotle. This definitely works as a way of describing how people function; it’s been really useful to have that literacy, that common language right across the school.’

David Moyes, Assistant Headteacher

Find out more at: www.london-oratory.org

The London Oratory School’s ‘Framework in Action’ project

To demonstrate how the virtue of temperance can be taught in schools, The London Oratory School have partnered with Ten:Ten to produce a set of resources including a lesson plan and a short film to inspire other schools interested in explicitly teaching specific virtues as part of their character education provision. The lesson begins with a story told through animation which illustrates different aspects of the virtue of temperance. This is then followed by reflection activities and discussion.

Assistant Headteacher at The London Oratory School, David Moyes said, ‘With the virtue of temperance, there’s a real need for that idea of balance in our lives and our emotions which address a lot of the challenges that people face at the moment.’

The lesson resources have been designed to support teachers interested in how to explicitly teach character and how they can develop their own teaching practice with regards to character taught.

About University of Birmingham School

University of Birmingham School opened in September 2015 and is based on the University of Birmingham’s Selly Oak campus. The school has a close partnership with the University of Birmingham, making it the UK’s first secondary University Training School. The school aims to create better citizens by providing students with the space, opportunity and understanding to practise good character, balancing character education with academic education. An extended school day is used to deliver a school-wide enrichment programme to provide all students the chance to experience something meaningful.

Find out more at: https://uobschool.org.uk/

University of Birmingham School’s ‘Framework in Action’ project

To demonstrate how character sought can be developed through enrichment, University of Birmingham School have produced a set of resources including a Character by Design overview, a Character Sought booklet, as well as a short film clip which can be viewed below. The resources have been developed to support and inspire other schools interested in embedding enrichment into their provision.

Director of Character at University of Birmingham School, Bec Tigue said, ‘For schools who are at the beginning of their Character Education journey, there is guidance on using opportunities that likely already exist in schools in a more intentional way; for those who are contemplating dedicating more time for enrichment, we share our whole school enrichment plans and some individual projects’.

The resources aim to demonstrate how enrichment opportunities can support the development of character sought, enabling children to flourish as members of a society.

The resources and film, produced by University of Birmingham School, can be accessed below. Click on the buttons to download each of the resources.

About Northampton Academy

Northampton Academy is part of a group of academies, primaries and independent schools called United Learning whose motto is ‘The Best in Everyone’. The vision and mission of Northampton Academy is to be an Academy of character and excellence and they are nationally recognised for their Character Development Programme, delivered through assemblies, tutor time, reading, and PSHE. A well-sequenced, aspirational curriculum for all ensures that students are developing phronesis so they can make the right decisions, at the right time, for the right reason.

‘Character development is at the heart of the school’s work’ (Ofsted, Nov 2019).

Find out more at: www.northampton-academy.org

Northampton Academy’s ‘Framework in Action’ project

To demonstrate how character sought can be supported, Northampton Academy have designed a Student Character Digital Passport, also available as an online app. The Student Character Digital Passport has been developed to support students to engage in self-evaluation and reflection of their own character and to track their character development through leadership and enrichment opportunities.

Director of Character at Northampton Academy, Carlington Anderson, said, ‘The character programme at Northampton deliberately exposes students to the ‘taught and caught’ aspect of character education. We wanted our students to have more autonomy in their character development so we introduced them; with the guidance of their teachers to the sought aspect of character so that over time as they mature, sought will become more operational. By doing so, we hope it will spark and fuel their desire to continue to discern and freely pursue how their own character is to be formed.’

The app, built in consultation with Kloodle, has been designed to demonstrate how teachers and character leaders can support students’ development of phronesis and their character during their time at school. Through the app, learners build a profile which demonstrates how they have developed their character over time. This allows teachers to observe learners progress, offer feedback or quality assess the level of evidence uploaded, managing and reviewing the impact the school’s character eductaion programme is having. Learners keep these profiles for free, forever beyond education, offering a lasting positive legacy of this character programme delivered by Northampton Academy.

The app can be accessed here:

Teaching Character: A Practical Guide draws together the insights and practices of some of the MA Character Education students and graduates. Each short paper focuses on practical character education strategies that the authors have devised and implemented in their personal or professional contexts. Each links to areas contained in the Jubilee Centre’s Teaching Inventory.

• Adrian McLean – Character Taught and Sought. One Big Idea 
• Ben Kerr-Shaw – How Can Student Leadership Positions in Schools be Effectively Used to Develop Active Citizenship?
• Caroline Martin – Cultivating Student Agency and Virtue Through Student Leadership Teams
• Claire Bourne – Reading the Pictures: Using Picture Books to Motivate Empathy and Compassion in Young Readers
• Eleanor Worsley – Developing Character through Rotationally Assigned Classroom Responsibilities
• George Browning – Teaching Character: Competition and Collaboration in School Sport
• Jeff Fritz – Teaching Character in a Medical School Anatomy Course
• Kenny Primrose – Developing Intellectual, Civic and Moral Values through Dialogue
• Margaret Frey – Character Education and Developmental Disability
• Maureen Spelman – Ethical Dilemma Reflection Framework
• Miroslava Durankova – Great Artworks Can Help Students (and Teachers) to Flourish and Become Heroes of Their Own Life Story
• Owen Griffith – Applying Ethical Dilemmas and Reflective Journaling to Support Character Growth in Educators
• Paul Wright – Enhancing Virtue Literacy for Promoting Critical Reflection in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
• Robin Venn – A Holistic Approach to Character Education