#CPC15 Character education – undefined and soon to be measured
Character education was a running theme throughout education fringe events at CPC15.
It is clear that the Secretary of State, has a strong focus on instilling character into children with “grit and resilience” an oft repeated phrase. Nicky Morgan emphasised the Government’s commitments in this area, saying it had invested £3.5m in grant funding character education and an additional £450k in Character Awards.
Three key areas for schools to be aware of:
- Nicky Morgan is adamant that the Department of Education has no intention of defining character education. On one hand, this is welcome – it gives school leaders breathing space to frame the way they develop strong values or virtues in young people. On the other hand, if the Government has intentions at a later point to measure the impact of character education, a definition would be a useful guide.
- Measurement is proving a headache. The Secretary of State is keen to demonstrate the impact of character education, but she admitted “there’s an issue about how to measure”.
- Destination data. Schools will face growing demand from the Government to track the destination of pupils in the future. This isn’t new, but there was a clear determination from Nicky Morgan that this is on the radar – “I want schools to be very aware of where their young people end up,” she told a Demos and Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues fringe event.