Core Values
Character
"isn't something you were born with and can't change, like your fingerprints. It's something you weren't born with and must take responsibility for forming."
by Jim Rohn
"Character education is building someone's character, like teaching them about what is right and wrong."
KS2 Parent Survey 2021
"I think that character education is great. It gets the kids talking about the virtues and using them, and generally being more aware of the positive behaviours by giving them a name, and therefore hopefully carrying on using them without thinking !"
KS1 Parent Survey 2021
Character Education
Elvetham Heath first began our journey of developing Character Education in 2016.
We are immensely proud to have been awarded the 'School of Character Kitemark Plus' status in October 2021.We will continue to develop our provision through continuous reflection and development of our Character Education programme.
Character Education is defined by the Jubilee Centre a 'a set of personal virtues that produce specific moral emotions, inform motivation and guide conduct. Character education is about the acquisition and strengthening of virtues: the traits that sustain a well -rounded life and a thriving society.'
Our school's five core virtues were developed in 2016. This process included asking all members of the school community to rank and highlight which virtues we would ideally like all children who attend EHPS to foster and develop during their time at the school.
When introducing the core virtues to the children it was explained using their hands as a visual prompt. They practise saying the virtues and pointing to their fingers before drawing a smile on their palm, showing that using the virtues leads to happiness. In the beginning, the virtue language was taught explicitly. This continues to be the case in Year R each year and through specific Character Education off timetable events for the rest of the school. As we have embedded Character Education into our schools' ethos it has been interwoven into our school's formal and non-formal curriculums.
This year we have focused on introducing a wider range of virtues. Children have been taught the four different types of virtues: Moral, Civic, Performance and Intellectual. Teaching children about the virtues, their meanings and how we can personally foster each one in everyday life means that children have the practical wisdom to flourish in an ever-changing society.
Character Education is all of our virtues combined together to make a happy and safe place.
KS2 Survey 2021
Being yourself and being kind and using virtues to be a better person.
KS1 Survey 2021
Character Education Kitemark Report
Character Education Newsletters
