Building Character at Sweyne Park

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”  – Confucius.

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; the qualities that they need to flourish in our society and to be happy, safe and successful.

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 because 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.

A dedicated approach to nurturing character yields many benefits. As research indicates, it can result in increased wellbeing 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.

Building character is at the heart of our school’s ethos.  We believe that education should develop the whole child, equipping them with the skills, virtues and characteristics required to be happy, safe and successful in life.

Our approach to character development is centred around our RESPECT acronym, which identifies specific qualities we seek to develop in our pupils:

Respect

Empathy

Self-awareness

Perseverance

Emotional intelligence

Courage

Truthfulness

Throughout their time at Sweyne Park, our pupils will learn about each of these values through our tutor time character development programme.  Pupils will deepen their understanding of each of the RESPECT characteristics, learning strategies to build and develop these virtues and being encouraged to demonstrate them both in school and in the wider community.  Pupils are provided with a wide range of opportunities at Sweyne Park and are actively encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities.  We believe that the Arts are central to developing character and enable our pupils to grow and thrive. 

Sweyne Park is a Gold UNICEF Rights Respecting School.  All children have the right to an education (Article 28 of the UNCRC) and this education must develop their talents and abilities (Article 29).  This reinforces our approach to character development across the school.

We are determined that pupils will experience both an excellent academic education and outstanding personal development at Sweyne Park, enabling them to be happy safe and successful in their future lives.

If you have any questions regarding character education at Sweyne Park, please contact Adam Thomson:

Throughout their time at Sweyne Park, our pupils will learn about each of these values through our tutor time character development programme.  Pupils will deepen their understanding of each of the RESPECT characteristics, learning strategies to build and develop these virtues and being encouraged to demonstrate them both in school and in the wider community.  Pupils are provided with a wide range of opportunities at Sweyne Park and are actively encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities.  We believe that the Arts are central to developing character and enable our pupils to grow and thrive. 

Sweyne Park is a Gold UNICEF Rights Respecting School.  All children have the right to an education (Article 28 of the UNCRC) and this education must develop their talents and abilities (Article 29).  This reinforces our approach to character development across the school.

We are determined that pupils will experience both an excellent academic education and outstanding personal development at Sweyne Park, enabling them to be happy safe and successful in their future lives.

If you have any questions regarding character education at Sweyne Park, please contact Adam Thomson: athomson@sweynepark.com