In August, the Department for Education (DfE) released two reports. Developing Character Skills in Schools and Supporting Mental Health in Schools and Colleges. They followed a year of surveying across 900 schools. Interestingly the DfE ran both surveys together and the reports run to 300 pages between them, accompanied by case studies and summaries.
The first survey found that 97 per cent of schools sought to promote desirable character traits even though they may not be aware of the term “character education”.
Schools clearly wish to see their students as well-rounded individuals, with a high degree of personal wellbeing. They do this through assemblies, extra-curricular and normal lessons, with a significant minority using bespoke character-based lessons to impart their ethos and vision for personal development.
Schools were often motivated by the desire to create “good citizens”, and also by wishing to drive up academic attainment. Secondary schools were more likely to link character development with employment than primaries, and also more likely to use extra-curricular activities for this purpose.
Since publication, many commentators have noted that only one in six schools have a character education plan and there are just a few dedicated character education leads, despite £10 million in funding. This appears to be a result of the impact of competing demands on both time and finance.
However, many schools have elements of such planning in their curriculum or pastoral plans. It is likely to appear in their vision or ethos statement and feature in SEF documentation. Pulling these together, giving one person oversight, and using it to inform the school’s improvement plan helps make what is already present more purposeful.
This is important, because a clear vision and approach embedded across the curriculum, driven by strong leadership, and modelled by staff is seen by most schools in the survey as the key to success.
The government and wider sector were urged to invest in resources, networking and develop a bank of tools and tips to support provision. If each school has one person who ties together the whole character development strand then they can access these resources more easily, build up a network, and make use of the tips and tricks.
It becomes clear why the two surveys were linked when we see that a similar percentage to those in the character education survey felt that a school’s ethos and vision were of greatest importance in promoting mental health and wellbeing.
They cite an ethos of care and concern integrated into the school day that normalises health issues, raises awareness for accessing support, and enables the development of emotional literacy and resilience.
If the school makes these links then the person who leads on mental wellbeing can also lead on character development. The two are complementary.
Three quarters of schools responded to say they have regular timetabled sessions to address mental health, with activities that vary depending on the age of their students.
Older students tended towards having explicit sessions on addressing mental ill health, while younger students accessed “worry boxes” in order to communicate concerns. Good practice included providing quiet spaces, signposting to agencies and drop-in sessions. In these cases it again becomes apparent why linking character education with mental health can be important.
Character education, as modelled by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, takes into account the importance of balance across both the acquisition and development of qualities, and the management of emotions.
Character education helps to give structure to the timetabled sessions and activities that older students take part in, provides a context for thinking through the emotional issues young people may have with using worry boxes, and also in developing effective signposting for personal resources the students might access away from the teacher’s supervision.
Timetabled lessons on mental health can be tricky to deliver. They are often weighed-down by the need to prioritise one thing or another – which issue, delivery technique, and outcomes are possible in the 30, 40 or 60-minute slot? Adequate funding means such sessions can be well planned, staffed, and reviewed. The survey shows this is essential if all students are to achieve academically. Three quarters of the respondents use public health teams and/or specialist mental health services, which means some do not. All bar a tiny number refer students on to specialist services outside of school once their needs are recognised.
Three quarters of schools note the difficulty in commissioning, funding, and retention of public health teams and specialist mental health services. This is put down to cutbacks on one hand and rising need on the other. Internal capacity might be high in terms of staff skill, but there can still be significant pressures on time.
Going forward the reports are clear that “success”, in both mental health provision and character education, can only come when there is:
- An identified senior member of staff to lead (with the support of the headteacher).
- A named governor or trustee whose role is to have effective oversight and act as a critical friend.
- Clear policy, setting out how good mental health and character education provision can be sustained.
- The opportunity for the school community to see their importance in the school’s ethos and vision statements.
Yes a lack of finance can hamper how we deliver mental health and character provision, but it should not stop us from doing what we can. In further articles for SecEd, I will look at these four cornerstones (leadership, accountability, direction and opportunity) and consider how we might drive forward great provision in a world of competing demands and tightened purse strings. In the meantime I would urge you to visit the DfE reports, look at the summaries, and have a read of the case studies. They are focused at the core of what matters in education – our young people.
- Matt Bawden is an assistant headteacher at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Ashbourne and editor of the Association for Character Education eJournal Character Matters. Follow @ourschoolday. To read his previous articles and SecEd’s other best practice relating to character, visit http://bit.ly/1OvQtqv
Further information
- Developing Character Skills in Schools, DfE, August 2017: http://bit.ly/2jMl9kh
- Mental Health in Schools and Colleges, DfE, August 2017: http://bit.ly/2xhnKIR
- The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham: www.jubileecentre.ac.uk