Character Education at The John of Gaunt School

Here, at The John of Gaunt School, it is our vision to see all students excel on their own pathway and become the very best person that they can be.

This is underpinned by our guiding principles of kindness, positivity and belonging, in order to be excellent every day.

The character curriculum has been designed to support and guide our young people in becoming well-rounded individuals that have a holistic curriculum offer that enables them to experience and grow as a member of our community, as they develop through their formative years. We are proud of our character curriculum and our students for tackling all the challenges that it provides them.

Our aim is that the character curriculum offers opportunities that enable our learners to connect with the community, develop self-regulation, build on experiences, and have ownership and pride in the programme. Using the DFE character education framework, we have developed a rolling programme that will upskill our learners and offer a JOG approach to ensuring excellent opportunities are shared, experienced, and lived.

Initially in our launching year, we have delivered a bespoke programme to enable students to gain experience with, and engage in, real world examples of kindness, positivity and belonging. From here, students then develop an understanding of a growth mindset and develop a knowledge of their own personal goals and aspirations. Tutors deliver this robust and encompassing programme across the two-week timetable in PM tutor time sessions, and support learners to understand key concepts that will ensure that there is ambition and compassion at the heart of their life choices.

From September 2024, the programme will develop into a spiralled curriculum that builds on learnt and lived experiences including community involvement and self-reflection. The threads of resilience, inclusion, diversity and determination are revisited across the three-year rolling plan with opportunities to take part in house competitions, outreach work, and representation of the school as standing items in each year. Activities include discussions, mindset journaling and debate key speakers.

We believe that exposure to and involvement with our core values equips our young people to develop their own sense of self and become individuals who are full of pride and confidence, able to go out into the world and be successful members of society.