Centre Director, Professor James Arthur, joined the Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan MP, on a discussion panel on Monday 5th October 2015 during a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference.  The event, co-hosted by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues and leading UK policy think tank DEMOS, aimed to address the question ‘How can Britain become a leader in character education?‘, with a particular focus on the ‘Character Nation‘ report produced by DEMOS in partnership with the Jubilee Centre.  Nicky Morgan MP and Professor Arthur were joined by Lucy Frazer MP, Lord Chris Holmes, Ralph Scott (Head of Citizenship and Political Participation at DEMOS) and the session was chaired by Lord James O’Shaughnessy (Managing Director of Floreat Education).  The panel discussed the importance of character education, how it is both caught and taught, the barriers faced by both teachers and schools in delivering character education and how these might be overcome.  Nicky Morgan MP emphasised the role of a clear school ethos, one that runs throughout the curriculum, in providing the foundation for character education.  Following contributions by each panel member, members of the audience engaged in the debate with questions posed to the panel about the role of parents in character education, the contribution youth social action can make to character education and the issue of measurement for determining the success of any character education initiatives.

The full programme for the event can be viewed here.