The Jubilee Centre is a leading informant in the UK and internationally on character education policy and practice.
But what is character education and why is it important?
The Centre defines character as a set of personal traits or dispositions that produce specific moral emotions, inform motivation, and guide conduct.
As a result, character education includes all explicit and implicit educational activities that help young people to develop positive personal strengths called virtues.
There is a growing consensus in Britain and around the world that virtues such as practical wisdom, compassion, honesty, self-control, justice, and respect, which contribute to good character, are part of the solution to many of the challenges facing society today. As such, everyone should have the opportunity to develop good character throughout their lives, as;
- The virtues which make up character enable us to enjoy rewarding and productive lives; especially practical wisdom;
- The more people with good character, the healthier our society;
- Young people learn better when they also have good character;
- Integrity and good character are equally important to knowledge and skills in our professions.
Where should I start?
The Jubilee Centre Framework for Character Education in Schools is the best starting point for getting to know more about character education. This framework sets out the Centre’s position on character education, what it is, and why it is important. It’s a key material to understanding the work of the Jubilee Centre and the ‘‘Building Blocks of Character’, which breaks virtues down into four ‘types’, namely intellectual virtues, moral virtues, civic virtues, and performance virtues. It is an ideal for researchers and educators alike.
To help you explore the resources available, click on the section relevant to you. Alternatively, you can read more about the Centre’s aims here.
The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues has developed a series of resources for teachers and other education stakeholders to use in schools and other educational settings. These resources range from bespoke programmes for both Primary and Secondary age pupils, to full Programmes of Study, which can be used to teach character as a discrete subject, both at Primary and Secondary level.
Click here to view the key resources for teachers and schools.
Please feel free to contact us if you are looking for particular resources or wish to speak with our team
Alongside the resources for schools, the Centre has set out its position on Character Education in higher education. The publication Character Education in Universities: A Framework for Flourishing, which can be viewed here, aims to help universities articulate and structure their mission to further the flourishing of their students and the holistic character development that is central to it.
The Centre has also conducted webinars alongside world-renowned universities to share their knowledge character education.
Further related resources can also be found here.
When exploring research in the professions, the Jubilee Centre has focused on the following over-arching question
Can the professions be virtuous?
To explore this area of research, click here.
The Centre also provides online CPD courses such as Practical Wisdom in Professional Practice
The Jubilee Centre is the home of world leading research on character, virtues and human flourishing. The Centre’s research projects fall under the following broad categories:
Character Education
Virtue in the Professions
Civic Character and Engagement
The Virtues
Character Education in the Digital Age Research
You can also explore our on-going project, ‘Global Innovations for Character Development Platform‘
Research undertaken at the Jubilee Centre has influenced policy, at the highest levels, in the UK and Internationally. We are keen to support policy makers, at all levels, who are interested in character education and how it enhances individual and societal flourishing.
Examples of the Centre’s previous policy work can be found here.
If you would like to find out more about how the Jubilee Centre can support your work, please contact the Director, Tom Harrison