What is Character Education?

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.