Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “Find purpose. The means will follow.”
As the Association for Character Education (ACE) celebrates its 10th anniversary, its purpose remains as strong as it was a decade ago when the organisation was founded. The means by which ACE fulfils that purpose, however, have continued to grow and evolve.
The organisation was officially established on 18 May 2015, during a meeting at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham. It was founded by a group of prominent headteachers, academics, and educationalists who recognised the rising interest in character education across the UK. Founding trustees include Professor Tom Harrison and Professor James Arthur, who continue to serve on ACE’s board. Executive Headteacher Gary Lewis served as the charity’s first Chair for nearly ten years, recently passing the baton to Chris Clyne.
From the outset, the charity’s mission has been clear: to “enable individual and societal flourishing by empowering schools in the UK to cultivate good character through an explicit and intentional whole-school approach.” This mission continues to guide ACE today.
ACE brings together world-leading research—primarily from the Jubilee Centre—with exemplary practice from its Quality Mark schools. Over the past decade, it has grown to a network of over 500 schools and has awarded more than 120 Quality Marks, recognising the high standards of character education being delivered in the UK and internationally. Today, ACE is the largest Community of Practice in Character Education in the UK, reflecting the wider transformation led by the Jubilee Centre over the past ten years.
Professor Tom Harrison, Director of the Jubilee Centre and Founding Trustee of ACE, said:
“When we founded ACE a decade ago, we never imagined it would have such a significant influence on character education policy and practice in the UK. Year on year, the charity’s membership, activities, and influence have grown—further evidence of the increasing interest and expansion of character education research and practice both nationally and globally.”
Tom Haigh, ACE CEO, added:
“ACE recognises the immense value schools gain from learning from one another. We are a community of practice—and while individual schools can be impactful, together we have the potential to be transformative at scale. It is this ethos of collaboration that will shape ACE’s next decade.”
ACE will be holding its annual conference on 17th July which you can view here.