Character Education

Character Education is about much more than good manners; it is about shaping the whole child. It focuses on developing personal traits—called virtues—that guide emotions, inspire motivation, and influence how we live and act as citizens in the wider world. 

At Forest Prep, this is at the heart of our School Vision: to help every child become a secure, confident, and caring individual. Our Core Values provide the foundation, ensuring that pupils leave us as well-rounded individuals who are:

• Well-mannered and Kind
• Engaged and Enthusiastic
• Positive and Curious
• Respectful and a Team Player

Research suggests that virtues—the building blocks of character—can be:

• Caught
  Our school culture encourages kindness, respect, and thoughtfulness in everyday interactions, such as holding a door open for others, or comforting another child who may look sad in the playground. When children are surrounded by politeness, empathy, and integrity, these qualities naturally spread across our community, these positive behaviours are reinforced at Forest through rewarding good behaviours with our house point scheme.
• Taught
  Character is embedded across our curriculum. In English, pupils may write poems about kindness. In Science and Geography, they learn about caring for the environment and the importance of sustainability. In every subject, we weave in opportunities to reflect on values and moral choices.
• Sought
  Beyond the classroom, children experience character in action. From visiting local care homes to sing with residents, to hosting Grandparents’ Afternoon Tea Parties so that the children can express their gratitude to their grandparents who help them, to hearing from community role models such as doctors and police officers—our pupils learn gratitude, service, and respect through real-world experiences.

We see Character Education as essential in preparing children for life beyond school. In addition to their outstanding grades, these good values help our Foresters to really stand out and shine. By abiding by the ‘caught, taught and sought’ ethos, it gives our pupils the edge to securing their chosen secondary school destination and, in the near future, their dream job.  

One of our 2025/26 school priorities, centres around Character Education, with the target of evaluating the extent to which the school’s culture and ethos, provision and community foster engaged, responsible citizenship in all our pupils.