Character Education at Ark Victoria Academy
At Ark Victoria, our character education is driven by an Aristotelean approach where individual traits of character, known as virtues, are developed. We believe that character is developed through the teaching and practice of virtue. By teaching our pupils about virtues and providing a platform to practise and develop their use, pupils at Ark Victoria learn to become virtue literate, using their understanding and experience to make meaningful choices. The distinguishing feature of being human is the ability to reason; as educators, we have a moral responsibility to teach our pupils to make the best possible decisions in order for them to reach their full potential.
Our school values guide us and help us to continuously improve; whilst developing our school virtues helps us to consider our behaviours and adapt accordingly, so that we can strive to embody our school values.
| Ambitious | Resilient | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| Courage | Determination | Community |
| Curiosity | Hope | Compassion |
| Reflection | Resourcefulness | Integrity |
Please read more about the virtues aligned to our school values by clicking the images below:
Our Values and Virtues
Pupils embark on a Virtues Journey through the course of the year, focusing on one virtue per month. This allows pupils to engage deeply with each virtue, making learning more meaningful and lasting. The monthly focus gives time for consistent reflection, discussion, and practice across the whole school community. This journey is a story of growth, helping pupils to form strong moral habits that develop over time.
What is Character Education?
The ultimate goal of character education is to equip students with the intellectual tools to make wise choices of their own, within the framework of a democratic society.
Character is defined as a set of personal traits or dispositions that produce specific moral emotions, inform motivation and guide conduct. In order to develop character, we need to develop understanding of virtues.
Virtue Literacy
To reason with virtue, individuals must first become virtue literate. 'Virtue Literacy' is a helpful term that can be defined as including three components:
- Virtue perception: noticing situations in need of virtues
- Virtue knowledge and understanding: acquiring a complex language usage through familiarity and virtue terms
- Virtue Reasoning: making reasoned judgements which includes the ability to explain differences in moral situations
Some core beliefs of this approach, taken from the Jubilee Centre, are outlined below.
Virtues can be ...
Caught: the school community of both staff and students provide the example, culture and inspirational influence in a positive ethos that motivates and promotes Character development.
Taught: the school provides educational experiences in and out of the classroom that equip students with the language, knowledge, understanding, skills and attributes that enable character development.
Sought: the school provides varied oppourtunities that generate the formation of personal habits and character commitments. These help students overtime to seek, desire and freely pursue their character development.
Universality
Virtues, throughout history and transcend different cultures, religions and societies; they are universal. The definition of honesty is consistent across faiths and has always been regarded as being truthful. Although there are clear areas of crossover with the teachings of philosophical and moral systems through religion, character and virtue are not exclusively religious notions.
Character Education in practice at Ark Victoria Academy
In our character handbook: Ark Victoria handbook we carefully consider every virtue, the excess and deficit, as well as the Golden Mean for each, in order for us to truly understand the virtue and become virtue literate.
The Golden Mean
‘Virtue is the golden mean between two vices, the one of excess and the other of deficiency.’ Aristotle
The Golden Mean is the idea that virtues exist between two vices, excess and deficit and that only through acquired experience and wisdom can one attain the desirable middle between these two extremes.
Developing Character - Enabling Flourishing
Our school mission is steadfast in nurturing students to flourish holistically- academically, morally, socially, and personally. We believe every pupil should leave school equipped with the knowledge, skills, and cultural capital to lead fulfilling lives and contribute positively to society.
Aligned with these ideals, our character education programme ensures every student develops vital virtues within our values of ambition, resilience and kindness, cultivating the moral and civic foundations necessary to flourish in the world. This character-first approach is woven through every aspect of school life: from our policies and procedures to behaviour expectations, lesson content, pastoral support, and extracurricular activities. It is our belief that true education goes beyond academic attainment—it’s about shaping compassionate, ethical human beings.
Embedded in Everything We Do
Character development isn’t an add-on- it’s at the heart of how we operate. Our school values and virtues pathway provides a clear framework that guides:
- Day-to-day policies- all school policies have character development at their heart. All new initiatives consult our character handbook during the planning stages to ensure consistency in our approach and dedication to the development of our pupils.
- Curriculum design- a term of PD lessons is dedicated to character development, and links to character virtues in all subjects of the curriculum help to develop phronesis. Using the philosophy of The Golden Mean, pupils are able to grapple with moral dilemmas and practice making wise and ethical decisions in different situations.
- Pastoral systems- ensuring students feel safe and supported to grow. Mentoring, reflection time, restorative conversations, all contribute to character growth and developing virtue literacy.
- Rewards system- our dojos and positive points system aligns with our virtues pathway to reflect pupils’ character growth. Rather than simply rewarding pupils for individual behaviours, our approach focuses on recognising and rewarding the virtue behind the action, shifting the focus away from ‘what’ a child has done, to ‘who’ they are becoming. Ambitious thresholds lead to various awards that follow a progression framework:
- KS1- character badges
- KS2- bronze, silver and gold character badges on the primary framework. Year 6 pupils work towards and achieve the Champion of Character Award.
- KS3- bronze, silver and gold character badges on the secondary framework.
- KS4- bronze, silver and gold Virtues Diploma.
- Extracurricular life
- Leadership programme- offering opportunities to lead, collaborate, and serve. Links to key virtues guide the expectations of the role but also shape how students grow within them.
- Universal enrichment- offering a rich and diverse range of meaningful experiences, that broaden horizons and inspire curiosity.
- Extra curricular clubs- each club is linked to an appropriate virtue and club leads ensure that meaningful connections are made during sessions, helping students to see how character can be developed through their passions and interests.
Expert Staff as Role Models
We understand that outstanding character education begins with excellent role models. Our staff have undertaken extensive training focused on:
- Understanding the importance of character development,
- Embedding character literacy across academic, pastoral, and extracurricular domains,
- Modelling virtues in their day-to-day conduct with pupils and colleagues.
Through this dedicated CPD, our committed educators embody the character traits we cultivate in our pupils, making them living examples of kindness, resilience, ambition, and integrity.
Together, these efforts ensure our character curriculum doesn't just teach virtues, it lives them. By striving to emulate Ark Victoria Academy’s vision, where education is a powerful force that empowers young people to thrive and serve, we aim to nurture compassionate, capable young citizens ready to make a positive impact.