Expert group to advise on character building education
A new advisory group has been set up to look at how best to support schools to run more activities to help build character and resilience.
Hinds has also called on young people, parents, teachers and community groups to give their views on what they think are the best non-academic activities to offer young people and how to make the most of them, as well as the traits and skills they need to get on in life.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds said: "Life lessons are learned by having a go. With all of us – but particularly young people – spending more and more time online, we should all put our phones down, look up and get involved in activities that stretch and challenge us.
"The reason character and resilience matter so much to me is that they are key to social mobility. Social mobility starts with giving young people the unstoppable confidence that they can achieve amazing things, teaching them to cope with the challenges life brings and recognise their achievements – because they each have their own, unique potential to fulfil."
The call for evidence will help shape the recommendations the group makes later this year on character building.
It will consider what has been identified as the 5 foundations for building character: sport, creativity, performing, volunteering, experience of work.
The advisory group is chaired by Ian Bauckham CBE of the Tenax School Trust and includes James Arthur OBE, Director of Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, and Dame Julia Cleverdon, Co-founder of Step up to Serve.
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