News story

Awards launched for schools best at instilling character

The DfE Character Awards open for the second consecutive year.

students studying

Schools and organisations are invited to submit entries for the Character Awards 2016, which seek to identify, recognise and celebrate those leading the field in character education.

The awards support young people to develop the traits that:

  • support academic attainment
  • are valued by employers
  • enable them to make a positive contribution to British society

All young people deserve opportunities to learn:

  • how to persevere and work to achieve
  • to understand the importance of respect and how to show it to others
  • how to bounce back if faced with failure
  • how to collaborate and build strong relationships with others at work and in their private lives

First introduced in 2015 by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, the awards celebrate excellence and diversity in this field, recognising that character is already being encouraged, nurtured and developed alongside academic rigour through a variety of programmes in and outside schools across the country.

Character education can be found within a school’s ethos, in the classroom and on the playground, as much as it can be found on the sports field and outside of school in the local community.

Schools, colleges and other learning providers can apply for the DfE Character Award 2016 on the Teaching Awards website.

Published 12 April 2016