By nurturing the brilliance in every pupil, we seek to build confidence and the mindset that we can do anything we set our minds to. At Elmhurst, a comprehensive approach to character development is key to unlocking this.
Character is taught in school, celebrated when it is seen and looked for in our responses to daily life. Assemblies showcase our school’s core virtues of kindness, respect, bravery, curiosity and determination, and children are relentlessly encouraged to reflect on the choices they make to shape their development.
Alongside our curriculum work we carve out opportunities for pupils to develop their character. This half term, for example, Year 6 pupils have been taking part in a ‘Big Build’ working with younger pupils. It has been wonderful to read about their shared experiences in the school newspaper and their article below highlights the benefits it brought.
Building Character (Written by Year 6 pupils)
This half term, we have been taking part in the Lego Big Build Challenge in which we have been trying to develop character, specifically collaboration. Older year groups have been leading on the challenge whilst younger year groups have been competing.
It was very exciting. First, teams had to design the tallest tower. One of the biggest towers fell just before the adjudication, allowing a narrow victory for another team. Next, they had to build the scariest alien where we saw teams all construct something unique: a 2D alien with three eyes, a 3D alien with many arms and an alien that looked more like a house!
The final rounds were the best bridge design and the most recognisable famous landmark, which was the hardest task. Landmarks included several Eiffel Towers, a football stadium and Stonehenge. As the event concluded, teams were awarded their certificates and reflected on their team work.
The main thing that we noticed that we encouraged younger year groups to work on was their ability to collaborate. For example, we saw that they found it tricky to delegate roles across their team rather than just being the main builder themselves. We encouraged them to all work on the same project rather than their own individual project.
The learning here is invaluable. Identifying the weakness in the younger children also highlights potential pitfalls for the older pupils as they collaborate in other areas.
For us, there is no doubt that character education is key to children’s well-being, now and in the future. Creating opportunities for this type of learning, as well as encouraging managed risk taking, curiosity and determination, ensures we are shaping a generation of learners who can thrive.
