CASE STUDY
VOLUNTARY SERVICE
YEARS 7 AND 8, PSHE
A group of Year 12 and Year 13 students in a school created a student leadership team with the support of school staff. The student leadership team decided that they wanted to support students to access volunteering opportunities in the local community. The student leadership team created a working group to support the initiative and they invited local charity representatives into the school to discuss whether they could support the provision. A list of volunteering opportunities was drawn up and from this Year 7 and Year 8 students were able to pick the volunteering opportunities that interested them. The school’s careers adviser supported this process of selection to ensure that students were choosing volunteering placements that aligned with either students’ interests or aspirations. The careers adviser held overall responsibility for monitoring the programme and overseeing communication between the working group and the local charities. The list of volunteering opportunities has continued to expand, and the school now works with more charitable partners than it ever has before. The school has also committed to the programme by identifying and dedicating time within the existing curriculum to enable students to engage with voluntary opportunities. The school also supports students wishing to access these opportunities during the evening, at weekends or during school holidays. It has introduced a process for supporting parents to discuss these opportunities with the charity directly.
DEVELOPING EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY
School leadership teams need to identify the barriers to participation in relation to some of the activities outlined in this chapter. Barriers could include the cost and timing of activities, lack of parental support and lack of confidence in students. Leadership teams should consider how these barriers will be addressed so that students from all backgrounds have opportunities to participate, particularly in the co-curriculum. The co-curriculum provides students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with cultural capital by developing a broader range of interests, knowledge and skills. Access to a co-curriculum and volunteering improves social confidence and self esteem, which contribute to social mobility.
SUMMARY
This chapter has introduced the concept of character education and it has outlined the responsibility of schools in relation to the promotion of values, attitudes, skills and behaviours. It has also considered the implications of character education within the context of school responsibilities and statutory guidance. Guidance has been provided to support schools with the challenges that they may face with the planning and delivery of character education. There has also been some discussion on the importance of character education and we have considered character education in relation to positive school culture and the role of the leadership team. Some case study material has been offered to support your reflection of existing practice and we have encouraged you to consider the benefits of co-curriculum and volunteering. The chapter has also outlined how teachers and school staff can promote equality of opportunity.
FURTHER READING OR SOURCES OF FURTHER INFORMATION
Department for Education (DfE) (2019) Character Education Framework Guidance. London: DfE.
National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) (2017) Case Study Report Leading Character Education in Schools. [online] Available at: www.nfer.ac.uk/media/2067/pace02.pdf (accessed 6 February 2020).
The Jubilee Centre (2017) A Framework for Character Education in Schools. [online] Available at: https://uobschool.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Framework-for-Character-Education-2017-Jubilee-Centre.pdf (accessed 6 February 2020).
In addition to the reports and guidance published by these organisations, it is also helpful to consider the discussion offered by www.teachersresourceforce.com. This website outlines the benefits of teaching students about character education. It also offers some practical guidance to support you to teach character education in your classroom and it provides links to additional resources that you may find valuable. The specific blog is available at: www.teachersresourceforce.com/charactereducation.html (accessed 6 February 2020).
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter you will understand:
INTRODUCTION
This chapter outlines some of the characteristics of healthy relationships and it highlights the common challenges that students often experience in relation to friendships. It emphasises the role of parental and peer influence within the context of adolescence and some guidance is offered to support you to teach students about consent. Some case study material is provided to illuminate effective practice in relation to the teaching of consent and critical questions are asked to encourage your reflection. The chapter also provides some discussion in relation to stereotyping to support you to teach students about this concept. Some common types of stereotyping have been stated. The roles and responsibilities of schools are explained in relation to teaching students to understand different types of bullying and some examples are offered to support your understanding of what constitutes bullying and how it can take place. The implications of equality legislation are also outlined, and the chapter emphasises your role in relation to teaching students to recognise these and understand the purpose of equality legislation.
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
Healthy relationships, including friendships, are characterised by trust, respect, honesty, kindness, generosity, boundaries, privacy, consent, conflict management and reconciliation. Adolescence can be a difficult time. It is a stage within the life cycle when many young people are exploring their identities and developing their interests, aspirations, values and beliefs. It is common during this stage for friendships to be dissolved and for new friendships to be established. It is also a time when young people seek greater independence from their parents. Consequently, peer influence