I recently was on a train to London and got chatting to my neighbour in the seat next to me. It turned out her now 40-year-old son attended Warwick School many years ago. I tentatively asked her what score, out of ten, she would give her son’s Warwick education. She paused, and thought about it for a moment before responding “It’s a bit too early to tell.”

In my position as headmaster I have the privilege to see first-hand, every day, just how much our boys learn both in and out of the classroom. I see the impact great teaching and excellent co-curricular opportunities can have, even in the relatively short time our pupils are with us.

But it’s this lifelong education we strive to establish as a school – an education that lasts well into a boy’s thirties, forties, and beyond. Some might call this teaching the ‘soft skills’ but at Warwick School we call it Character Education.

What is character education?

We consider character to be a set of mental and moral qualities that make individuals unique. Character isn’t something we are born with – it’s developed over time. Aristotle stated that education ought to create an ethical and virtuous person, and our aim is to ensure pupils develop a well-rounded set of character traits which will equip them for life beyond school.

When selecting a school for your child, it’s never been more important to look at the destinations and outcomes of former pupils and the opportunities they have had in the ‘real world’. For me, this quote from Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, perfectly evidences why character education is so important: “We rarely employ straight A students…We like to choose students who are bright, but broad, with character.” If it’s good enough for Google, it’s good enough for Warwick School!

So, how do you develop character?

To tackle the task of nurturing character in our pupils, we break down our approach into three broad categories:

Character caught – character is caught by encouraging the pupils to reflect on the learning experiences they enjoy both inside and outside the classroom. How have their sporting, musical, dramatic or intellectual pursuits served to develop them as well-rounded individuals who embody the school values of courage, creativity, curiosity, humility perseverance, and responsibility? What experiences and challenges should they seek in future that will serve to equip them for life beyond school?

Character taught – character can be taught through the formal school curriculum and through the school’s Floreat Programme (floreat means ‘to flourish’), which is designed to foster and develop a positive, well-rounded character in our pupils, which is intended to equip them to flourish in life.

Character sought – character is sought through experiences pupils chose to partake in within and outside the formal curriculum. Warwick School ensures that pupils’ creativity, curiosity, and ability to challenge themselves is facilitated through the extensive co-curricular activities on offer, which includes volunteer service learning, sport, performing arts, and intellectual enrichment.

There are many ways in which our boys can catch, learn, and seek character. There are many different young people in our care, and each individual will find their own avenues to grow and express themselves and their character. We aim to facilitate as many of these opportunities as possible, to inspire and nurture every pupil to thrive in the world, both now and in the future.

As headmaster of the oldest boys’ school in the country, there are few things as rewarding as seeing the values of curiosity, creativity, courage, perseverance, responsibility, and humility that Warwick pupils are able to develop. And while I am confident that will not take forty years for those marks of character to come to fruition, it is clear that a great Character Education continues well past the end-of-day bell.

Visit www.warwickschool.org to find out more or head to the junior and senior open evening on 5 July.

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