Character Education

At Kingswood Academy, we strive to develop exceptional character in students that exemplifies a true growth mind-set; a phenomenal work ethic; confidence and high levels of grit, resilience and determination to ensure they are fully prepared to flourish in an ever-changing world. In order to achieve this we have developed a Character Education programme alongside performance coach Kevin Mincher. The programme is followed by all students in years 7 to 11 and focuses on a wide range of skills such as, memory techniques, using initiative, short term and long term goal setting, note taking, sleep and meditation, networking, resilience techniques, managing stress and self-belief, collaboration, creative thinking and problem solving. Through developing these softer skills, we aim to ensure students are able to lead happy and successful lives.

Kevin Mincher is the founder of Unstoppable Teen. He is a leading performance coach, educational innovator and youth advocate.

Kevin started Unstoppable Teen in 1997. Since then more than 300,000 teenagers have attended Kevin’s seminars and completed his coaching programs.

Click on image above to see Kevin's Website.

Kevin comes into the academy to deliver seminars to students every half term. Students then complete lessons relating to the theme of the seminar during Academic Mentoring time. This programme has been invaluable in providing students with the tools to tackle challenges they may face in school, at home or in the future. The sessions also inspire pupils to set aspirational goals for themselves and follow these with SMART actions. The goals are centred around three aspects of the students’ life: Academic, Enrichment and Well-being. Please see the curriculum for 2023/24 below:

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Character Education Whole School Curriculum Contribution

All students have an inner-belief and ambition to fulfil their dreams and live a happy and successful life.

Character Education focuses on enabling students to recognise their value in the context of the wider world, and equips students to make bold choices in order to reach their personal, academic and professional ambitions. Goal Setting cycles occur three times per year where students identify individual academic, wellbeing and enrichment goals and design SMART actions to ensure they meet these targets. This process is designed to focus students’ ambitions, and to equip them with the skills to take tangible actions to reach their ambitions. Modules such as ‘Conversation Maps’ ‘Collaborative Learning’ and ‘Networking’ are specifically designed to give students the skills and understanding to engage with colleges and employers, and to successfully participate in interviews and assessment centres.

All students leave our academy with first-rate qualifications:

The Character Education Programme explicitly develops the skills students need to learn independently; deepen their cognitive understanding and become self-motivated in order to maximise their progress. Using research from the Education Endowment Foundation, the curriculum is planned to provide students with the skills to maximise progress. Modules such as Note Taking, Responding to Feedback; Goal Setting; Effective Revision and the Year 11 Programme all focus on ensuring Students have the resilience, determination and skill to engage effectively with their lessons and maximise their preparation for their GCSE exams.

All students develop exceptional character:

The Character Education Programme is built upon modules that develop the wellbeing of students, as well as their organisation skills and their inherent character. Modules such as meditation, sleep, efficiency systems and physical exercise focus on students ensure their health and wellbeing enables them to flourish in the wider world. In addition to this, students build their resilience and motivation through Problem Solving, Creative Thinking and ‘When the Going Gets Tough’ modules that aim to challenge students with real life issues, and equip them to tackle and overcome any barriers or challenges that occur in their future education and career.

All students leave our academy with high levels of cultural and global awareness:

Character Education encourages students to engage with professional individuals and companies outside of their community in order to enrich their experiences and understanding of the world of work and the wider world. Modules such as ‘Networking’, ‘Ask an Expert’ and ‘Conversation Maps’ develop students communication skills with an emphasis on empathy. Lessons are founded on academic research and real life case studies to increase students’ awareness of cultural and societal topics beyond their community.

All students leave with an array of positive memories that last for a lifetime:

Throughout the Character Education Programme, Academic Mentors discuss with students their personal development goals and work collaboratively on real life projects, creating trusting and caring relationships. The half-termly lectures from Kevin Mincher give students memorable experiences for students that last a lifetime. All students are given the opportunity to develop and present their ideas in the Collaboration Project and the Creative Thinking Project, offering all students the opportunity to lead and represent their Academic Mentor Group. The Student Leadership Programme and Residential create positive memories and offer the students the opportunity to reach out to Primary Schools and deliver personal development sessions. The Character Education Programme offers students unique opportunities to push themselves out of their comfort zones to develop their character and truly make a difference to their future career and happiness.