Welcome to the UK’s leading Character Education Community for teachers, leaders and practitioners.
Our mission is to enable you on your journey to put character and values at the heart of all that you do. Doing so will allow the children you serve to flourish, and transform the ethos and culture of your school or organisation.
“Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
Character Education Matters
Why is character education important?
The choices an individual makes determines their future, and the purpose of developing good character is the ability to make good choices. Character allows us to flourish as individuals, and as a wider society. This is why the development of character, as well as achieving academic attainment, should be the purpose of education.
“Character becomes your destiny,”Lao Tzu, Philosopher
How do you deliver character education?
We don’t believe that there is a blueprint for how character education should be delivered. Character education should be shaped by the needs of the children and community it serves. But we do believe that for it to be truly transformative it should be planned, intentional and fully embedded across the whole-school or organisation. Only then can character be truly ‘taught,’ ‘caught,’and ‘sought.’
What is ACE and how can it support your school or organisation?
ACE is the UK’s largest character education-based community of practice. We recognise, share and enable outstanding practice in character education within our network. This involves harnessing the extensive expertise that exists within our community, so schools can learn from other schools, such as through our annual conference. We also provide you with direct support from the ACE team through CPD, the Quality Marks and 1-1 consultations.
ACE works closely with the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtueto ensure our support to you is guided and shaped by the latest research in character education.
Our Community of Practice
Our conferences and webinars will bring you the country’s leading character education experts and practitioners.
Membership
Membership Pricing
Trust can receive 20% off if all Schools sign up – Get in touch with us to join as a trust @ admin@character-education.org.uk
ACE membership runs annually from the date of joining.
Complete the form below:
Meet the Team
The support that ACE provides to its community is informed by leading pedagogy in Character Education and outstanding practice of what works. For this reason, ACE has an Executive Team that draws on some of the country’s leading academics and practitioners in the field of Character Education.
ACE Quality Marks
ACE awards three Quality Marks which provide recognition for transformative character education delivered by schools, colleges and organisations.
The awards recognise character education that is delivered in an explicit, planned and reflective manner- to enable the cultivation of positive character qualities in the interests of human flourishing.
The Quality Mark is only open to ACE members.
Continuous Professional Development and Leadership Support
ACE aims to provide direct practical support and to build capacity within schools to enable them to embed character education across their whole community. Schools of Character report better behaviour, better attitudes to learning and higher levels of staff satisfaction and wellbeing.
Schools of Character are places where teachers and pupils flourish together. Our training package has evolved from world class research and the distillation of “best practice” derived from leading schools of character in the UK. Similarly, the Association is able to provide direct practical support to senior leaders in schools to enable them to compile a co-ordinated and context appropriate character programme suited to their school community.
ACE is now able to offer schools direct support on developing a whole-school character education plan, built around character ‘taught’ ‘caught’ and ‘sought.’ Please enquire if this is something you are interested in.
1-1 Consultations
At ACE we recognise that each school develops its approach to character to fit the context of their community and their pupils. There is no blueprint for character education and there is no one size fits all. ACE also recognises that for some schools character and values is a part of their DNA, while for others they are just at the start of their journey to become a School of Character. Whatever your context and wherever your school or organisation is at, ACE can provide tailored support and guidance. To book a consultation, email admin@character-education.org.uk.
Contact Us
To find out more about the benefits of becoming a member of ACE or to ask a question about our services, please complete the form below.