Aylesford School achieves recognition as a School of Character

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Aylesford School is among one of the first in the country to be awarded the ‘School of Character Kitemark’ in recognition of best practice in developing good character in young people.

Assistant Head Teacher, David Wright applied for the award which considers the culture, ethos and practical examples of character development across the school earlier in the academic year and was delighted to receive formal recognition of this at the Association of Character Education annual conference in July this year.

In receiving recognition, Ms Tanya Kelvie, Headteacher at the school explained;

“We really are creating an education that builds character. These are character strengths that our stakeholders, parents, students, staff and governors all voted for as the strengths that our students need to be successful in life. We believe it is important for students to develop good character in order to be successful academically, professionally and within their community. If all people had developed good character skills the world would be a much better place for us to live.
We are really proud to receive the Character Kitemark award which recognises our outstanding contribution to developing students character and the hard work of our staff and students - we were delighted to be only one of four schools nationally to be accredited with this award.”

Gary Lewis, founding member and chair of the Association, thanked the school and its staff for their commitment to Character Education by explaining that;

“The Schools of Character Kitemark is awarded to schools that can demonstrate that they take an explicit, planned and reflective approach to the cultivation of positive character qualities in their pupils in the interests of human flourishing. Aylesford School is a terrific example and it is with great pleasure that we welcome the School with a proven strength at developing the character of their young people.”

The process of being awarded the Kitemarks is designed to help schools to develop and enhance their character education provision. The award is not just the recognition of good practice, but also supports schools to develop desirable character qualities that contribute to individual as well as broader societal flourishing.

Mr Benjamin Miller was one of those involved in reviewing the schools progress towards its status as a School of Character and commented that;

“The leadership and commitment provided by the Headteacher, Assistant Headteacher, governors and the Executive Headteacher and key members of staff has created a community in which children of all aptitudes are provided with good opportunities to flourish and grow in an environment enriched by a set of well-understood and articulated values.”