Leadership with Values
It is widely agreed that part of the role of education is to produce the next generation of moral leaders. It is vitally important that our children, as the leaders of the future, have core values that focus on wellbeing, putting people before profits and the sustainability of the planet, ahead of global economic growth.
What is Character Education, and why does it matter?
Anyone who has been involved with Reigate St Mary’s for any length of time will be aware that we place extremely high value on developing character.
Intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.
— Dr Martin Luther King
Educating Character in Every Way
Based at the University of Birmingham, The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues is a global leader in Character Education.
Their research suggests that character can be developed in three ways:
- Character Taught through the curriculum, using teaching and learning strategies, activities, and resources.
- Character Sought through chosen experiences that occur within and outside of the formal curriculum.
- Character Caught through a contagiously positive school community, formational relationships, and a clear ethos.
Be the Change
We don’t ask our children what they want to be when they grow up, we ask who they want to be.
We would like them to be ideas generators, good listeners, loyal friends, well-informed, open-minded, well-mannered, team players, considerate colleagues, fantastic bosses, positive influences, go-getters, self-starters, good neighbours, movers and shakers, gracious losers, generous hosts, culture vultures, trail blazers, game changers… and ultimately change makers of the future.
We rarely employ straight A students… We like to choose students who are bright, but broad, with character.
— Google CEO, Sundar Pichai
What is Education for Social Responsibility (ESR), and why does it matter?
Education for Social Responsibility (ESR) is a curriculum that helps children to think about the core values that will lead to happy and fulfilled lives within stable and caring communities, while protecting the planet for the future. At the heart of it is a focus on the well-being of each child individually, the well-being of teams they will work within, and the well-being of the planet.
ESR at RSM has been specifically designed to take children’s personal development well beyond the classroom, so they become well-educated and rounded young adults.
RSM children are articulate and knowledgeable about global issues: climate change, ocean and air pollution, and food and water scarcity. They are also attuned to local challenges, owing to our partnerships with charities and food banks in and around Reigate and Surrey.
We want social responsibility to be as essential a part of the curriculum as English and maths. To make a difference, we think that educating our children how to live a socially responsible life should be woven into the fabric of a school.