“It is with great pride that I am able to celebrate a significant achievement for our school. The school has been working tirelessly to enhance our character education programme for just over 3-years now. We have strived to make the implicit, explicit and take parents, students and staff on the journey with us as a leadership team. We have not hidden our desire to be nationally recognised as an outstanding school of Character Development and I am pleased to announce the school was officially inspected by the Association of Character and has been recognised and awarded the Quality Mark for Character Education. This is a significant accolade awarded by the Association for Character Education and highlights the school’s improvement and desire to enhance our provision over a sustained period of time.
This award is not just a title or a plaque on the wall; it is a reflection of the values and virtues that we hold dear as a community and the shared commitment to nurturing the development of our students beyond the classroom across all year groups. At Quinton, we believe that character development is as vital as academic success and this was directly noted by the team of inspectors. We know, and share directly with parents, that if we get character development right at our school, then our pastoral care, safeguarding measures and ultimately academic outcomes for our students will be progressed and enhanced. We understand that education is about shaping well-rounded individuals—students who are not only knowledgeable but also empathetic, resilient, respectful, honest underpinned by a global outlook.
During the assessment, the team of inspectors spoke to Mr Muskin and myself, two different staff panels ranging from Nursery to Sixth Form, a student panel consisting of 8 different students spanning both the Prep and Senior School as well as our Governance team from Cognita. It really was a robust test of our provision overseen by experienced assessors who are experts in their field. The school’s long-term planning and approach was scrutinised, our day-to-day delivery of character tasks and activities were explored in detail and students and staff were questioned to ascertain the level of knowledge and depth which has been acquired since we started our character journey.
As a result of our community effort, the inspection team were able to write a glowing report which consisted of some lovely comments, such as “Staff fully embrace character education, seeing it as fundamental to the school’s ethos and “Pupils take great pride in their school and describe it as a ‘community’ with extensive ‘opportunities’. More pleasingly, the inspection report states that our student were a particular strength, with pupils articulating confidently and demonstrating a clear understanding of the importance of character. Aptly, the inspection team concluded their report by stating that Character education was the glue which binds our community together. An incredibly powerful summary and one which I think is accurate to our setting.
This recognition is a testament to the dedicated efforts of our staff, the support of our parents, and, most importantly, the hard work of our students. We have always been intentional in developing character as part of our curriculum, activities, and daily interactions. It is not just about teaching academic subjects, but about instilling in our students the importance of integrity, kindness, perseverance, and the courage to act with compassion.
We recognise that, in today’s world, success isn’t defined only by grades or results but by how we respond to challenges, treat others, and make ethical decisions. The accreditation highlights the fact that Quinton House offers an environment where character is at the core of everything we do. Our staff work tirelessly to guide students in developing qualities that will serve them for a lifetime—qualities that will help them lead fulfilling and meaningful lives, contribute positively to their communities, and make a difference in the world, leading the way in all that they endeavour to do.”
Mr Wayne Clarke – Deputy Head, Pastoral