Introduction
Cheam School is a leading independent prep school on the Hampshire/north Berkshire border. The pastoral care is exceptional and Cheam leavers are well rounded individuals. As a consequence, Cheam School has been ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Happiest Boarding School Award’ category by Muddy Stilettos in their annual ‘Best Schools Awards’.
The Cheam Diploma
The children demonstrate many positive character traits and the school has been keen to give the them greater sense of ownership and responsibility for their own character development. As such, Cheam has introduced the Cheam Diploma: a programme of character development.
Teachers identified specific character traits which they want the children to develop. These are respect, resilience, responsibility, reflectiveness and resourcefulness and relationships. Each character trait has been split into various ways of earning points to motivate pupils to participate and take the character approach seriously.
This points-based system rewards learners and effectively quantifies character. In addition to this, the child can see a visual representation of their character on a Kloodle wheel (see below) which changes over time. The child might see that one character trait is lacking and then take measures to develop this over the next few days and weeks. This child-led approach is proven to be beneficial for maintaining motivation.
Cheam and Kloodle
The collaboration between Cheam School and Kloodle has been a fruitful partnership, contributing to the realisation of the Cheam Diploma. The integration of technology, such as the Kloodle wheel, not only engages students but also enables staff to observe trends and tailor their support accordingly. Cheam School is aspiring to attain the ACE Quality mark and aims to become a gold standard for character education – Kloodle is an important tool in developing and measuring this process.
The Ultimate Goal of Nurturing Well-Rounded Individuals
This commitment to character education aligns with the broader goal of nurturing well-rounded individuals who embody the school’s ethos of “Omnia Caritate” – in all things, be charitable. Cheam School values not only academic excellence but also the personal and social development of its students. Cheam are very excited to see how this focus on character education develops and are confident they are enabling children to take charge of their personal growth.
