Character Education

Character Education at Thurstable

Thurstable School has a long vibrant history in the Tiptree community, stretching back to its founding in 1959. caregivers of our current children, local business owners and other members of the community that we serve have either attended Thurstable themselves or know someone who has.

We believe that memories of our time spent at school should be some of the fondest of our childhoods.  It is these memories of school at the heart of a community that have the potential to permanently shape our lives. It is therefore a huge responsibility and a privilege to educate all children who step through our doors.

Central to our mission is ‘Growing Character’. We believe that everyone in the school community are responsible for educating the entire child. This responsibility is not to be taken lightly, as time spent in school by our students literally shapes their lives and can have transformative effects on them. 

Our three school values are inescapable - you will see them everywhere and these values underpin everything we do. Our three values are:

ASPIRE RESPECT ENDEAVOUR

We endeavour to be a school of character. The children that join us in Year 7 will leave as young adults, provided with the foundations of good character required to face all of life's challenges. This is who we are as a school community and what we offer to our wider community of students, caregivers and all stakeholders.

What contributes to our character development?

Character has to be caught, taught and sought after. We explicitly teach character at Thurstable School. Students learn about virtues which help to guide and shape our personalities through the Tutor Group Character Curriculum (TGCC). Students will learn what it means to be neighbourly, carry out acts of service or practice resilience. 

As students progress through the year groups with us, they will deepen their understanding of virtues, beginning to apply them in contexts and learn the skills of careful debate. They will learn how to use virtue and good reasoning to express their ideas and form intellectual arguments in our TGCC Debate programme.

Everyone is expected to look after their school. We have high expectations of our students and we encourage acts of service. Students will take a turn across the school year to participate in litter picking duty, get involved in choosing a charity to support in our charity day and vote on the issues that mean the most to them via the school council. 

We encourage all students to involve themselves in our electives programme. With over 40 clubs and societies on offer, there is something for everyone to explore and develop their character further.

To find out more about our mission to deliver a high quality character education, please see our charter here: