Character Education  

At Parkhead Community Primary School we have invested in the Commando Joe's curriculum. This outstanding curriculum is broad and exciting and provides a great foundation on which all children get the chance to achieve, be resilient, tolerate others and make great choices for life - inside and outside school. It complements our standard National Curriculum and the children absolutely love it!

Commando Joe’s aim is to provide a character learning journey that can be personalised to the needs of children, whatever their background or need - encouraging our children to think critically and develop a mindset that thrives on looking at themselves and others from different perspectives. It was founded by former veteran and lecturer Mike Hamilton who worked with the Department for Education to create a programme that supports pupils, parents, teachers and schools nationwide with building essential life skills and supporting positive behaviour changes.

The RESPECT framework supports the “Whole school approach” with staff being able to help children to develop these behaviour traits within a number of exciting topics based on amazing characters and aspects of their life stories. Significant heroes/heroines, explorers and adventurers have been identified to support children’s understanding of these essential life skills. Children are then set exciting missions to solve.

RESPECT focuses on:

R- Resilience (Romeo Resilience)

E- Empathy (Eddie Empathy)

S- Self Awareness (Sophie Self Awareness)

P- Positivity (Parveen Positivity)

E- Excellence (Elliot Excellence)

C- Communication (Charlie Communication)

T- Teamwork (Tanisha Teamwork)

This Commando Joe's programme is progressive from Early Years through to Year 6. One of our main goals is to build the confidence of our pupils, as we believe that children with high self-esteem are better able to make difficult decisions under peer pressure, approach adults for support, and be self-sufficient in their learning. The programme develops this resilience through many activities, being part of a team, performing challenges or having a leadership role. Activities in class, will link to homework projects. The children will develop their sense of adventure and increase their confidence and independence by taking part in new and unfamiliar activities. These transferable skills are vital as they become ready for the next stage of their learning.

What is Character Education?

Character Education is at the heart of successful learning – acting as a foundation for both personal achievement and interpersonal relationships 

Creating the right environment for young people to develop positive character behaviours (traits) will enable them to respond well to challenges they face. Cooperating and learning with their peers in a safe environment, taking on enjoyable, relevant activities, will enable young people to make the right choices, supporting them in everyday life inside and outside school.

Central to the success of the COJO Character Curriculum is the effective use of relevant military ethos and values – where commitment, honesty, adaptability and courage are a prerequisite for the quality and success of all teams and people within them.

It is important to note that character is not a ‘one size fits all’ concept as it is the combination of behavioural traits that sets each person apart. How each school chooses to deliver the programme and integrate it across the curriculum, in a way best suited to both children and staff, will be critical to the programme’s impact and success. The COJO Character for Learning programme will: Provide a great foundation on which all children will get the chance to achieve, be resilient, tolerate others and make great choices for life - in and outside school.

This will be achieved through children:

• Accessing coherent, sequential learning
• Being inspired to do their best and have ambition to achieve
• Leading and being led to achieve outcomes
• Engaging in deep thinking to support their decision-making and action(s)
• Experiencing a wide range of relevant and exciting activity

The character behaviour traits are divided into 7 categories linked to the COJO Character Curriculum programme’s central character – RESPECT. They include moral, performance, intellectual and relevant military behaviour traits that should not be seen as separate but be integrated to contribute to a child’s character learning and development.