School of Character PLUS (+)

In July 2021, The Malling School was delighted to receive recognition from the Association of Character Education (ACE), as a School of Character PLUS (+).  Following our School of Character recognition from ACE in September 2021, we have gone from strength to strength, and were externally praised for our approach to enhancing our students personal development and placing a genuine importance on character education throughout the whole school.  As a school, we are totally committed to the overall quality of students’ education rather than simply focussing on exam outcomes.  Because of this, we will continue to develop our students’ character through the daily delivery of character education through ‘The Malling School Way’. The Malling School is now one of only three secondary schools in England to be awarded this very important and valuable kitemark.  Comments worthy of note from Gary Lewis, the senior ACE assessor were:

The assessors wish to highlight the following key points:

• The Headteacher has created a team of senior leaders who place the development of character and personal self-confidence at the core of all curriculum and co-curriculum activities. There is an absolute commitment to a values driven provision and the charismatic influence of the Headteacher is empowering a critical mass of colleagues to take up the challenge.  
• Interviews were held with a cross section of staff and students from all age groups and experiences. The assessors were impressed with the correlation in feedback from both groups, which indicated that both students and staff were embarking on a journey together. Several members of staff expressed their joy at working in a school where there was an obvious investment in their well-being and they relish the fact that they are trusted to take personal responsibility for their own personal and professional development.  
• Students were able to relate their experiences within the school to key traits such as empathy and resilience and provided many examples of how students across the school were able to use these skills in engaging in positive and caring relationships. They were confident in expressing their ability to deal with the challenges of failure and setbacks and understood how the school’s work was making them more resilient.  
• Behaviour in the school is generally outstanding and the overall calmness between lessons and in non-supervised areas was striking. Students were confident and assertive but always polite and appreciative of the needs of others. Consequently, students were able to make reasoned choices based on common sense and this undoubtedly helps create an atmosphere where students are able to behave well through choice rather than through fear of punishment.  

• The school actively seeks to provide opportunities for students of all ages to develop both leadership and collaborative working skills and offers a wide range of interesting and stimulating opportunities to children of all aptitudes and abilities.