Character education and academic progression in English schools

Abstract

This paper offers the first large-scale evaluation of whether school-level educational approaches that aim to cultivate character are associated with greater academic progression. Using the most comprehensive longitudinal dataset available from the Department for Education in England, Study 1 analysed school-level Progress 8 data derived from national pupil records, covering over 3,000 secondary schools annually and representing approximately three million pupils per year (2016–2024). The primary outcome was Progress 8, England’s value-added measure of academic development based on performance in General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations, which pupils typically complete between ages 14 and 16. Schools accredited with the Association for Character Education’s Quality Mark (QM) or Quality Mark Plus (QM+) consistently achieved higher Progress 8 scores, with QM+ schools in several years gaining more than half a grade per pupil averaged across GCSE subjects. Study 2 complements these findings through a national survey of QM and QM+ schools, identifying school leaders’ perceived pathways through which character education may relate to learning, behaviour, well-being and school climate. Together, the findings provide robust and policy-relevant evidence that character education is associated with more favourable school climate and academic progress, without evidence of an academic opportunity cost.