Taught Not Caught: Educating for 21st Century Character

Taught Not Caught: Educating for 21st Century Character

by Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP
Chair, Treasury Select Committee,
Former Secretary of State for Education

Respondent:

Sir Anthony Seldon
Vice Chancellor, University of Buckingham

Education is the greatest investment we can make in the future of our country. And the greatest investment the education system can make in our pupils is to ensure they gain both knowledge and character.

As Education Secretary from 2014-16, Nicky Morgan had a job she describes as “one of the best in the UK Cabinet”. In her time in office, she announced a GBP3.5m programme to be spent promoting classes and extra-curricular activities that build “grit” and “resilience” in a generation of schoolchildren. In her new book, she reveals why she believes that building characterful children has a positive impact on academic attainment and argues that public awareness of character education needs to be raised, so it is clear to those in the education system that this is a priority and they will support it. Most importantly, the frontline–namely schools, heads, teachers, governors and communities–need to be enabled to create the conditions to allow systemic change to happen, to take hold and to grow.

Following Nicky’s speech, Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice Chancellor of the University of Buckingham and a pioneering figure in the development of character education in English schools, said a few words in response before leading a question and answer session.

Nicky Morgan has been Member of Parliament for Loughborough since 2010 and was the Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities from July 2014 to July 2016. In July 2017, she was elected Chair of the Treasury Select Committee.

Anthony Seldon is a leading authority on contemporary British history and education and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham. He was formerly Master of Wellington College, one of the world’s most famous independent schools. He is author or editor of over 40 books on contemporary history, politics and education and is the author on, and honorary historical advisor to, Downing Street.