Bringing character education to life across LEO Academy Trust
Values only make a difference when pupils can see and feel them in everyday school life.
That was the focus of our award-winning collaboration with LEO Academy Trust and Virtual Soccer Schools.
LEO serves more than 5,500 pupils across Sutton and Surrey. The trust wanted to bring its PRIDE values: Perseverance, Respect, Imagination, Dedication and Encouragement, and its Explorer learning traits to life across schools, while flexing for different phases, cohorts and contexts.
The challenge
LEO’s values were central to its vision, but the trust needed a practical way to make them visible in classrooms, assemblies and everyday learning without adding to workload.
We worked with LEO to align character strengths, role model stories and ready-to-use resources with the trust’s values, curriculum and wider personal development work.
What changed
Together, we created a flexible, trust-wide approach to character education.
The collaboration helped LEO schools:
• bring PRIDE values to life consistently
• embed character strengths in everyday teaching
• reduce planning burden for teachers
• support Personal Development requirements
• strengthen belonging, inclusion and representation
• develop a richer Early Years approach
At Brookfield Primary Academy, where 47% of pupils speak English as an additional language, our resources supported inclusion, representation and community cohesion.
At Cheam Fields Primary, we worked with Early Years staff to adapt resources for younger pupils, including visual activities, colouring sheets and CPD support.
In partnership with children’s mental health charity Virtual Soccer Schools, we gave pupils memorable opportunities to explore character through live events with elite footballers. During one Mental Health Awareness Week event, LEO pupils helped lead a conversation on community, wellbeing and character, asked thoughtful questions and took part in broadcast media activity, including coverage with Sky Sports News. It was a powerful example of pupils using the language of character with confidence and purpose.
How can character education support school improvement?
Character education can strengthen culture, personal development, wellbeing, belonging and behaviour for learning. At LEO, it gave schools a shared language for values and practical resources teachers could use straight away.
How can schools bring values to life?
Schools bring values to life when pupils see them in lessons, assemblies, stories, role models and everyday reflection. At LEO, APS resources were aligned with PRIDE values so character became visible across the trust.
How does character education support belonging and inclusion?
You can’t be it if you don’t see it. Character education supports belonging when pupils see themselves represented in the stories they explore. At Brookfield Primary Academy, APS resources helped support inclusion, representation and community cohesion.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how it supports our broader curriculum vision and helps us nurture well-rounded, compassionate and capable young people.”
Year Five Teacher and Curriculum Leader,
Cheam Common Juniors
A model of true collaboration
The partnership shows what character education can achieve when it is embedded into school life, aligned with values and built around teachers’ real needs.
It also shows the value of working closely with schools, listening carefully and adapting resources so they work in real classrooms.
Try character education in action
Download our back-to-school September Starter Pack to see how character strengths and diverse role models can support personal development, wellbeing, belonging and school values.
