Relational Schools was commissioned in 2017 to explore the efficacy of expeditionary and outdoor learning experiences. The research explored the impact of school field trips on students’ aptitudes for learning and revealed that certain types of ‘character development’ intervention can positively influence the quality of key student-to-teacher and student-to-student relationships. Moreover, the research suggests that the improvement of these relationships provides a more solid foundation for the development of both desirable characteristics and academic progress.
This report joins a growing dynamic discourse of research and reflection on the importance of character education in schools, building on key thinking and recommendations from research centres including the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham.
The research report, together with new a short film, was launched at a reception at the Millbank Tower, London. Hosted by the Challenger Trust, the event brought together practitioners, policy makers, researchers and others with an interest in improving social mobility through the development of positive characteristics in schools. It was a precursor to a second major study and documentary film in association with the XP Schools Trust, EL Education and the Outward Bound Trust. You can read that research report here or go to our education Vimeo channel and download the full documentary, premiered at the House of Commons this January.
