We are a College that strives for Academic Excellence, Develops Character, and provides Exceptional Opportunities for all”.

The choices an individual makes determines their future, and the purpose of developing good character is the ability to make good choices.  Character allows us to flourish as individuals, and as a wider society.   

Whilst challenging to quantifiably evidence, character education sits within the Ofsted category of Personal Development and Wellbeing. Inspectors look for indications that schools develop ‘pupils’ character so that they reflect wisely, learn eagerly, behave with integrity and cooperate consistently well with others’. 

The College received the Association of Character Education Quality Mark in 2025 in recognition of its work as a school of character. We continue to develop our practice in our pursuit of the Quality Mark + status, working within our trust with the ambition of establishing a Westcountry Hub for Character Education. We continue our commitment to review and develop the Personal Development provision for all students, and are currently undergoing assessment for the Excellence in Pupil Development Award.

The College has long championed the importance of the holistic development of pupils; the College was first awarded ‘World Class School’ status in 2016, and received reaccreditation in 2019 and 2022 following a rigorous assessment process. The College now proudly holds ‘World Class School’ status in perpetuity, one of only 145 schools nationally to do so.   

The College values align with those of the Westcountry Schools Trust:  

Respect; by valuing others and our college environment and by acting with responsibility.   

Aspiration; by aiming high in everything that we do.   

Integrity; by doing the right thing even when no one is looking.   

Compassion; by seeking to understand the feelings of others and by showing kindness.    

The Jubilee Centre framework for Character Education follows the ‘taught, caught and sought’ model to ensure students are immersed in opportunities to develop their character. Character education is ‘taught’ explicitly across a number of subjects, but is explicitly focused on in CPSHE lessons, in the assembly programme and in the Personal Development tutor programme All teachers are teachers of character as role models of our virtues.   

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”.   

Character is ‘caught’ through the aspirational College culture, especially through the ‘My Sentence’ initiative, where all students are supported to articulate their future ambitions.  

The College promotes student successes weekly in assemblies, staff briefings, and social media alongside termly and annual celebrations. The College uses the platform Class Charts to recognise and celebrate students showing the character virtues with positive points and Star Student. There is a ‘Personal Development’ award for students displaying the Personal Development value of the week in addition to the Star Student. Our character virtues create a culture of celebration that we take pride in recognising -indeed, 98% of our logged behaviours on Class Charts are positive. Our compassionate approach to uphold high expectations of behaviour is supported through the collaborative approach of the behaviour, pastoral and SEND teams.   

Character education is ‘sought’ through student engagement in the numerous enrichment opportunities for all students, with over 200 clubs running throughout the year, numerous charity endeavours and a wide range of student leadership opportunities. Students have the opportunity to represent the College and compete nationally, further supporting their character development. All students participate in the Ivybridge Charter in recognition of their enrichment engagement.  

Celebrated coach John Wooden said, "The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching." His sporting achievements are a testament to the importance of having ‘the right attitude’. The achievements of our students are proof of the importance of character strength. The dedication, determination and resilience of our students to achieve their aspirations have led to life-changing outcomes at Key Stage 4 and 5.