Character

Not just an Education

TQEA Perks

Our PERK Vales are at the heart of everything we do at The Queen Elizebeth Academy

Why choose TQEA?

An education with character

At TQEA, we believe that education is about more than academic success—it is about developing character, compassion, and service. We encourage every student to live by our core values of Pride, Endeavour, Resilience, Kindness, and have a growth mindset. These values shape the way our students learn and interact every day. We want them to take pride in their achievements, strive to do their best through endeavour, and show resilience by staying strong and bouncing back when faced with challenges. We expect kindness in their actions, creating a positive and caring environment for all, and we promote a growth mindset so that every student believes they can improve and learn from mistakes.

Through these principles, students contribute positively to school and society, work independently and collaboratively, and lead with courage and care. Our goal is for young people to look back on a joyful schooling experience that inspired and challenged them, prepared them for life’s ups and downs, and broadened their horizons. We are committed to providing a broad and balanced curriculum enriched with cultural and social experiences that help every student grow in character and succeed in life.

Character Teaching

Staff Expectations

Character can be both explicitly taught and caught by building a positive ethos in the academy.

Caught approaches to character education place importance on the quality of relationships between students and staff within all school activities and emphasise the importance of teachers acting as positive role models for their students.

As Form Tutors (during Prep), our expectations are:

• Uphold uniform standards, basic manners, and courtesy.
• Model our four values at all times.
• Praise students for showing Pride, Endeavour, Resilience and Kindness
• Deliver one PSHE session each week linked to character.
• Monitor achievements around our values.
• Support assemblies that celebrate our values.

As Subject Teachers (during lessons), our expectations are:

• Promote the core values and use achievement points to acknowledge students’ participation in these.
• Role model our values at all times.
• Take opportunities to praise students’ values, particularly the intellectual and performance ones that encourage greater independent learning.
• Deliver character lessons through Prep which has the focussed value incorporated into the lesson, both implicitly and explicitly.

As Adults Around the School, our expectations are:

• Set and uphold uniform standards, basic manners and courtesy, and praise students’ values such as respect.
• Actively supervise students and encourage them to make the right choices using the language of character.
• Proactively monitor the environment and encourage students to show kindness — e.g. not dropping litter or creating graffiti.
• Encourage reflection and put in place consequences for any negative behaviour or language that goes against our core values.
• Role model our values at all times.