Character education is about developing the whole person, developing students for life, not just for school.
Shaping character is at the heart of great education and has always been an important part of the Barker journey.
We are very excited to become a Round Square School.
Founded in 1966, Round Square has become an international diverse network of 230 like-minded schools in 50 countries across the world. It owes much of its heritage and philosophy to Kurt Hahn, a German educator, who founded the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Outward Bound movement and Gordonstoun School in Scotland. He famously said, ‘there is more in us than we know’.
This statement informs much of the Round Square philosophy.
Through holistic education and engaging students in the range of experiences and opportunities that Round Square offers, it aims to develop a student’s global competencies, personal character and leadership.
The network of Round Square schools share a commitment to the development of six themes called IDEALS, these are
- International Understanding
- Democracy
- Environmental Stewardship
- Adventure
- Leadership
- Service
These IDEALS and discoveries provide a framework that facilitates student voice, agency and development opportunities to grow a student’s character, equipping them for life and inspiring a commitment to serve others in their community and communities further afield.
Our School Motto of ‘Honour non Honoures’, speaks into the process of character education:
- to step out of our personal lanes,
- to build our capacity, courage, compassion
- to be team members
- and most importantly, show love to our neighbours.
We are thrilled that our students will be able to access many wonderful and rich opportunities through our Round Square membership.