Character education and academic progression in English schools

This paper offers the first large-scale evaluation of whether school-level educational approaches that aim to cultivate character are associated with academic progression. Using the most comprehensive longitudinal dataset available from the Department for Education in England, Study 1 analysed over 3,000 secondary schools and approximately three million pupils annually (2016–2024). The primary outcome was Progress 8, England’s value-added measure of academic development based on performance in General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations, which pupils typically complete between ages 14 and 16. Schools accredited with the Association for Character Education’s Quality Mark (QM) or Quality Mark Plus (QM+) consistently achieved higher Progress 8 scores, with QM+ schools in several years gaining more than half a grade per pupil averaged across GCSE subjects. Study 2 complements these findings through a national survey of QM and QM+ schools, illuminating perceived mechanisms linking character education to learning, wellbeing, and school climate. Together, the findings provide robust and policy-relevant evidence that character education may meaningfully enhance school climate while supporting, rather than compromising, academic development.