Overview

Exam results, although important, are not the only area in which we believe Steyning Grammar School students should thrive.  We believe the development of character strengths is equally important if our students are to excel both at school  and in their lives outside and after the Sixth Form. Our Character Education provision complements our christian ethos perfectly helping students to further flourish as God intended.

SGS’s 8 Character Strengths

Our approach is backed up by the field of ‘Positive Psychology’.  Dr. Martin Seligman and the late Dr . Chris Peterson realised that for people to become successful and happy – to flourish –  they had to develop 24 character strengths.  This work was adapted by the KIPP schools in the USA and Dr Angela Duckworth to form a model that can be used in schools  This model focuses on the eight character strengths that most strongly underpin progression towards happy, engaged, meaningful and successful lives.   These are:  Curiosity, Zest, Gratitude, Grit, Growth Mindset, Self Control with Learning, Kindness and Self Control with Others.

Character is central to all we do at Steyning Grammar School. We aim to mould students’ personal, spiritual, cultural, moral and academic progress through developing eight key character traits. We believe that developing these traits leads to improved learning outcomes and kindness towards others in the world around them, reflecting biblical principles. Focusing on developing character allows students to better access opportunities for lifelong learning, allowing Steyning students to become ‘game changers’ both in their lessons and in their future careers.

Our character strength model is based upon the Fruits of the Holy Spirit which Christians believe are God-given gifts to bring us peace and enable us to flourish in life.  

These ‘fruits’, or character strengths, are crucial to well-being and of following a path of wisdom and union with Jesus.

Our approach to character growth can be seen in our teaching, in our reporting of student progress and how we live together and thrive in our school community.  

Character Education is the golden thread that runs through all that we do including our Thought and Prayer for the Week, our Tutor Time, Collective Worship and Church Service themes.

After seven years of pioneering work at a national level,we have been recognised as a Character School by the Jubilee Centre, Birmingham University. In 2021, Steyning Grammar School was awarded the: Kitemark Plus Award. This is the highest nationally recognised quality mark for the delivery of character education and recognises SGS as a nationally leading school in Character Education, which we still retain.

To find out about the Kitemark Plus Award and read our latest report (2025), click here. 

“In conclusion, it is clear that the school has met the extensive requirements of the Character Kitemark Plus with relative ease. Similarly, because of the intelligent evaluation of provision, which is a key characteristic of the school and its leadership teams, ACE is confident that the school will continue to be a source of outstanding practice for others to follow.” (2021)

“ACE would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your colleagues for Steyning Grammar’s ongoing and transformative character work and congratulate you on retaining your Quality Mark Plus award status. Character education is at the heart of the school’s ethos and vision and underpins all aspects of the curriculum. The school has a clear set of learning characteristics and associated virtues and have worked hard to develop a shared language and understanding in the school community.” (2025)

Click on the character strength on the left hand toolbar to find out more.