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This is a primary school programme for nine to eleven year olds which helps pupils grow,
change and respond positively to opportunities, challenges and responsibilities in life.
This project enables students to reflect on human qualities such as enthusiasm, courage, honesty, generosity, trust, and
perseverance. Pupils complete a specially designed poster template with a personal reflection section. This is designed to
help pupils build their character by looking at examples of inspirational figures. The inspirational figures are selected so that
no one viewpoint is privileged.
The route through the website is taken by clicking the link at the foot of each page. We suggest
that this structured approach will give all pupils an overall grasp of the project on the first visit. Subsequently the horizontal
navigation bar (under the page header) could be used for immediate access to each section of the website. This could be the
basis of a free ranging approach for more confident pupils.
The website homepage briefly introduces the concept behind the project. It is suggested that
people are able to have a good life regardless of circumstances if they can develop the necessary Personal Qualities.
Six examples are illustrated of people who have shown some of the right qualities.
A good life might include gaining Respect from others, a measure of Success in life, and Friendship. What qualities are
needed to achieve these objectives?
Using the concept of Inspiring People, it is proposed that the same sort of qualities are needed by
everyone. On the next page, pupils are invited to select some qualities which they feel may be relevant to their own lives under the three headings: Respect, Success and Friendship. Each quality is linked to a brief definition and an example of the quality in action.
Teachers may feel it sufficient for the pupils to select just one quality at this stage and then move on.
On this page, pupils are invited to download their booklet to their personal folder. Initially the booklet can be used as a place
to keep notes. Eventually it will be the place for writing up the project (see below).
The quest now moves on to matching people to qualities. On the first page there are three examples of Inspiring People and one outstanding quality for each.
This leads to the next page which contains a wide variety of Inspiring People to choose from. Clicking on each name produces a picture of the person, which can be used to illustrate the booklet later and biographical details. Some of the pages give specific suggestions as to the person's personal qualities, some leave it to the pupils to draw their own conclusions.
The main idea is that the pupils should try to match an Inspiring Person to a Personal Qualities which they would like to
achieve for themselve.
Clicking the link from the foot of the previous page gives the Instruction Sheet for filling up the
booklet. The booklet is a normal MS Word document which the pupils will be familiar with. We have not made the template
highly structured, supplying only the necessary headings to show what goes where. The spaces provided are flexible so
that pupils can include as much content in the way of text and pictures as they wish.
The Booklet is set out with spaces for two Personal Qualities in each of the three categories together with Inspiring People
who illustrate each Quality. However the amount of content and the depth of the analysis will depend on the circumstances
of the pupils which only the Teacher will be in a position to judge.
We hope that pupils will be able to show some individual creativity in the way they set out their booklet and decorate it. It has
been found in the Secondary Schools project that some pupils who have difficulty with text are able to get their ideas across
by colouring and drawing (after printing out their booklet pages in this case).
The central aim of the project is to give pupils from all backgrounds an opportunity to think about what they hope for in life,
what sort of person they want to become, and how they might achieve their aims. The exact means by which they express
their thoughts is less important than the outcome.
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