THE Church of England Education Office has been awarded a £125,000 government grant for research into the development of character education in schools. The award, announced this week by the Department for Education, has been made through its designated character-education fund.

The research into the effectiveness of teaching strategies aimed at developing character, will be piloted in 20 C of E schools across the dioceses of Chester, Derby, Exeter, and Peterborough, and will draw on expertise from two Anglican universities: Canterbury Christ Church, and St Mark and St John, Plymouth.

The importance of character education was a current emphasis at the DfE, said Professor Trevor Cooling, the director of the National Institute of Christian Education Research, which is based at Canterbury Christ Church. Strategies pioneered at the centre will underpin the project.

The project was an example of what can be achieved by drawing together expertise in different branches of the C of E's involvement in education, the Chief Education Officer, Nigel Genders, said.

Writing in the Church Times today, he says that the development of character will help pupils to contribute to their neighbourhood.