Character Education Leaders’ Course to give Education Professionals the confidence to run a successful character education programme in School! Book Your Place

About Us

Building character, self-worth and confidence in young people.

For happier, healthier living.

Offering unrivalled expertise and lived experience through our growing family of inspirational role models and education professionals, Commando Joe’s is a powerful force for positive change.

We work with schools to empower young people and give them the life skills they need to thrive.

Focusing on empathy, resilience, kindness and fortitude, we’re proud to play our part in helping young people become the best version of themselves.

 

For now, and for good.

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OUR MANIFESTO

Leaders, teachers and change-makers; we put young people on a path to potential. We build characters and communities for the greater good. It starts with an empowering state of mind. We teach young people to form strength through adversity. To see things with perspective and understanding. To succeed. To fail. And to know that both outcomes are ok. To find inner pride and the will to progress.

We teach young people to be prepared. We make them feel safe. And by doing so, we give them the confidence to know they can take risks. To know they can ask questions and make mistakes. Glorious mistakes that stack up to glorious achievements with every lesson learned.
And, in turn, we learn from them.

We learn that true education goes beyond filling gaps in the mind. It must also light fires in the soul. So when the classroom child feels confined by walls, we take away the walls. Every young person has the potential to move mountains. But first they must move themselves.

So we work hard to trust their play. To find their way in every day so that the steps they take are to a destination of their own choosing. Not one set by circumstance. We build character, self-worth and confidence in young people.
For happier, healthier living.

 

We are Commando Joe’s.

A Part of The Edwin Group

Commando Joe’s are proud to be part of the Edwin Group. An education alliance here to do good. Connecting schools, students and teachers through a refreshing approach to education services. Including teaching, training, support, building character and safeguarding. Find out more about the Edwin Group here.

Our Partners Wise Owl Trust

Like all the best kits, the programme has been designed with military-level precision to make sure it gets real results for your school. At Commando Joe’s we pride ourselves on recruiting the best of the best. Which is why, when it came to devising and writing this ground-breaking curriculum, we called in the education specialists; Wise Owl Trust.

Based in East Manchester, Wise Owl is a small Multi Academy Trust with big ambitions — for their children, families and communities. They have transformed their three primary schools and their pupils’ life chances with their innovative approach to learning. Now being ranked among the top 3% in the country, with remarkable turnarounds in Ofsted-ratings.

Joining forces, we have combined Commando Joe’s experience in delivering exciting sessions with Wise Owl’s education expertise and pioneering spirit. The result – a curriculum packed with overarching lesson plans, tools and resources developed by teachers for teachers. With Wise Owl CEO/ Executive Principal Sophie Murfin’s team transforming our concept into a complete package guaranteed to hit key targets.

Since combining forces, the Wise Owl team have created over 300 missions for Commando Joe’s, with Sophie writing our Early Years and Transition programme alongside many more.

“I like to say that at Wise Owl Trust we prepare our children of the tests of life, not just a life of tests,” says Sophie. “We do things differently, we innovate, empower, encourage and we want to foster ambitions – not just for our schools but our communities. We have seen the amazing results our bespoke Character curriculum has had on our own schools. Working with Commando Joe’s to create this curriculum has been an exciting way to share our expertise nationally and help even more children achieve their full potential.”

 

Sophie Murfin, CEO/ Executive Principal,
Wise Owl Trust

Our Track Record

  • 2012 - 2016
  • 2013 - 2016
  • 2016 - 2019
  • 2017 - 2020
  • 2018 - 2019
  • 2018 - 2020
  • 2019 - 2020
  • 2020
  • 2012 – 2016

    £3.2 million of Department for Education (DfE) grant funding – delivered Military Ethos Alternative Provision Programme (MEAP) in 350 schools nationwide involving over 175,000 pupils aged 5-16yrs, 1,750 professionals, and encouraged 10,500 parents to take a proactive role with their child’s education.

    Independently evaluated by Swansea University (Arch Exercise Health Dis 5 (1-2): 377-385, 2015) , Nottingham University research: What’s the alternative Effective support for young people disengaging from the mainstream

  • 2013 – 2016

    Mahdlo Onside Youth Zone building capacity and skills through delivering challenging youth activities. Includes liaising with Youth Offending Teams to identify young offenders in need of 1:1 support to get them back on track whilst participating in activities alongside their peer groups

  • 2016 – 2019

    300 schools nationwide self-fund Instructor-led MEAP programme – 1:1 and group provision for students at risk of exclusion ages 5-16yrs.

  • 2017 – 2020

    Over 30,000 school leaders and staff across 650 schools trained to deliver and implement the RESPECT and Operation Blackout programmes which supports students to develop life skills nationwide.

  • 2018 – 2019

    ‘Creating a compelling culture for Pupil Learning Behaviour’ programme Norfolk OA

    RESPECT Programme roll out across 40 Doncaster OA Primary schools 2,250 school staff trained to deliver of the RESPECT Programmes.

    23 schools across Oldham, Blackpool, Ipswich and Derby commissioned training to deliver RESPECT and Operation Blackout Programmes through Essential Life Skills delegated funding.

  • 2018 – 2020

    Delivery Partner for Building a Stronger Britain Together Programme – Get Oldham Talking. Tailored extra-curricular activities targeting 2,500 students aged 10-16yrs building resilience to stand up to extremism in all its forms.

  • 2019 – 2020

    Education Endowment Fund ‘Effectiveness of Outdoor Adventure Training’ – Outward Bound and Commando Joe’s, 2376 students aged 13-14yrs. Instructor-led Adventure learning over a continuous 5-day period.

    https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/adventure-learning/

  • 2020

    Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) Theory of Change project

    Funded research undertaken by Amy Skipp from ASK Research – Impact of Commando Joe’s

Start a learning adventure with a company that REALLY cares.

We’d love to hear from you, so please get in touch by email or call us on the numbers below.

info@commandojoes.co.uk
0844 8003 212 / 01942 409654