People in primary and secondary teaching jobs should be tasked with developing the character, creativity and resilience of their pupils.

Many teachers would argue this is already part of their remit, but shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt wants to formalise the process as he believes there is growing evidence that character can be taught.

Speaking to AQA's Creative Education conference in London, Mr Hunt outlined the broad themes of his party's education policy ahead of next year's general election and argued character and resilience are integral to career success and instilling theses qualities in children "should not be left to chance".

"Emerging research, from people like Prof James Heckman at the University of Chicago and Prof James Arthur at the University of Birmingham, clearly demonstrates that character can be taught," said Mr Hunt.

The Labour MP explained the solution was not "bolting on" sports clubs or music lessons to the end of the school day, but rather "learning from the rigorous academic discipline that is character education and implementing a holistic approach that goes beyond extra-curricular activities and into the classroom".

He said teachers and students are currently under too much pressure to meet exam targets and more balance was needed to allow for the development of less tangible traits.

Mr Hunt wants teacher training colleges to ensure there is some overt inclusion of resilience and character in their courses, while schools need to use the curriculum freedoms they have to embed character education into the school experience.

Talking about teacher training, the shadow education secretary also said he had some issues with the move away from university-based courses to the classroom-based School Direct scheme, which has come under criticism for failing to provide enough candidates to fill teaching vacancies.

Is character development something you focus on in your classroom? Is there enough leeway to formalise the area in both teacher training and the curriculum?

Let us know your thoughts.