The article is a review of key issues within the discipline of knowledge known as moral education. This is seen as a sub-system in education policy and, more broadly, in public policy. The main phenomena, trends, ongoing discussions and theoretical disputes in two Anglo-Saxon countries and Poland were discussed. The nature of the article stems from the fact that there are practically no texts on moral education in schools in Polish literature. The problem is only partly addressed within pedagogy, but its conceptual framework is different from public policy. In the latter, they are seen from the point of view of what collective action can be achieved by influencing children’s and young people’s behaviour and attitudes.