By Independent School Parent | Tue 29th Jul 2014
Head teachers from almost 200 leading UK independent schools attended the True Grit: Developing Emotional Resilience in Schools conference this spring, to learn how to equip their pupils with the resilience to deal with the pressures of perceived failure.
It’s no secret that schoolchildren across the UK are coming under greater pressure to perform and achieve at school, and at times to the detriment of their general wellbeing.
The True Grit conference came at a time of heightened awareness of external societal pressures and, more importantly, the impact they have on the self-confidence, identity and physical appearance of young people.
Dealing with the normal demands of schooling is difficult enough, but with these added pressures in mind, children are increasingly worrying about being perceived as a “failure” rather than focusing on their “success”.
“It is a balancing act – motivating young people but not allowing them to feel oppressed by the sheer weight of all our expectations, and indeed their own,” says Andrew Halls, head master of King’s College School.
“We know they will succeed, but they are not always so sure, and this can lead to high levels of self-doubt that are, for some, crucifying.”
“And of course the pressure to be perfect is not just an academic one: personal appearance, social groups, family background and concern about their own future in a troubled world are issues that are all too vivid for many bright and ambitious young people.”
The conference brought together some of the UK’s top researchers and practitioners in the fields of pedagogy, neuroscience and adolescent psychology. Professor Tanya Byron, clinical psychologist, presenter, columnist and writer of the 2008 government paper Safer Children in a Digital World, said it was important for the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) to insist upon “outstanding” pastoral care across all of its independent schools. Her talk focused on the current challenges that schools, parents and children face in developing and promoting “resilient” students; ones who are able to cope independently with their aspirations and manage adversity in their school and personal lives.
Further speeches included social media and gaming, the mysterious workings of the teenage brain, the value of “failing well” and methods of nurturing emotional development that are currently working in schools. But perhaps most moving was Old King’s pupil Jean-Andre Prager’s speech on his battle with cerebral palsy, sharing the struggle he faced with schools unable to deal with his condition, before he was accepted at King’s.
Through sheer grit and resilience Prager gained a place at Oxford University. Speaking at the conference, he shared some sage words of advice: “aim high, fall hard, get up fast”.
The True Grit conference has highlighted the growing need for the independent school sector to fully recognise the pressures affecting young people today. It’s vital that schools develop sensitive and modern approaches that can be influential on both a pupil’s education and wellbeing.