Whether you’re a parent, teacher, caregiver, or student we would love to hear your opinion. Over the next few months we’ll be looking at the role of modern technology and society, how it’s filtering into our schools and homes and what can be done to safeguard and encourage students. What do you think of the True Grit approach? Are you worried that you might be putting too much pressure on your child to succeed? What concerns you most about the pressures on young people today? It is vital that independent schools develop approaches, such as nurturing “emotional resiliance”, that can be hugely influential on a student’s life and wellbeing. The True Grit conference has highlighted the growing need for the independent school sector to fully recognise the issues affecting young people today. Speeches included social media and gaming, the mysterious workings of the teenage brain, the value of failing well and the methods of nurturing emotional development that have worked in schools. Speaking at the True Grit conference, he shared some sage words of advice: “Aim high, fall hard, get up fast”. Through sheer grit and resilience Prager gained a place at Oxford University. Old King’s pupil Jean-Andre Prager spoke 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. Health and wellbeing topics included Oxford University’s Professor Russell Foster’s assurance that sleep holds value in emotional development. Professor Tanya Byron, clinical psychologist, presenter, columnist and writer of the 2008 government paper Safer Children in a Digital World, spoke on the importance of the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) insisting on “outstanding” pastoral care in all independent schools, adding that children should be encouraged to take risks. The conference brought together some of the UK’s top researchers and practitioners in the fields of pedagogy, neuroscience and adolescent psychology. “And of course the pressure to be perfect is not just an academic one: personal appearance, social groups, family background, concern about family members and their own future in a troubled world are issues that are all too vivid for many bright and ambitious young people.” We know they will succeed, but they are not always so sure and this can lead to levels of self-doubt that are, for some, crucifying,” says Andrew Halls, head master of King’s College School. “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. The True Grit conference comes at a time of heightened awareness of external societal pressures and, more importantly, the impact they are having on the self-confidence, identity and physical appearance of young people around the world.ĭealing 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’. Schoolchildren across the UK are coming under greater pressure to perform and achieve at school, and at times often to the detriment of their general wellbeing. John Wayne was the appropriate poster man for the True Grit: Developing Emotional Resilience in Schools conference, at King’s College School, Wimbledon Head teachers from almost 200 leading UK independent schools attended the True Grit: Developing Emotional Resilience in Schools conference, on Friday 21 March at King’s College School in Wimbledon, to learn how to equip their pupils with the resilience to deal with the pressures of perceived failure.
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