Courageous
By the time she leaves Prep School at 11:
She will be an effective ‘perseverer’ with a range of strategies that she uses independently when stuck or distracted. She will exhibit resilience in the face of difficulty and relish learning that is challenging, maintaining optimism when the going gets tough. She will form and pursue her own goals with tenacity. Her willingness to accept failure as part of the learning process will prepare her for the next steps in her education where she will have to be adaptable, resilient and resourceful. She will be prepared to face her fears and step out of her comfort zone. She will recognise that being stuck is when learning begins, not when it finishes. She will relish working towards ever more challenging and demanding goals, knowing there are risks. She will be aware of her emotions and show high levels of emotional maturity.
Some of the ways we do this:
- Edwina Bear - take a risk - and Persevering Pearl our learning habit mascots.
- Challenge within the classroom - Pink Thinks and differentiated tasks and outside the classroom - Extensive co-curricular programme and residential trips.
- Displays focusing on the learning process, not finished attempts.
- Stretch and Challenge programme.
- Learning pit - making mistakes - getting unstuck.
By the time she leaves Senior School at 18:
She will approach new situations in the knowledge that if her first solution does not succeed, she will know how to regroup and try again. She will make sensible and well- thought- out plans but will also go forward knowing she has the tools to adapt to new or unexpected challenges. She will have a sense of adventure. She will understand that we learn through trying new activities, taking appropriate risks, and that failure can be a rich, rewarding learning experience. She will not be afraid to ask difficult questions, to challenge an accepted point of view, to stand up to inequity when she encounters it and to use her position of relative influence to speak up for those who cannot.
Some of the ways we do this:
- The normalisation of failure, addressing the subject in assemblies and adopting positive language in discussions around failure, both in the classroom and beyond.
- Offering them the opportunity to take part in trips and activities including CCF and DoE, in addition to regular competitive team and individual sport activities.
- Encouragement to share their views by publishing articles on controversial and topical subjects.
- Allow individuals to challenge the conventional stereotypes and advocate for change.
