For this week's View from the Top, we've handed over to Rob Morse, the head of Truro School Prep. Below, Mr Morse explores the importance of inspiring a feeling of positivity, self-belief and confidence in children...
When choosing a school, parents rightly consider every aspect of the educational offering. Academic rigour and pastoral care can be found at the top of the list and rightly so, this would be true in every situation but is particularly so as the consequences of COVID-19-induced lockdowns work their way through the education sector. In the same light, extracurricular provision is also a deal maker or deal breaker as we seek to find an establishment that will give our children the opportunity to experience and engage in a raft of opportunities outside of the regular curriculum.
What is rather more difficult to ascertain however is a school’s ability to identify the innate ability in each child and nurture their individual talents. For it is the understanding of each and every child, ‘what makes them tick’, that lays the foundation for all that follows. This is at the very heart of what we strive to achieve here at Truro School Prep.
Enabling each and every child (especially those who lack self-esteem) to ‘make their mark’ allows them to develop their self-belief and subsequently excel in areas outside of their natural forte. Furthermore, it is a team of staff that genuinely knows each individual child and can share with them their successes, even if they fall outside of their own sphere of influence.
Let me paint a picture of how this happens here at Truro School Prep: Imagine the scenario, if you will, of a child who has achieved some small victory; a goal or a try on the sports field, a beautiful painting, a successful navigation of a tricky musical piece or achieving a personal best in an academic test. Firstly, this feeling of positivity spurs them on to greater things and instils in them the confidence to take chances in subsequent lessons; they might for instance have the self-belief to ask more searching or controversial questions which will benefit their learning and again bolster their feeling of self-worth (almost inevitably winning the admiration of their friends thus adding again to their self-esteem).
This is, of course, good in itself but how much greater the effect if all staff can celebrate these small successes with the pupils? For me, as the Head of Truro School Prep, it is a pleasure to witness the mathematics teacher congratulating a child on their sporting progress as they pass in a corridor; or the music teacher praising their charges in response to a particularly good effort in science. These fillips top-up self-belief and inspire confidence in every facet of life.
Confidence is crucial to success and, as we all know, it is fundamental in ensuring that we make the most of the opportunities that come our way.
The life our children inherit as they leave education will in many ways be considerably more demanding than our own and we must do our utmost to ensure that they are fully prepared to deal with the many challenges, successes and occasional failures that will come their way.
A strong belief in one's own ability is an excellent foundation and will undoubtedly stand them in good stead for the future. Furthermore, it will allow them to make the most of the plethora of opportunities that school life offers whilst, equally importantly, enabling them to enjoy every moment along the way.