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Schools must teach pupils how to deal with failure ahead of results day, leading headteacher says

Students at Manchester High School for Girls celebrating their A-level results last summer - Jon Parker Lee Photography Ltd
Students at Manchester High School for Girls celebrating their A-level results last summer - Jon Parker Lee Photography Ltd

Schools must teach pupils how to deal with failure ahead of results day, a leading headteacher has said.

Claire Hewitt, head of Manchester High School for Girls, has introduced a range of new initiatives to help students cope with defeat, including “hug the monster” week.

As well as preparing pupils for their exams, it is just as important that teachers educate youngsters on how to accept “life’s knocks and set-backs” with grace, she said.

Students will receive their GCSE and A-level results next month, following the biggest exam shake-up in a generation.

Courses have been re-designed, as well as coursework and modules axed in many subjects, in a bid to toughen up syllabuses and inject rigour into the qualifications.

The package of reforms, instigated by former Education Secretary Michael Gove, were aimed at driving up standards and bringing England into line with top-performing ­systems in the Far East.

“I think it’s vital that schools become savvier about how they go about developing resilience – or grit or gumption or whatever you want to call it – in their students,” Mrs Hewitt said.

“Those with resilience, self-belief and the ability to learn from their mistakes and move on will, I believe, be leading emotionally healthier, happier lives than those who take every trial and tribulation to heart whilst clinging to the ever more distant memory of their clutch of A stars.”

Students at Manchester High School for Girls picking up their A-level results last summer - Credit: Jon Parker Lee
Students at Manchester High School for Girls picking up their A-level results last summer Credit: Jon Parker Lee

She told The Sunday Telegraph that teachers must encourage pupils to take risks and make mistakes, because “the more they make, the more robust they become”.

Manchester High School for Girls, which charges £11,500-a-year, encourages girls to embrace failure by “hugging a monster” and describing what they have learned from the experience.

During “hug a monster” week - where the monster signifies failure - staff issue monster-themed “praise postcards” to girls who have learned from a disappointment or setback in their academic work.

Mrs Hewitt said it is “no secret” that girls struggle more with self-belief, risk-taking and recovery from failure. Girls’ low self-esteem often manifests as a “reluctance or downright unwillingness to talk about their achievements and what they are good at”, she explained.

It’s vital that schools become savvier about how they go about developing resilience – or grit or gumption or whatever you want to call it – in their students

Claire Hewitt, head of Manchester High School for Girls

“In addition, some girls also lack resilience, have an inability to balance various aspects of their lives and feel they need to constantly strive for perfection.

“These issues can have devastating consequences for some as they give up everything when approaching exams or experience debilitating meltdowns when unable to cope with stress.”

To help boost girls’ confidence and get them used to talking about their achievements, the school also has a “blow your own trumpet” week.

“Girls are not naturally good at articulating their achievements and possibly their low self-esteem was stopping them from talking about their achievements with confidence,” Mrs Hewitt said.

The school has a permanent “we are celebrating”’ display that is regularly updated with girls’ latest achievements.

“We also wanted students to get used to saying what they are proud of out loud, so we give them a toy trumpet and ask them to stand up and tell everyone around them about an achievement,” she added.