Grit, Resilience, and the Case for Prevention: A Response to the Education Secretary’s Speech
By a wonderful turn of fate, while Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, was delivering a speech placing new emphasis on building grit and resilience in schools, I was with a group of 9- and 10-year-olds — actually teaching grit and resilience.
That might sound surprising. But grit, like many character strengths, is not a fixed trait — it’s something that can be nurtured. Children can learn to persevere, to sustain effort over time, and to face challenges with greater confidence and calm. As Professor Angela Duckworth defines it, grit is passion and perseverance for long-term goals. And like so much in psychology, what you practise grows stronger.
This is at the heart of Positive Education, which draws on decades of research — including the work of Professor Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology — to bring the science of wellbeing into schools. It helps children learn to navigate setbacks, build supportive relationships, and find meaning in their learning and lives. It doesn’t shield children from difficulty — it equips them to face it.
I’ve seen first-hand the difference Positive Education makes
I’ve watched anxious children grow in confidence. I’ve seen classrooms where kindness becomes the norm. I’ve spoken with school leaders who describe its impact as nothing short of transformational — not just on pupil wellbeing, but on staff morale, behaviour, and learning outcomes too.
And the truth is: we need much more of it.
There’s much to welcome in the Education Secretary’s announcement
- A recognition that early intervention matters
- A significant investment in Mental Health Support Teams
- A focus on improving attendance and behaviour, which are closely linked to pupil wellbeing
- And a renewed interest in helping children develop resilience and character strengths
But the key missing piece is prevention.
The bulk of the £49 million investment is going into mental ill-health support, not mental health promotion. Counselling and therapy have their place — and they are vital — but they typically arrive after a child is already struggling. What if we focused more energy on helping children flourish before difficulties take hold?
As someone who teaches Positive Education and provides training to whole-school teams, I’ve seen the transformative effects of a preventative approach.
Positive Education brings together academic learning with the science of wellbeing. It’s not a bolt-on programme or a one-off assembly — it’s an evidence-based framework for building resilient, emotionally literate, connected and gritty learners.
It helps children to:
- Recognise and regulate emotions
- Understand and use their strengths
- Develop realistic optimism and coping strategies
- Form healthy relationships
- Celebrate successes and cope with setbacks
In short, it teaches children to deal with the realities of life — to navigate the downs as well as enjoy the ups.
And it helps staff too. When teachers are trained to create emotionally supportive classrooms, everyone benefits. It creates a foundation for academic learning, not a distraction from it.
Yes, we need to support the teachers already working tirelessly in schools. They do a magnificent job under enormous pressure, and Positive Education can give them the tools to strengthen wellbeing alongside academic learning.
But we must also think further ahead
We need to train the teachers we don’t yet have — those still in initial teacher education — so that they arrive not just as subject specialists, but as professionals already versed in the principles of Positive Education. Not as an added burden. Not as a new initiative to juggle. But as a way of teaching. A way of being.
The children are ready. School leaders are ready. The science is ready. In Positive Education, we even have the answer already. It’s time for policymakers to join us — and show they are ready too.
