New year, new lens: what if we stopped arriving after the fire? New Year has a funny split personality. On one hand it’s forward-facing: fresh diaries, clean slates, this time I’ll… On the other it’s reflective: what worked, what didn’t, what we wish we’d done differently. In schools, and in children’s mental health more broadly,... View Article
The Perfect Christmas Presence As the year winds its way to a close, the pressure to make Christmas “just right” has a way of speeding us up. We rush to finish work, rush to prepare, rush to create memories - sometimes forgetting that the most meaningful moments don’t come from performance. They come from presence.... View Article
Rethinking Behavioural Choice: A lesson from Admiral Nelson It’s not often the words “Oh look, That’s Nelson’s Column” strike me with terror, but on this occasion they truly did. I hadn’t planned on driving through London. In fact, I had planned very specifically not to. But there I was - one wrong turn and suddenly... View Article
Don't Miss the Good Things Unfolding Right Now (A New Monk) A new monk joined a monastery in the mountains. In the centre was a courtyard with a huge cherry blossom tree. It was his favourite - to sit under, read under, pray under, even doze there. As the summer ended and the cold weather... View Article
When the Going Gets Tough - Bring a Unicorn People used to say, “The only constant is change” as a kind of business insight. Now? It’s more like a line in the job description. Expectations shift. Strategies pivot. Whole sectors reinvent themselves overnight. If you're running a business or leading a team, you probably don’t... View Article
Helping Children Finish the School Year Strong (and Thrive Through Summer) Simple Positive Education Ideas for Parents and Teachers As we approach the end of the school year, it's easy to slip into survival mode. But these final weeks - and the summer holidays beyond - are a golden opportunity to build skills that can... View Article
Hard Work Beats Talent (When Talent Doesn’t Work Hard) Some interviews stay with you. A few weeks ago, I watched journalist Amol Rajan in conversation with tennis legend Martina Navratilova - and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Martina’s story is one of extraordinary success, but it’s not just the trophies or titles that... View Article
Jamie Oliver’s Recipe for Schools? Blend in the neuroscience On a recent episode of The News Agents podcast, I nearly leapt out of my chair when Jamie Oliver called for teachers to be trained in understanding how our brains and minds work. I wanted to stand and applaud - because that’s exactly what I’ve dedicated... View Article
Why Grit Matters (Now More Than Ever) With the recent government announcement on teaching grit in schools, the conversation around perseverance and resilience has resurfaced — and rightly so. Grit isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a key ingredient in helping young people thrive — not just in school, but in life. Angela Duckworth, the leading... View Article
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... View Article
Harnessing Everyday Magic: The Power of Positive Education in Primary Schools In the dynamic environment of primary schools, where the day-to-day can be both vibrant and challenging, the traditional focus has often been on remedial actions - addressing issues after they arise, from mental health concerns to academic setbacks. Yet, what if we could shift... View Article
Managing Little Meltdowns: The "Rocks and Floppy Socks" Game It’s a familiar scene: a child’s frustration boiling over into a full-blown meltdown. Tantrums often come at the least convenient times - like when saying no to sweets in the supermarket, or when it’s time to leave the playground. While these moments can be testing, it's... View Article
Finding Stillness in the Storm: A Minute to Rebalance In today’s world, where unpredictability often feels like the only constant, taking a moment to find stillness can be invaluable. The constant barrage of information—and misinformation—can leave us feeling overwhelmed. But what if the solution could be as simple as pausing for just one minute? Professor... View Article
Finding the Courage to Fail In a world where success is often celebrated more than the journey that led to it, it’s easy to forget one crucial truth: Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s a part of it. In my work I’ve seen firsthand how embracing mistakes can transform both children and adults... View Article
Building Resilience in Children A recent BBC article highlights a growing concern for children’s mental health and the pressing need to bolster resilience among young people. As a positive psychologist working mainly in primary schools, I wholeheartedly agree that resilience is a cornerstone of thriving childhoods. However, the tools to foster it are not a... View Article
Grit: Part 2 Teaching Grit Teaching grit, especially to children, is about fostering an environment where perseverance, passion, and resilience are encouraged and celebrated. Here are some effective strategies to teach grit: 1. Set Clear, Achievable Goals Break Down Big Goals: Help children set long-term goals and then break them down into smaller, manageable steps. This... View Article
Grit: Part 1 The Secret Ingredient for Success When you think of success, you might picture someone who’s naturally gifted, someone who effortlessly excels at everything they do. But what if I told you that success isn’t about talent alone? It’s about something called grit. And yes, it’s something we can all develop, regardless of how... View Article
Your Students’ Secret Superpowers: The VIA Strengths Advantage As educators, we strive to equip our students with the tools they need to succeed academically and socially. However, one crucial aspect often overlooked in traditional education is the development and recognition of character strengths—those positive traits that contribute to an individual’s overall wellbeing. The VIA (Values... View Article
Helping Your Child (and yourself) Handle Change Change can be tough, especially when it involves something as big as starting or switching schools. For children, this kind of change can feel overwhelming, leading to stress that shows up in all sorts of ways—like feeling anxious, getting headaches, or having trouble sleeping. And let’s be honest,... View Article
The Power of Positive Psychology in the Workplace: Elevate Performance and Foster Success In today’s competitive business landscape, investing in your workforce is not just beneficial; it’s essential. One of the most effective ways to do this is through positive psychology. But why should companies care about positive psychology? Let's dive into the transformative impact... View Article
It is crucial to teach children about the power of oxytocin and its impact on behaviour. By understanding how easily groups can form and divide, children can learn to navigate these dynamics positively. One effective strategy is to constantly mix groups in classrooms, encouraging students to find common ground with new peers. Activities that involve… View Article
Using Positive Education to Support Children and Help Them Flourish Exploring a whole school approach to improving resilience, wellbeing and attainment With increasing number of schools looking for ways to support the wellbeing of pupils and staff with limited resources, knowing where to turn for answers can be a real headache. For Jim Nicholson, Headteacher… View Article
Using Positive Education to Support Children and Help Them Flourish Positive Education is about more than academic success Positive Education is about far more than academic success. It is about helping children flourish, even in challenging circumstances. In this interview headteacher Chris Howarth explains how the Everyday Magic positive education programme helps Washacre Primary School… View Article
Does Positive Psychology Make a Difference in Schools? Do you ever wonder if positive psychology really makes a difference in schools? This interview with Deborah Brown, the Headteacher of Buckton Vale Primary School tells the story of her school’s journey to become recognised as a positive education school, and the impact it has had… View Article
Creating Calm when Facing Change As the new school year begins, many pupils (and possibly a few teachers) may find themselves feeling rather nervous about the changes they face. New schools, new classes, new friends – while all of these things can be exciting and wonderful, they can also cause worry. In fact all change... View Article
Belly breathe Teaching children to belly breathe is an easy way to help deal with strong emotions. Teaching young children to deal with strong emotions including anger and frustration is an important part of the work I do with schools In the Everyday Magic positive education course I show that even the littlest members of... View Article
Losing hurts – but it’s not fatal It really sucks. Whether is it the Euro final, the Wimbledon championship, or even your class race at school sports day. Let’s face it losing hurts. It really sucks. Whether is it the Euro final, the Wimbledon championship, or even your class race at school sports day, no... View Article
Why are we here? What is education meant to achieve? What is education meant to achieve? It seems to me that the events of the past 12 months have given us more opportunity to look at that question than ever before. I’m not sure I’m best placed to provide the answer, but as the saying... View Article
Same storm, different boats We are not all going to feel the same way at each point. This week marks a major event in our pandemic journey with most children returning to school full time. For many, this is the first time in almost a year. That’s quite a milestone, and one we can greet... View Article
Tough leading There is something you can do as a leader to make things feel less daunting. Leadership at the moment is super tough. Shifting rules and regulations, heightened levels of anxiety, alert levels and lock-downs, staff isolating, remote working. We only lack four horsemen riding by to complete the apocalypse. Every day there seems... View Article
The perfect gift for teachers There is a gift that everyone working in schools deserves this year There is a gift that everyone working in schools deserves this year - but I wonder how many will take the time to welcome it or realise how much they need it. It’s the gift of self-compassion,... View Article
When the going gets tough – get grit. Grit is one of the most important qualities we can help children develop. Grit is one of the most important qualities we can help children develop. It is the quality that will sustain them long after their schooldays are over. Achieving dreams, not being de-railed by adversity,... View Article
Emotional First Aid for Children For children moments of worry or frustration can escalate into a meltdown. As a Positive Psychologist I find the human brain awesome. Faster than any supercomputer in existence in terms of complex processing it is a biological wonder. It is also tricky. We are expected to operate this amazing piece... View Article
Let’s hear it for teachers On Teachers Day, I want to celebrate the hard work of teachers everywhere. I also want to let them know that Positive Education can help make things easier. Today is world Teachers Day. How appropriate at a time we appreciate them more than ever – just ask any parent who home-schooled recently. Under normal circumstances... View Article
It’s great to be back I wondered what they would be like, having gone through such an unprecedented disruption to their lives both in and outside school. One of my highlights of the last few weeks has been to get back into the classroom. For the last five years I’ve had the privilege to teach... View Article
Back to school essentials If your child is worried or unsure about returning to school, here are some things you can do to help them as the countdown to school begins. This year preparing your child for school means much more than buying new shoes and labelling uniform. It means preparing them for what would... View Article
Facing uncertainty – why children need to learn it None of us know what the world will look like for our children. One of my favourite parts of Positive Education is teaching children to deal with VUCA environments. Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. So much of our children’s lives are planned for them. Timetables, study,... View Article
Sometimes I get on my soapbox. Here’s why. I want to share a worrying statistic with you. I want to share a worrying statistic with you. In the official ONS figures for 2017 the leading cause of death for children and young people (aged 5-19) was being struck by a motor vehicle. What do you... View Article
