Teach Primary Issue 19.5

build grit and resilience into your own school's sports day activities: Model effort Children like to copy people, especially if they are meaningful to them. Demonstrate your own commitment – perhaps by running with them in warm-ups or showing support across all events. Recognise effort over outcome in your comments and feedback. Pupils will learn to focus, and gain self-belief and drive from their observations of others and from feedback on their efforts. Provide comments during activities, rather than waiting until the end, to give children the momentum to take it on board for their next challenge. Teach rebound skills Frame setbacks as lessons to learn and not failures to endure. This shows that achievement comes from stretching oneself by applying continued effort, and allows young people to self-correct and adjust their responses. As a result, pupils will attribute their learning to themselves, avoid the blame game and take pride in their achievements. Use language that highlights learning from mistakes, for example, “That didn’t go to plan, but what can we try next time?” to promote the idea that improvement comes from effort, not just talent. Give control When children realise that they have control over their decisions and actions, they are more likely to respond positively to challenges. Giving your pupils the autonomy to participate at any level and explore their own abilities also helps them engage more confidently with their environment and develop a clearer sense of self in relation to others. Let pupils make decisions about the events they enter, how they prepare, and how they respond to outcomes. This can be reinforced through reflection and asking students to consider: “What did you learn from that race?” or “What would you do differently next time?” Structure teams Sports day activities provide an opportunity for pupils to learn to work well with others and effectively contribute to a group. This sense of support and acceptance plays an integral role in building healthy relationships with adults and their peers, and effective teamwork requires that group members learn to balance the needs of the group with their own. Resilience literature stresses the importance of developing peer relationships for learning about sharing, taking turns, patience, empathy, and the confidence to ask for help. Providing opportunities for pupils to share their positive experiences of resilience through sport can also help them understand how their actions can inspire and build resilience in others. Try intentionally grouping pupils across ability levels and encouraging peer support. As well as celebrating winners, praise teammates who showed encouragement, fairness and empathy. Create natural experiences The authenticity of the sports day experience offers immediate feedback and realistic consequences for success and failure. For example, dedicated practice can bring rewards which are earned and celebrated with peers; failing to prepare can lead to making mistakes or letting teammates down. To connect these experiences to everyday life, we must teach sport with ‘transfer in mind’. Neuroscience tells us that our brain (and therefore our behaviour) becomes resilient by responding to practical experiences which are personally meaningful and relevant. By emphasising how these lessons apply beyond sport – such as handling nerves before a test or bouncing back from disappointment in class – pupils can connect these experiences to their everyday life. Sports day offers much more than just a dose of physical activity; it provides a natural opportunity to nurture grit outside the classroom. The key lies in using the moments before, during and after each event to draw out learning – encouraging pupils to reflect, recognise their development, and celebrate perseverance and teamwork. With thoughtful guidance, pupils can begin to see challenges not as setbacks, but as valuable steps toward growth. By helping pupils reframe these moments – whether it’s recovering from a fall or offering encouragement to a teammate – these experiences become powerful lessons in resilience. Over time, such lessons shape essential life skills that pupils carry with them far beyond the sports field. TP Dr John Allan is head of impact & breakthrough learning at PGL. “Sports day offers immediate and realistic consequences” 28 | www.teachwire.net