They may be the most examined, but many believe that today's children are the most 'untested' in history. So, how can we nurture the resilience they will need in their lives ahead? Garry Freeman offers some advice

“The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.”
The Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan, 1994

Less than three months ago, our education secretary let slip that she may have read Robert Jordan’s The Fires of Heaven or at least may have heard of one of its messages. She announced an extra £3.5 million for classes and extra-curricular activities to develop resilience and grit in our children.

Add to that the additional £1 million invested in research led by the Education Endowment Foundation to look at how character can be taught, and we can only draw the conclusion that the government is taking seriously the concerns of many education and business leaders that too many school-leavers lack the soft skills that enable them to succeed throughout their life.

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