Resilience workshops in primary

[Sparklybutold]

Has anyone any info on these in practice? We've had some wishy washy notification that yo yos can be purchased for £8, 10 or 13 quid! I did jokingly ask what the heck the yo yos were made of? Can't help but feel the cost off the courses is being subbed by the purchase of yo yos?

I find this particularly cutting when both of my kids are ND and I'm currently going through tribunal with the eldest. Are these classes actually fit for purpose or are they another shite government initiative with zero substance.

I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. I feel like I entered the conversation halfway through. Is this at your local school or nationally? Did I miss a memo?

This is definitely a thing. My kids school had a workshop on bullying or self esteem or something and at the end flogged a load of expensive yo-yos to the kids and parents at pick up! My Dad had picked up my kids that day -£8 a yo-yo! I was flabbergasted and furious! I wouldn't have bought one. He did because he is so nice! Ripping off an OAP. Whenever I see them laying on the carpet I become furious again. It must be some sort of national scam.

I've never heard of it but my child wouldn't be doing it.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges

Seems resilience workshops have been around for a long time but has resurfaced again with the labour government, as part of there supporting mental health and well-being in schools.

It just feels like another virtue signalling scam to pretend they're doing something… so when kids MH continues to fail they can say but we tried everything! Eg resilient training. It feels empty as I know so many who are struggling for a wide variety of reasons, but yeah, let's demonstrate resilience by showing not to give up through the art of yo yo-ing. So many kids MH is down to circumstances outside of their control, but sure lets give them a yo yo.

The workshop or buying the yo yo?

Both.

It’s one of Bridget Philipsons new brainwaves.”Resilience building amongst kids”. No talk of why so many kids are struggling and unhappy. No mention of why our teens are the most unhappy in Europe (our 15 year olds are the most unhurt of 27 EU nations - see study below).

No… just get them to learn to put up with all the shit 🙄 a yo-yo 😜

https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-08/Good%20Childhood%20Report-Main-Report.pdf

Interested to see more info- the name of the company etc.

£8 for a yoyo is outrageous- you can get them for pennies!

I agree re overreach of the resilience talk, but don't think the government are behind this specific initiative 😂

Although it's very The Thick Of It: how much do we need to raise? How many schoolchildren can we charge £8 for a 20p yoyo?

I think helping children to build resilience is really important- not entirely sure how yoyos fit into it though. Resilience doesn't mean suck it up and say nothing, either, and the PP suggesting that is frankly wrong. Resilience is about learning to cope with problems that life throws at you. Children have got to learn to cope with problems, otherwise you get adults who fall apart at the slightest thing.

What @PonyPatter44 said

We had this at our dc school - the yoyos are mainly a fundraising side as the company didnt charge the school for the presentation.

Mental health / resilience wise, sadly ut is a growing concern that many chilsren just cannot cope with what life throws at them. Whether that is right or etong, good or bad, the drivers of this is a thread thst could go on and on but it's a huge problem.

The problem is, is this assumes that the playing field is level - its not. When kids MH in the UK is spiralling at massive numbers its not just about not being resilient. Support structures have shifted massively with many not getting the same level of support as there parents did. Social media and AI completely overhauling how kids see themselves and others and the expectations within. So many ordinary goalposts being so out of reach now - job security, homes, cost of living. The resilience workshop should form part of a whole school approach, the reality is, it is not. ND on the rise, SEND provisions not being fit for purpose, school finances being stretched beyond baseline. And this is just in the schools. MH provisions in health and social care lacking, poor housing and poverty impacting more families, chronic illnesses on the rise, the list could go on.

So how is the initiative funded? Does the company make the money from selling of the yo yos?

Exactly this
we are in the midst of a huge surge in children with mental health problems

formal services like CAHMs and school counsellors are utterly overwhelmed

resilience training has its place, coaching kids in regulating emotions, problem solving, self care …

parents who don’t support such interventions, I bet are the ones who yell - there’s no support !!! When the kids are
screen addicted
socially challenged
anxious
bed rotting
school avoidant

I don’t agree with charging stupid money for yo - yos though … is that how they are funding the current coaching ?? That’s sad

Not sure, it was at my dc school a while ago, they said it was ok, I dont know if yo yo sales fully cover the cost or just contribute, we just got told it was no cost to school and no requirement to sell a minimum amount.

@FleaDogi don't like the narrative fuelling this - MH is getting worse because kids aren't resilient. Its akin to saying someone died of cancer because they didn't fight hard enough. You are right why MH is getting worse could fill an never ending post… however resilience isn't just about having the right attitude. Nurture aside, reasearch has shown how people literally have different thresholds for stress which is determined by multiple internal systems. I am not convinced that this approach will even begin to touch the high numbers of poor MH we are seeing. It is but a sticking plaster to cover a multitude of issues, and the plaster itself isn't a good one at that.

Your assertion that people not supporting this are probably x, y, z is incorrect as far as I am concerned.

I don't support this because it is a simplistic approach to tackle a complex problem.

My kid is the most resilient child I know and has had to put up with things many adults wouldn't be able to cope with.

I'd actually struggle not to laugh if he was invited to a resilience workshop.

Coaching individuals in emotion regulation skills,
problem solving skills
self care - sleep, rest, diet and activity
is all equipment for being able to cope in the world —-

these skills = resilience

when adults enter mental health services -
what do u think the therapists / nurses / and other professionals are doing …

coaching people to attend to self care, develop emotional regulation skills and. E able to problem solve …

as the world becomes more complex these skills become more needed

parents don’t coach their kids in these skills sufficiently, often
schools should be the place for education but increasingly are being asked to address children’s mental health …

hence kids need coaching in above skills / resilience to be able to access an education in school, not be stuck in the pastoral suite being cared for because they are finding the school / world overwhelming

Putting up with many things does not equate to resilience

it can lead to shutdown and survival mode …

which can lead to overwhelm / burn out later in life … might need those resilience skills when the effects of childhood trauma come home to roost

I agree kids need resilience but I am unconvinced it can be taught in a workshop and can't find any evidence this works.

Every SEN parent I know hates the word ‘resilience’ as it’s so often thrown at vulnerable children to deflect from the fact that they are not being adequately supported through education. In fact, many SEN children are the most resilient children there are as they keep showing up against the odds day after day even though they are being horribly failed.

I’d certainly not send my SEN child on a resilience course as it has deeply unpleasant connotations for these children and is often just a big stick used to beat them with.

The skills you mention are important but they also assume that everything else is equal/running smoothly. Your final comment demonstrates your misunderstanding and/or ignorance of the importance of this balance and how overall well-being is determined by a host of other and interconnecting factors far exceeding someones resilience.