Positive thinking points the way forward for Danetree pupils

​The playground of Danetree Primary school in West Ewell looked liked something out of a comic book last week as pupils were encouraged to come to school dressed as their favourite superheroes to launch the school’s Learning Powers programme.

Teachers joined in on the action too, adopting a variety of super-powered alter egos as they got into the spirit of the new campaign, based around the theory of Growth Mindset.

The scheme, championed by Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweck, looks to encourage positive thinking and goal-setting as a form of motivation and improvement. Children are encouraged to aspire to slogans such as ‘Be Motivated’, ‘Be Independent’ and ‘Be Resilient’ and to apply the messages across school and home learning.

“It’s a simple concept and one which can be presented in a fun way for children but which can produce really impressive results,” said Danetree deputy head teacher Joanna Singleton, who initiated the scheme. “We’ve chosen to present it in a fun way like this to get the children excited and enthused about it – seeing their teachers dressed up too certainly does that – and so far they’ve reacted to it very positively.”

Much like some of the superheroes, Danetree – which is a member of the GLF Schools multi-academy trust - has experienced something of a transformation of its own this term, adding a Reception class and opening up a new nursery to become one of the biggest primary schools in the area.

“It’s been a very busy term but an extremely exciting one and we’re delighted with how it’s gone,” added Ms Singleton. “Growth Mindset is all about motivation and inspiring yourself by setting goals, so it fits in well with what’s gone on at the school so far this term, and we look forward to seeing more benefits from it in the coming months.”