West Ham football players have teamed up with anti-bullying charity Kidscape to teach children resilience for managing the transition to secondary school.
The players and the charity delivered a workshop on resilience to local children, as well as offering strategies to build confidence and deal with bullies.
The charity’s research has found that 40 per cent of 11-year-olds are anxious about joining secondary school, while 35 per cent say they are “scared” by the prospect.
The findings are based on a survey of 500 school children who are about to make the transition to secondary school in September.
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The research was commissioned to accompany the launch of Kidscape’s new RISE workshops, taking place across England and Wales before the end of the school term.
Players from West Ham football club helped to lead one session at their training ground, with Jack Wilshire and Ryan Fredericks using football skills to develop children’s confidence. The players also shared their own stories of overcoming adversity during a Q&A with the children.
Bullying was the most significant reason for children’s anxieties, with 40 per cent of children listing this as something they are most worried by, while 31 per cent fear struggling to make friends.
Half of the children polled said they would not feel confident when handling a bullying situation, while 41 per cent wanted more guidance on how to handle bullies before making the transition to secondary school.
Bullying was also a key concern among children’s parents, with 66 per cent of parents reporting that they were worried about this.
Some children are also nervous about the increased workload in secondary education, with 39 per cent of children stating they feared receiving excessive amounts of homework, and 33 per cent worrying that they would have too much work overall.
Although the majority of children felt positive about joining their new school, with 58 per cent reporting they were excited about the move, only one in 10 children said they felt confident about making the transition.
Lauren Seager Smith, CEO at Kidscape said: “The move to secondary school should be an exciting time, but our research shows the pressure children feel is greater than ever. Anxiety and stress stop children from getting the good start they need and can have a devastating impact on their educational attainment and their future life opportunities.
“It is important that all children are equipped with the tools they need as they make the move up to secondary school, to ensure they are able to go on and reach their full potential.”
West Ham midfielder Jack Wilshere said: “As a father myself I know the importance of giving kids confidence. The move from primary to secondary school is never easy and by talking to the kids from the local area we’ve been able to give them the confidence to really succeed and make the most of their time in secondary school.”
