Bear Grylls has criticised schools for rewarding the cleverest and most sporty children rather than the most resilient.
The adventurer urged pupils to ask their teachers to create an award for children who keep trying despite setbacks, in a bid to encourage resilience.
Mr Grylls, who is Chief Scout and a former SAS soldier, said the world is full of talented people who achieve very little because they lack the fight to win in the battles of life.
He added: “Time after time I have seen less talented yet highly resilient people triumph.”
Writing in a new book on mental resilience for children, Grylls said: “I’ve noticed that schools don’t tend to reward resilience. So often, they love to reward the cleverest and the most sporty.
“The mistake here is that it teaches young people that gritty effort, and getting back up after repeated failures, isn’t what matters, it is natural talent that counts the most. We all know this simply isn’t true.”
He added: “Does your school reward the people who keep trying, keep going, keep getting back up? If not, perhaps speak to your teacher about creating an award for this.”
Grit and resilience have become popular concepts in education in recent years. Ofsted inspectors now look for evidence of how schools contribute to pupils’ broader development, including their character and resilience, when they visit schools.
