Dr Carol Craig, chief executive of the Centre for Confidence andWell-being in Glasgow, told the Association of School and CollegeLeaders conference in Birmingham last week, 'If we say to people themost important thing is how you feel about yourself, then if a childfails maths and feels bad, it is very tempting for them to blame it onothers like teachers and parents. Parents no longer want to hear iftheir children have done anything wrong. This is the downside of theself-esteem agenda.'
Speaking to Nursery World after the conference, Dr Craig criticisedprogrammes such as Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning, which worksin primary and secondary schools to bolster children's social andemotional well-being and intelligence.
She said, 'Programmes such as SEAL could undermine, rather than promote,self-esteem. Children need to know how to solve problems and deal withcertain negative situations. We are trying to boost young people byusing a lot of praise and restricting them from challengingexperiences.
'It is something that has been going on in nurseries for a long time andwhich now permeates the whole system and our attitudes towardsparenting.'
However, a spokesperson for the DCSF said, 'The SEAL programme helps toimprove pupils' behaviour, attainment and well-being. It is a practicalway of helping children to take control of their own lives, which is acrucial part of growing up.
'SEAL doesn't encourage children just to think about themselves, butinstead to become more resilient by helping them to develop a realisticview of themselves and others, and to have an optimistic outlook onlife. The programme gets children to consider others in their actionsand rather than being just about winning, it helps them deal with bothfailure and success.'
