J A Rajput and Z Copeland – Deputy Head Students
It’s been almost 8 weeks since the new academic year started and already so much has unfolded.
While there is so much to look forward to over the year, there are also more challenging times
ahead that may require you to understand not only how to be successful but also how to turn
failure into success too.
Failure is a tool that should be used more when trying to achieve success as it can be a crucial
learning opportunity but often, we try to ignore our failures, moving on to the next thing when it
could be the perfect method to help us progress and get us closer to reaching our goals.
People experience failure for several reasons; maybe you were unprepared, your goals were
unrealistic or perhaps you simply need more learning and understanding of a topic to help you
succeed. Failure can help you to identify where there is work to be done and more importantly it
can highlight your next steps so that when you try again you do better than you did before. There are
a variety of ways to go about this and one way is setting SMART Targets to help create a streamlined
vision of what you want. For those of you who don’t know what these are, they’re targets that meet
the following requirements:

• Specific – Is it clear and definitive of what you want to achieve?
• Measurable – Can you easily track your progress on this goal?
• Achievable – Is it realistic and able for you to attain?
• Relevant – Is this goal something that aligns with what you want, long-term or short-term?
• Timely – Does the goal have a strict but realistic deadline?

It is crucial that you remember that failure is part of the process and is scientifically proven to help
the brain create stronger connections and improve problem-solving skills. This is how those of you
who are disappointed with your grades at the moment, can utilise what you perceive as failure to
your advantage and get that ‘academic comeback’!
But remember you also need to take breaks from your studies and have fun with your hobbies or
take on opportunities available to you because we can succeed in the most unlikely ways. This
could be through Social Mobility programs/charities (as listed at the end of this blog) or through
things like the Duke of Edinburgh Award, after-school clubs or sports teams because they enable
you to experience new fun things while getting extra support and a competitive edge when applying
for your next steps. Take those risks and don’t worry about the outcome! Because if you don’t go
for it, you might regret it and think “What if…?” or “I could have” – instead, go for those
opportunities and be more optimistic so you can say “I did it!” or “I made it!”
Finally, the easiest way to avoid failure is to never give up, give everything your best shot and you’ll
eventually reach the finish line. Approach everyday with your best effort, persistence and follow
your passions, whatever excites you or what you’re enthusiastic about – just never give up, especially
through those challenging times (FYI: there will be lots of them, but your grit and determination is
all you need to persevere). Finally, use this as that little push to get you on track to whatever
journey you’re striving for and make it happen – OWN WHAT YOU DO!
Remember to take a break during Half Term to rest and reset but be geared up, ready to go as soon
as that first Monday hits.

It’s never too early to start nor too late. So, if you do one thing from reading this blog, consider
applying to one of the programs below:
AMT Youth – AMT Youth Programme – Alice Made This
Leaf – Leaf
NCS – Find an NCS Programme Near You: Sign Up Today | NCS (wearencs.com)
SMART Targets –The Ultimate Guide to S.M.A.R.T. Goals – Forbes Advisor
Social Mobility Foundation – The Social Mobility Foundation
Sutton Trust – Sutton Trust
Zero Gravity – Zero Gravity | Unlock your university and career ambition

Happy Halloween and Diwali.