Member Article

CUPPA book series to build confidence in children

When his father died in 2012, followed by the untimely loss of his young niece three months later, Ross McWilliam just knew he had to use his 30 years’ educational experience to create a legacy, not only to honour these key figures in his life, but to also help young children. Ross spent the next four years creating what was to become The ’CUPPA’ Book Series. These books are aimed at developing a confident mindset in children aged 10-12+ and prepare them for the transition from primary to secondary education.

There are three books in the series which aid children, teachers, parents and other interested adults.

The Child Reading Book charts the amazing journey of Chris Cupsworth, a child who is concerned with his physical appearance and has had issues with bullying. He is facing his exams and is nervous about the future. To help with his issues, Chris embarks on a challenge to travel around the world and discover the five secrets of the confident mindset. He meets some interesting new friends and teachers but faces some difficult dilemmas along the way.

The Child Activity Book is a fun and engaging way to measure individual learning and progress. It offers ways to consolidate learning by developing and demonstrating independent and collaborative skills which are crucial in developing the confident mindset.

The Adult Guide gives an introduction to the key components of self-esteem, confidence and resilience. It also offers measurement tools to measure progress on the child’s journey, along with troubleshooting techniques and practical interventions when barriers to progress are encountered.

The CUPPA Book Series complies with many National Curriculum objectives such as Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE), British Values, Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC), Special Educational Needs (SEN), Pupil Premium, Emotional and Social Literacy Development and Higher Order Thinking Skills. It is also the gateway to acquiring a Growth Mindset with specific detailing and examples of how to incorporate the many facets of a Growth Mindset.

Comments from headteachers and educational experts include:

Barry Hymer Professor of Psychology in Education University of Cumbria “When a deep sense of self-worth is associated with a love of learning, resilience in the face of failure, and a seeking out of challenges, we see happier results in individuals’ personal lives and educational achievements. The underlying (implicit) messages in many of the CUPPA stories speaks of this phenomenon.”

Dave Harris Founder Headteacher & Educational Author “I see The Amazing Journey of CUPPA as a very welcome tool to help pupils take control of their own lives and make sense of the complex world around them. The books are well considered and has resources and video links which help engage the reader. A great edition to the arena of transition.”

Karen Briggs Assistant Headteacher and mum of two boys 10 and 12 “As a mum of two boys aged 10 and 12, the CUPPA books have provided us with a shared language to redefine failure positively; appreciate the uniqueness of ourselves; check our perception against reality and consider the consequences of the important choices we have to make. We laughed at the characters and resonated with some of them too! Months later we can still apply what we learnt as we deal with the challenges of the transition from finishing Primary School and settling into Secondary Education.”

Ross commented, “With increasing pressures and expectations on our younger generation, I wanted to create a resource that helped young people develop confidence so that they could use this key skill to reach their full potential in life. Initially, I aimed these books at young teenagers. However, I soon realised that many children were set in their ways in their teens and so I decided to focus my attention on younger children who had yet to pass over the teen threshold and were willing to change. Equally, I wanted to create learning tools so that learning could be fun and engaging and not something seen as boring or predictable. Crucially, I have created measurement tools to track progress and this can be done by both adults and children.”

The aim is to promote The CUPPA Book Series initially exclusively within schools, giving a key learning opportunity to those schools, and assisting them to craft the mind of the young child ready for growth mindset learning. Then we will open up sales to parents and other interested adults. There will be free of charge adult/parent sessions to explain how to get the most out of the books.

For further information please contact Ross McWilliam on Ross@rossmcwilliam.com or 07771-916788. Web : www.cuppajourney.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Zebra Colour .