Unlocking Potential: Building mental strength, boosting wellbeing and growing aspirations amongst young people.

At the High Performance Foundation, we believe that helping young people thrive starts with building their confidence, resilience, and mental strength. That’s why we created Game Plan, a free, powerful set of learning resources designed to support students' personal growth. Drawing on stories and insights from the High Performance podcast, Game Plan transforms the wisdom of remarkable role models into practical, life-shaping lessons that help the next generation reach their full potential.

Earlier this year, we launched a national pilot with over 8,000 students. Now, we’re proud to share the findings in our first independent Impact Report, produced in partnership with ImpactEd Evaluation. The results are incredibly promising. Delivered across UK schools during the 2024/25 academic year, Game Plan included two key modules Employability and Transitions, and was available in both full-length and bitesize formats, allowing schools to tailor delivery to their unique needs.

Most encouragingly, validated tools such as the Edinburgh Warwick scale and Grit-S scales showed statistical improvement in pupil wellbeing for those students that completed the course. The evaluation found that pupils were not only engaging with the content, but taking away meaningful, lasting lessons. One student said, “Determination is the key to fulfilling your goal,” while another shared, “To not give up and carry on no matter what others think.” Students also reported feeling more optimistic, resilient, and confident in shaping their futures. 

Teachers noticed the change, too. One commented, “Students engaging well seem more determined than before in achieving their goals,” while another said, “It's opening their eyes to how different careers are out there and different opportunities.” Educators praised the flexible delivery and diverse role models, with one Assistant Head noting, “I use snippets from the podcast with 180 students—and they love it.” Teachers agreed that it addresses the need for support beyond academic preparation and saw evidence of positive impact on aspiration in their students. 

This is just the beginning. Based on feedback, we’re enhancing the programme for older pupils, boosting teacher confidence, and streamlining delivery with an aim to reach 100,000 students by 2026 and 1000,000 young people by 2030. With continued collaboration, Game Plan can keep unlocking potential, supporting young people to build their confidence, and mental strength and giving them the toolkit they need to succeed in a changing world.