Executive Headteacher, of Harleston Sancroft Academy, on Building Resilience Through Game Plan.

At the High Performance Foundation, we regularly speak with school leaders to understand how young people are experiencing the challenges of today’s world. Recently, we caught up with Rob Connelly, Executive Head of Harleston Sancroft Academy, to hear his perspective on resilience, aspiration, and the impact of delivering Game Plan within a rural school setting.

“In schools across Norfolk, we’re acutely aware of the unique challenges our young people face,” Rob explains. “Rural isolation, limited transport links, and fewer opportunities on the doorstep can sometimes make the world feel smaller than it should.”

For Rob, this reality makes the development of resilience and Mental Strength not just beneficial, but essential.

“Resilience can transform setbacks into stepping stones,” he says. “It’s the difference between giving up when things get tough or making a second, third or fourth attempt to succeed. In Norfolk, where many young people need to travel further for opportunities or overcome additional barriers, Mental Strength becomes one of their greatest assets.”

Rob believes that resilience is closely linked to aspiration. Without it, young people may struggle to see what’s possible beyond their immediate environment.

“A resilient child doesn’t just dream – they believe those dreams are achievable, even when the path isn’t straightforward,” he adds. “That mindset can be truly transformative. It allows a student to see themselves going to university, entering a skilled profession, or even running their own business, knowing they have what it takes to succeed.”

Game Plan

in Action.

At Harleston Sancroft, Game Plan has become a key part of supporting this mindset. Rob highlights the value of its structured and evidence-based approach, rooted in elite sport, media and performance psychology.

“One of the most powerful messages in Game Plan is that mental strength isn’t something you’re born with – it’s something you build,” he explains. “The framework helps students understand that resilience develops through experience, practice by practice, challenge by challenge.”

What stands out most for Rob is the programme’s practical focus.

“Game Plan gives students real strategies for managing pressure, maintaining focus, and overcoming adversity. Too often, the easiest route is avoidance – accepting failure or not even attempting a challenge in the first place. This programme actively challenges that thinking.”

He notes how these skills extend far beyond the classroom.

“These aren’t abstract ideas. They’re tools students can use when facing exams, navigating friendships, dealing with family and life challenges or even when entering the workforce.”

For Rob, embedding resilience and Mental Strength into school culture is part of a wider responsibility educators hold.

“As teachers, we have a duty to remove barriers and create opportunities without limits,” he says. “By investing in resilience, we’re investing in the future. We’re helping to develop young people who won’t accept limitations and who can demonstrate what’s possible when aspiration is combined with unshakeable Mental Strength.”