Croydon school head tells pupils: Take chances and learn from failure

A London headteacher said she wants her pupils to “be bold” and take risks even if it means they fail.

Debbie Leonard, head of Croydon High School, said she advises students to “take chances and accept any failures as a powerful learning experience”, telling them that “the greatest failure of all is not to have tried”.

Writing on her school blog, Ms Leonard said: “One of the recurring themes in my conversations with the girls ... is that I want them to be bold.

“Being bold means making difficult choices and sometimes swimming against the tide.”

She said pupils should choose to study subjects they are passionate about, rather than those they think will be well regarded, pointing to the popularity of German among her pupils despite it not being seen as “romantic” like French or a “business asset” like Mandarin.