Shropshire headteacher says 'snowflake generation' is over after pandemic response

Tim Firth, headteacher of Wrekin College in Telford, praised his students, who he said were "putting to bed" the phrase, which has come to describe easily offended young people with no grit or determination.

Mr Firth said: "The pandemic's impact on education, which included the cancellation of exams for the second year running, has cemented our firm belief that schools need to do so much more than just teach to an exam. Increasingly, employers are thinking that exam results were never and are not a very good indicator of potential quality in the workplace. Nurturing those wide-reaching skills needed to learn in any environment or circumstance produces a candidate's best grades, but also gives them the wherewithal to succeed in all areas of their life.

"A significant programme of investment at Wrekin aimed at opening up other areas of learning and avenues to success, including a new business school and music school, has served us well in this crisis.

"Wrekinians have adapted well, showing much character, to all the upheaval we have endured in the last year. Even our preparation for our showcase production of The Sound of Music continues with children from across the year groups taking rehearsals online and offline as the situation dictates – a real 'the show must go on' attitude.

'Stability and strength'

"It's why we felt it was more important than ever to forge ahead with a programme of continued investment. We have all come to realise how much we value and need a roadmap out of all this, how important it is to future-proof pupils given what is happening in the present.

"Wrekin has stability and strength and we pass those qualities on to our pupils. They have been tested and not found wanting and are putting to bed once and for all the nonsense that young people today are the snowflake generation."

The college, which has about 500 pupils, is pressing on with plans to develop a dance studio and artificial sports pitches this year.

Mr Firth added: "Numbers have increased in part because parents of children from local schools have been impressed by our development here in spite of lockdown and hopefully by our resilience. We now have 500 pupils on the register and are forging ahead with plans to further improve the facilities and resources here at Wrekin.

"Plans this year include a new state-of-the-art dance studio and Astroturf with both projects due to be completed in 2021."