5.1 Describe ways support staff can work with children and young people to build self-confidence and self-esteem

This guide will help you answer 5.1 Describe ways support staff can work with children and young people to build self-confidence and self-esteem.

Supporting children and young people to feel confident and to value themselves is a key part of the role of support staff in schools. Self-confidence is the belief in one’s abilities and decisions. Self-esteem is the sense of worth and value a person feels about themselves. Both are linked to how a child approaches learning, relationships, and life.

Support staff often work closely with individual children or small groups. This close contact offers many opportunities to encourage positive thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. It also allows support staff to provide consistent encouragement and help children recognise and celebrate progress.

Creating a Positive Environment

Children and young people are more likely to feel confident if they feel safe, accepted, and respected. Support staff can help create this environment by being approachable and showing genuine interest in each child.

This can be achieved by:

• Greeting children warmly each day
• Using their names and making eye contact
• Listening attentively when they speak
• Showing respect for different opinions and cultures

When a child feels valued, they are more willing to take part and try new things, which helps build confidence.

Encouraging Participation

Many children lack confidence because they fear failure or embarrassment. Support staff can encourage participation by offering small, manageable tasks that allow children to succeed. Success builds belief in ability.

Ways to encourage participation include:

• Breaking tasks into smaller steps
• Praising effort and not just results
• Allowing extra time for completion
• Giving roles in group activities to help them feel included

When children see they can complete tasks successfully, they start to believe they can tackle more challenges.

Giving Constructive Feedback

Feedback helps children understand what they are doing well and where to improve. It needs to be positive, clear, and focused on actions, not personal traits.

For example:

• Instead of saying “You are bad at maths”, say “You worked hard on the sums today and got more right than yesterday. Let’s try one more together.”
• Use encouraging phrases such as “You’re getting better each time” or “That’s a good strategy you used.”

Constructive feedback should guide children to improve without damaging their confidence.

Celebrating Achievements

Recognition reinforces positive behaviour and effort. Celebrating even small successes can motivate children to keep trying.

Ways to celebrate include:

• Praising them in front of the class for a job well done
• Displaying their work in school
• Giving certificates or stickers as rewards
• Letting them share their achievements with parents or carers

These gestures show the child that their efforts are noticed and valued.

Modelling Positive Behaviour

Support staff can be role models. Children often learn attitudes and behaviours by observing adults.

This means:

• Speaking kindly to others
• Showing patience and persistence
• Handling mistakes calmly
• Demonstrating respect for everyone

When children see adults respond positively to challenges, they are more likely to copy this behaviour.

Encouraging Independence

Self-confidence grows when children feel capable of making choices and taking responsibility. Support staff can encourage independence by offering opportunities for decision making.

Examples include:

• Letting them choose which piece of work to start with
• Encouraging them to find the answer to a question before asking for help
• Allowing them to lead a game or activity

This builds skills and encourages a sense of ownership over learning.

Supporting Emotional Needs

A child’s emotions can influence their confidence and self-esteem. Support staff can help by recognising signs of anxiety, frustration, or sadness, and offering reassurance.

Actions might include:

• Giving a quiet space for calming down
• Listening without judgement
• Helping them describe and name their feelings
• Encouraging coping strategies, like deep breathing

Emotional support shows the child they are cared for, which strengthens their sense of self-worth.

Promoting a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset means believing that abilities can improve with effort. Support staff can promote this mindset by praising perseverance and strategies rather than natural talent.

For example:

• “You kept trying different ways to solve the problem until you got it” instead of “You’re so clever”
• “It was hard, but you didn’t give up” instead of “You’re naturally good at this”

This approach encourages children to see challenges as opportunities, reducing fear of failure.

Encouraging Peer Support

Peer relationships greatly influence self-esteem. Support staff can arrange activities that allow children to help and encourage each other.

Examples include:

• Pairing children for cooperative learning
• Group tasks where each child has a role
• Buddy systems for new or shy pupils

Positive interactions with peers can help children feel accepted and valued in a group.

Adapting to Individual Needs

Different children respond to different approaches. Some may need more reassurance, others more challenge. Support staff should observe each child to understand what works best for them.

Ways to adapt include:

• Adjusting the difficulty of work
• Offering alternative ways to complete tasks
• Using resources that match their interests
• Providing extra time or support when needed

These small changes can make a big difference to how a child feels about their ability to succeed.

Encouraging Self-Reflection

Teaching children to reflect on their achievements helps them recognise their progress and strengths.

This could involve:

• Asking them to say one thing they are proud of each week
• Keeping a learning journal
• Reviewing past work to see improvement

This helps them internalise the belief that they can grow and succeed.

Using Praise Effectively

Praise works best when it is specific and genuine. Too much general praise can lose its impact.

Examples of effective praise:

• “You explained that really clearly to your friend”
• “I saw how you helped tidy up without being asked”
• “Your handwriting is much neater than last week’s work”

These encourage the child to continue the behaviour being praised.

Building Relationships with Parents and Carers

Confidence and self-esteem are supported at home too. Building strong relationships with families allows consistent messaging between school and home.

Ways to work with parents and carers:

• Share positive feedback regularly, not just concerns
• Suggest ways they can encourage their child at home
• Invite them to celebrate achievements in school events

This partnership reinforces the child’s confidence from multiple angles.

Managing Mistakes Positively

Fear of mistakes can hold children back. Support staff should treat mistakes as part of learning and encourage children to try again.

Ways to do this include:

• Pointing out that everyone makes mistakes
• Talking about what can be learned from the error
• Giving another chance to attempt the task

This approach reduces anxiety and builds resilience.

Encouraging Personal Interests

Children can feel more confident when they can use their strengths and interests in learning.

Ideas for using interests:

• Linking projects to hobbies outside school
• Letting them present on a topic they enjoy
• Encouraging participation in clubs or teams

Interests give a sense of competence that can spread into other areas of life.

Respecting Diversity

Recognising and valuing differences in background, culture, and ability shows children they are accepted for who they are.

This can be shown by:

• Using books and resources that reflect different cultures
• Celebrating cultural events in school
• Including everyone in group activities

Feeling included helps children develop a positive self-image.

Supporting Through Transitions

Moving to a new class, school, or stage of learning can affect confidence. Support staff can help by preparing children and offering reassurance.

Steps to support transitions:

• Talking about what will change
• Visiting new classrooms or teachers in advance
• Keeping in touch with a familiar adult during the first weeks

This reduces uncertainty and helps children feel capable in the new setting.

Encouraging Goal Setting

Setting and meeting personal goals can boost confidence and self-esteem. Goals should be realistic and achievable.

Support staff can help by:

• Breaking larger goals into smaller ones
• Celebrating progress along the way
• Reviewing goals regularly

Achieving goals gives a tangible sense of success.

Using Positive Language

The words adults use can strongly influence how children view themselves. Support staff should avoid negative labels and instead use language that builds confidence.

Examples of positive language:

• “You are improving” rather than “You are bad at this”
• “Let’s try a different way” instead of “You can’t do it”
• “You worked hard” instead of “You failed”

Language shapes mindset and self-belief.

Final Thoughts

Building self-confidence and self-esteem is not a one-off activity. It is a continuous process of giving respect, encouragement, and real opportunities to succeed. Support staff play a key role because of their regular and close interactions with children and young people. Every positive word, every chance to try something new, and every acknowledgement of effort adds to a child’s sense of worth.

By creating a supportive learning environment, encouraging participation, recognising achievements, and promoting resilience, support staff help children develop the belief that they can handle challenges. This belief becomes part of how they see themselves. It gives them the strength to keep learning, trying, and growing both inside and outside the classroom.