Personal Best

It is really common to hear children talking about a P.B. or Personal Best. Perhaps we think of P.B.s more traditionally in areas such as sport/P.E. However, when we talk about Personal Best in school it can cover a variety of subjects, but quite simply it is when a pupil has either done their very best work or demonstrated their very best effort in something.  It is really important to note that this may not be the ‘best in the class’ but is the best by that particular pupil.  For example, I may not ever be the fastest runner and the most accurate speller, but I can achieve my personal fastest time or highest score.  It is this attitude of wanting to achieve a P.B. that we are so keen to promote.

We want to help children foster their independent desire to do well and produce work that they are proud of. We want children to have it inbuilt and for it be second nature, to produce their very best and not to settle for anything less!

What can this look like? 

Simple examples of P.B’s can be the more obvious, such as getting the best score in the weekly Big Maths Beat That Challenge in class or an improved score in a timed sporting event. In these examples children are competing against themselves, trying to improve on previous performances in terms of score, time etc.

P.B’s can also come in other forms academically. For example, in writing P.B’s can be awarded by a Teacher or Teaching Assistant when a pupil’s overall composition is deemed to be the best they have ever done. There is nothing more pleasing for a pupil or teacher alike when you can talk about a piece of writing being a P.B. – the smiles say it all!

P.B’s can be demonstrated by attitudes and behavior to, for example the consistency of effort all day or week, the ability to get on with others, the level of participation in class or willingness to try your best in class.

Our children are confident in using the language of Personal Best and WILS in general. One of the nicest and most rewarding things to observe in school is when you see children spontaneously celebrating other people’s achievements, praising, applauding, smiling and encouraging their peers for achieving a personal best. The desire to achieve a Personal Best is a great attitude and skill to have, to develop and to improve. We are proud to promote this skill and attitude at Welton.

When was the last time you set yourself a target and then worked hard to achieve it? How did it make you feel when you did?  Can you use the language of Personal best at home?