The Alice Smith School partnered with Future Action to create the ‘Beyond the Game’ Programme, a bespoke initiative designed to help students build confidence, resilience, and emotional wellbeing.
This case study highlights how the programme’s innovative 5C’s framework has empowered students with the tools to flourish in a wide range of areas of their lives, thrive under pressure, and deepen their relationships.
Context
The Alice Smith School, established in 1946, is one of the oldest and most prestigious British international schools in Malaysia.
Serving a diverse student population across two campuses, it prides itself on academic excellence, holistic development, and fostering global citizenship. The school is committed to nurturing students’ potential and providing a well-rounded education that includes strong co-curricular opportunities.
Located in the vibrant and multicultural city of Kuala Lumpur, the school offers a supportive and inclusive environment, emphasising both academic achievement and personal wellbeing.
Recognised as a pioneer in adopting innovative practices, Alice Smith continually invests in initiatives that enhance the mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing of its students.
Introducing Richard Stockings and Amanda Coates
Richard Stockings, the Vice Principal, is a visionary leader passionate about student development and collaboration.
With a career dedicated to fostering learning environments that support both academic and personal growth, Richard has been instrumental in introducing initiatives that empower students and prepare them for an ever-changing world.
Amanda Coates, Head of Year 11 and Mental Health Champion, has played a pivotal role in championing wellbeing and mental health at Alice Smith. Her empathetic approach to leadership, combined with her expertise in mental health, ensures that students are supported through tailored programmes that address their needs.
Amanda’s efforts have significantly contributed to creating a culture of care and resilience within the school community.
Intent
Richard Stockings explains the vision behind the ‘Beyond the Game’ Programme:
"Despite the fantastic level of provision we have for student wellbeing and safeguarding, we noticed that some of our children were struggling when under pressure.
Whether it was during exams, sports, or other performance situations, we saw an opportunity to better equip them with tools to manage these challenges effectively.
We wanted to give them the tools to succeed and flourish now and long after they have left our care. To achieve this, we collaborated with Future Action to create a bespoke programme that matched the needs of our young people and our unique context.
The programme was designed to enhance their confidence, resilience, and ability to navigate stressful situations, laying a foundation for lifelong success."
Implementation
Amanda Coates reflects on the collaborative process that brought the ‘Beyond the Game’ Programme to life:
"We met with Neil Moggan from Future Action for a series of consultations so that he could get a thorough understanding of our context and needs.
We shared insights into the challenges our students faced, as well as the opportunities we wanted to create for them. Neil listened carefully and worked with us to design a programme that was tailored specifically to the Alice Smith community.
Neil went away and created the ‘Beyond the Game’ Programme, which is centred around the 5C’s: Comprehensive Confidence, Causes of Performance Anxiety, Constructing Containers of Safety, Catching Glimmers, and Coaching.
These elements work together to develop the tools our young people need to perform under pressure, whether in the classroom, on the sports field, or beyond.
The first stage of the programme is Comprehensive Confidence, where we help our young people recognise and celebrate their strengths across all areas of life.
This includes exploring their passions, identifying skills across school subjects, appreciating their unique personality traits, and acknowledging the various roles they play—whether as a student, friend, teammate, or family member.
By building a balanced sense of self-worth, students develop the confidence they need to face challenges and thrive under pressure.
The second stage is Causes of Anxiety, which focuses on helping young people identify specific situations where they struggle under pressure. Through guided reflection and discussion, we help them pinpoint moments where fear of judgement, risk, or danger makes them feel overwhelmed or inhibited.
By naming these triggers and breaking them down, students gain a clearer understanding of what holds them back, which is the first step towards overcoming those barriers.
Once these situations have been identified, we move to the third step: helping each young person build their personal container of safety.
This step provides them with a range of practical strategies to widen their window of tolerance and feel safer for longer, enabling them to perform under pressure.
Grounded in Polyvagal Theory by Dr Stephen Porges and inspired by the work of Michael Allison at the Play Zone, this step equips students with tools to regulate their emotions, reduce stress, and maintain focus in high-pressure situations.
The fourth stage is Catching Glimmers of Success. This step helps our young people recognise and celebrate moments when they achieve a brief glimpse of the level they aspire to reach.
While they might not yet consistently perform at their desired level, these fleeting moments of success are powerful motivators.
By reflecting on and appreciating these glimmers, we help our students build commitment to the process, develop courage to keep trying, enhance their capabilities, and ultimately boost their confidence.
This stage reinforces the value of perseverance and the belief that progress, no matter how small, is worth celebrating.
To ensure the programme resonated with our students, we wanted to develop it through their passion areas—particularly in sports, where they experience moments of both pressure and triumph.
In September, we flew Neil from the UK to Kuala Lumpur to train 14 of our brilliant educators in this bespoke approach. Neil’s dynamic and interactive training equipped our staff with the skills and knowledge to implement the programme effectively.
We then embedded the principles of ‘Beyond the Game’ into their sports programmes, creating a powerful platform for students to learn, grow, and thrive through their passions.
The final step is Coaching. Throughout the journey, we take on the role of cheerleaders for our young people, walking alongside them as they grow and develop.
Coaching is not just about giving advice; it’s about providing encouragement, offering guidance, and helping them enjoy and make sense of their journey.
By being there for them through highs and lows, we create a supportive relationship that strengthens their resilience, helps them navigate challenges, and ensures they feel empowered to take ownership of their growth."
Impact
Richard Stockings reflects on the transformative effects of the programme:
"Although implemented over a relatively short time frame, we have already noticed an incredible impact.
Our young people are telling us that they now feel more confident and relaxed when performing under pressure and have the tools to help them cope.
One of the most significant outcomes has been the way our relationships with our students have deepened even further. They can feel how much we care for them, how invested we are in supporting them, and how committed we are to empowering them to flourish.
This connection has strengthened the trust and sense of belonging within our school community, creating a safe and supportive environment for everyone to thrive.
This quote from one of our Year 13 students is a testament to the power of the ‘Beyond the Game’ Programme and the incredible potential it unlocks in our students."
"In my coaching conversations I identified 3 strategies that helped me build my container of safety. The first one is music to make me feel relaxed and motivated before my tennis match.
The second one is having a comfort person, which is my mum and my coach so I know that when I am playing and I need help, I can look and know that they are there for me.
Thirdly, I identified having rituals, taking deep breaths and slowing down if I feel stressed. These have really helped me when I have felt under pressure to know that it is all going to be ok."
Next Steps
Richard Stockings outlines the future direction of the programme:
"We are committed to moving the programme forward so that our young people can transfer these invaluable skills into other aspects of their lives where they feel under pressure to perform.
Whether it’s public speaking, interviews, or school productions and performances, we want them to feel just as confident and equipped as they do in their sports and passion areas.
To ensure the programme has the broadest possible impact, we are exploring how it aligns with frameworks such as the Melbourne Metrics, which focus on developing essential skills and competencies for the future.
Additionally, we are looking at how this work supports our NEASC accreditation, further embedding the principles of this programme into our school’s holistic approach to education.
Our efforts have already garnered significant attention. Amanda, Neil, and I were recently invited to present this innovative approach at the PHASE Asia Pacific Conference in Thailand this November, sharing our journey with educators across Asia and beyond.
This incredible opportunity highlights the potential for the ‘Beyond the Game’ Programme to inspire change and impact even more young people worldwide.
Our ultimate goal is to ensure that the education we provide gives our young people the very best chance of succeeding in an ever-changing world, equipping them not only with academic knowledge but also with the confidence, resilience, and life skills they need to flourish."
Expressing Gratitude
We would like to thank Mr Stockings, Mrs Coates and the brilliant team at Alice Smith School for their fantastic work supporting their awesome young people.
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