text: Cheesy slogans such as ‘reach for the stars’ could be detrimental to pupils, it has been claimed. Carl Hendrick, head of learning and research at Wellington College, Berkshire, has attacked the ‘tidal wave of guff’ in classrooms. These ‘missives in mediocrity’ often tell pupils to ‘live your dream’ and ‘you can do it’ and ‘be all that you can be’. Cheesy slogans such as ‘reach for the stars’ on posters in schools could be detrimental to pupils, it has been claimed. Above, a stock image of a motivational poster . But the glossy notices are ‘often reductively misinterpreted as “you can achieve anything if you believe”’. Mr Hendrick argues that schools should concentrate on boosting pupils’ confidence by teaching them well and providing ‘clear and achievable paths to academic success’. Writing in a blog, he claimed that motivational posters ‘sit alongside a set of approaches that may well be doing more harm than good’. But Vic Goddard, headmaster of Passmores Academy in Harlow, Essex, and star of Educating Essex, told the Times Educational Supplement he is a fan of the posters. Mr Hendrick argues that schools should concentrate on boosting pupils’ confidence by teaching them well and providing ‘clear and achievable paths to academic success’. Above, a stock image of three confident pupils . He has one outside his room saying: ‘I am not telling you it is going to be easy, but I am telling you it is going to be worth it.’ It comes as teachers have been told they must not talk about getting fat or compliment colleagues on losing weight in front of pupils, Government-backed guidance said. They should also avoid discussing ‘unflattering photos of celebrities’, how ageing ravages people’s looks and ‘fat-shaming’ youngsters. The advice is supposed to help pupils develop positive body images amid ‘society’s intense focus on physical appearance’.
target: Cheesy slogans could be detrimental to pupils, a researcher claimed .
  Carl Hendrick said glossy notices are often 'reductively misinterpreted'