Themes
Confidence; resilience; managing emotions; building positive relationships.
Summary
This assembly framework for primary schools uses a short video to consider the theme of confidence – it is part of a collection celebrating 'school values'. Pupils will learn how belief in themselves, encouragement, and perseverance can help overcome challenges.
The video
Rhys:
Confidence means believing in yourself and the things that you can do. It's about trusting in your own talents and skills it's not about believing that you are better than other people. What does confidence mean to you?
Child 1:
I feel confident when I'm doing an exam or playing a sport like football or cricket.
Child 2:
The time I felt confident was when I was in the school play and I said all my lines really well.
Child 3:
I felt confident when I performed my poem to my year group and the other year group.
Child 4:
The time I had confidence was in a cup final, I had to take the last penalty, I scored. And the reason I scored was because I had so much confidence in me.
Child 5:
When I give answers in class, I feel confident.
Child 6:
I feel confident when I'm playing rugby with my friends, and we score a try.
Child 7:
I use confidence when I first joined my school. I went in and found a person that I thought would be a good friend, so I started talking to him and then eventually we became really good friends.
Child 8:
I felt confident when I'm doing art.
Child 9:
In my opinion confidence is all about believing in yourself.
Rhys:
Exactly! Confidence can help us in all sorts of situations. It can help us to try new things even when it feels scary or difficult.Confidence can lead to new experiences. It can help us speak up about issues that we care about. It can also help us to keep going when things get hard. If you believe in yourself, you can achieve something amazing! Here's Orla's story of how she found her confidence.
Child VO:
I'm Orla. And the worst thing about being a Year Six is that you might get picked to read the morning announcements in front of the whole school.
Adult VO:
Tomorrow it'll be Jamie and…
Child VO:
Not me, not me…
Adult VO:
Orla.
Child VO:
NOOO! It'll be easy for Jamie. What if I get all the words in the wrong order and everyone laughs at me? Mum says, "It's ok tomake a mistake, just take a deep breath, go back to the start of the sentence and keep going. You can do this Orla!" I hope I don't have to go first. I wish I was more confident, like Jamie. Except Jamie doesn't look so good. Hang on, he's just as nervous as I am! You can do this Jamie. We both can. I go first. It's really scary standing on the stage in front of everyone, but I smash it, and so does Jamie.
Rhys:
There you go. Even people who seem the most confident feel nervous at times. Confidence is what allowed Orla to be brave and go for it on stage. The more you practise - try something new, speak up or keep going when something is hard, then the stronger your confidence will be. Just like Orla, you can help support others to grow in their confidence, by telling them when they've done something well and encouraging them. Cara found her confidence through acting, performing and fashion. Now, she's focusing on helping others grow in their confidence too.
Cara:
Hi, my name is Cara, I'm 15 years old, and my two greatest passions are theatre and designing clothes. Having confidence is important to me because of my disability. Sometimes people may stare at me, but I need to have the confidence to hold my head up high and keep on going. The people around me help me to feel confident, especially the love and support I have from my friends and family. And when I'm on my own, I just put in my headphones and put on a song that I know will hype myself up. I dance around the kitchen like no one is watching and I just think to myself, I've got this! With my disability, I think it's harder for me to shine in public, as I can't be seen in big crowds. So I use my confidence to step forwards instead of being hidden. When I'm at the front of the stage performing I don't care what anyone else thinks, I just enjoy myself. If you do what you love and find the people who love doing it too, your confidence will continue to grow! Now I want to share my confidence with everyone else, so I've created my own clothing line for kids with dwarfism. Wearing clothes that you love and that fit you can help you find your true self, and find that confidence that is within everyone!
Rhys:
Yes Cara! Finding your inner confidence is key, so trust in your own talents and believe in yourself. There is so much you can do that you don't even know yet! What ways can you be confident today?
Video summary
Presenter Rhys Stephenson defines the theme of confidence and asks children to consider the word’s meaning, followed by a group of children describing what it means to them.
Rhys expands on those ideas and a short animation provides an example with a story about Orla, who is anxious about her upcoming reading in morning assembly.
She soon realises that if she just has confidence in herself, she might be able to empower someone else too.
Rhys then provides some practical advice and introduces Cara, who has found confidence by helping others, and through fashion.
Resources
Assembly framework (PDF) document
A suggested framework to download/print
Image: Confidence. image
Click to display the image full-size
Suggested assembly framework
1. As the pupils enter
Play your chosen music – perhaps from this collection of songs to support assemblies and Collective Worship, each with lyrics on screen and backing tracks.
2. Introduction
Question to engage pupils: "Have you ever felt nervous about trying something new? What helped you feel brave and confident?"
Set the tone: Introduce the idea that confidence is about trying, even when something feels scary or uncertain.
Link to the National Curriculum: Explain that today’s theme connects to:
- PSHE: Learning how to grow in confidence and resilience.
- English: Developing skills to reflect, speak, and listen thoughtfully.
- PE: Recognising how we can develop physical confidence.
3. The video
You can choose to watch this film either in its entirety or in sections with pauses to allow you to personalise the assembly as you go. Encourage pupils to watch carefully, noting:
- The challenges the character faces.
- How confidence grows with support and perseverance.
- What pupils take away from hearing the real-life stories of developing confidence.
Pause video at 01:10 and ask pupils to give examples of times when they felt confident.
Resume and pause video at 02:39 and discuss Orla’s story:
- What challenges did Orla face?
- How did she build confidence to overcome her fears?
- What role did others play in helping Orla and Jamie to believe in themselves?
- What can we learn from the Orla’s journey about growing our own confidence?
Resume the video and play to the end to discuss Cara’s story.
- Who helped Cara to have confidence and how does she develop her own confidence?
- What did Cara design to help other people develop their confidence?
This is an opportunity to introduce someone from your own school community who has a story that demonstrates the value of confidence.
4. After the video – time to talk
- What challenges did Orla face?
- How did she build confidence to overcome her fears?
- What role did others, such as Jamie, play in helping her to believe in herself?
- What can we learn from the Orla’s journey about growing our own confidence?
- Who helped Cara to have confidence and how does she develop her own confidence?
- What did Cara design to help other people develop their confidence?
Interactive activity:
- Use a ‘think, pair, share’ format: Pupils discuss their thoughts with a partner before sharing them with the assembly.
5. Opportunity for reflection/prayer
Ask each pupil to set a ‘confidence goal’ for the week, such as:
- Trying something new in a lesson.
- Offering help or encouragement to a friend.
- Speaking up in class when they have an idea to share.
End the session with a positive phrase that emphasises the value of confidence, such as:
Confidence grows each time we try something new. Together, let’s take the leap and believe in ourselves!
More assemblies based around primary school values
Courage. video
An assembly and short video exploring the theme of courage. Pupils will reflect on what it means to face fears, overcome challenges, and support others in their moments of bravery.
Commitment. video
An assembly framework and short video exploring the theme of commitment. Pupils will learn how dedication, focus, and perseverance help achieve goals, even when faced with challenges.
Compassion. video
An assembly framework and short video exploring the theme of compassion. Pupils will reflect on the importance of kindness, understanding, and supporting others.
Teamwork. video
An assembly framework and short film exploring the theme of teamwork. Pupils will reflect on the importance of working collaboratively to achieve shared goals and understand the value of everyone’s contribution to the group.
Friendship. video
An assembly framework and short film exploring the theme of friendship. Pupils will reflect on the qualities of good friends, how to build strong relationships, and how friendships can help us navigate challenges.
