Explore the latest Picture News resource here Football is a huge part of life for many children, whether they play in a team, support a club or enjoy watching matches with family and friends. Sport can bring excitement, pride and a strong sense of belonging. This week’s Picture News story focuses on the Men’s FA Cup Final, one of the oldest and most well-known football competitions in the world. Teams from across England and Wales compete throughout the season, with the final at Wembley Stadium watched by millions of people. A famous football competition: a primary school assembly discussion Children are introduced to the FA Cup as a historic football competition that has brought together teams and supporters for more than 150 years. They explore how the tournament works, learn key facts about its history and consider why reaching the final is such a special achievement. This supports discussion about the hard work, teamwork and determination needed to succeed. Assembly resource used to support discussion about the FA Cup PSHE and classroom discussion in primary schools This story supports PSHE learning by encouraging children to think about the emotions that come with both success and disappointment. The excitement of winning can bring feelings of pride, joy and relief, while losing may lead to frustration, sadness or even determination to improve. By using the emotion response grid included in the Picture News pack, children can choose from a wide range of vocabulary to help them describe their feelings and explain why they might feel that way. These discussions help children recognise that emotions can be complex and that difficult experiences often lead to some of our most important learning. The emotion response grid gives children a range of vocabulary to help them describe and discuss their feelings. Questions to support classroom discussion This story encourages children to reflect on their own experiences of success and disappointment. By discussing real-life examples from sport, they can consider how different outcomes affect people and what both winning and losing can teach us about perseverance, teamwork and resilience. Teachers might explore questions such as: How might you feel if you won an important competition? How might you feel if you lost after trying your best? Which words on the emotion response grid best describe those feelings? What can losing teach us that winning sometimes cannot? How can teammates support one another after a disappointment? Using current events in primary school assemblies and lessons Do we learn more from winning or losing? Exploring this question encourages children to think about how challenges, setbacks and achievements all play an important role in helping us grow. Stories like this support children in understanding that losing can teach us resilience, perseverance and how to improve, while winning can show us the value of effort and teamwork. The reflection page supports the final part of the assembly, helping to draw together learning Explore the latest Picture News resource here
