What Other Countries Are Doing – and Why It Works
🇯🇵 Japan: Teaching Children to Act Fast and Think for Themselves
In the coastal town of Kamaishi, children are taught a principle called tsunami tendenko - a powerful, simple idea that each individual must take responsibility for acting quickly in a crisis.
In the 2011 tsunami, this training saved lives. Children didn’t wait for instructions - they moved. They made decisions. They helped others.
Japan’s approach is built on trusting children to understand risk and empowering them to act, not shielding them.
🇫🇮 Finland: Resilience as Civil Defence
Finland treats education as a cornerstone of national preparedness.
Children learn about crisis survival, information literacy, and the “72-hour concept” (the idea that households should be able to cope for three days in an emergency).
This isn’t wrapped up in doom and gloom; it’s taught as practical life knowledge, embedded across subjects.
🇮🇸 Iceland: A Curriculum Built on Resilience and Happiness
Iceland’s Education Policy 2030 has resilience baked into its foundations, alongside courage, knowledge, and happiness.
It isn’t a “topic”. It’s a cultural value.
Imagine a UK curriculum that treated resilience not as an assembly theme, but as something that shapes learning, wellbeing, and citizenship.
The UK’s Opportunity: Bring Resilience Into the Curriculum
If we’re serious about preparing young people for a rapidly changing world, resilience needs to move from the periphery to the centre of education.
There are two realistic routes:
1. Dedicated resilience modules (e.g. in PSHE)
A structured, curriculum-backed programme delivered consistently across age groups.
Pros: Clear, easy to understand, measurable.
Cons: Curriculum time is tight, and staff training is required.
2. Integrate resilience across existing subjects
Examples:
Maths: bias, probability, decision-making
Science: pandemics, data interpretation
Geography: climate change, disaster preparedness
History: propaganda, misinformation
Art/Media: image manipulation, digital literacy
Pros: Holistic, authentic, easier to embed.
Cons: Needs high-quality resources and confident teachers.
In reality, the UK may need both a core module plus cross-curricular support.
What This Means for EdTech Companies and Education Suppliers
This is where the opportunity lies.
Resilience is not just a wellbeing concept; it touches curriculum, digital literacy, emergency planning, critical thinking, and citizenship.
Here are the biggest opportunities for suppliers:
1. Curriculum-linked resources that teach resilience skills
Tools or content that build:
risk awareness
decision-making
information literacy
problem-solving
emotional resilience and self-regulation
The market for socio-emotional learning (SEL) is already growing, and resilience is the next wave.
2. Digital resilience & misinformation education
Schools know pupils struggle with:
fake news
online influence
AI-manipulated media
conspiracy content
EdTech solutions that tackle this, especially those aligned to curriculum frameworks, will be in high demand.
3. Scenario-based or simulation learning
Japan’s model shows the power of practising decisions under pressure.
EdTech companies could create:
interactive crisis simulations
decision-making games
digital role-play environments
“choose your path” safety scenarios
These are engaging, measurable, and scalable.
4. Teacher CPD
One of the biggest barriers is teacher confidence.
Suppliers who can offer CPD focusing on resilience education, digital literacy, or crisis preparedness will have a strong advantage.
5. Support for curriculum redesign and whole-school strategy
MATs in particular are looking for ways to:
embed new priorities
standardise approaches
buy centrally
Resilience could become a new strategic theme, similar to the rise of digital strategies 5-7 years ago.
Suppliers who position themselves as strategic partners, not just resource providers, will stand out.
Why Schools Will Need Support
Schools are already stretched on:
curriculum time
staff capacity
workload
pastoral pressures
Yet they’re simultaneously facing:
rising mental health needs
safeguarding challenges
digital threats
societal instability
Resilience education fills a gap, but only if resourced properly.
This is where suppliers and EdTech companies can play a transformative role.
Final Thought: Resilience Must Be Taught Before It’s Needed
The pandemic taught us that reacting after a crisis is always too late.
Other countries have embraced resilience as a core part of education, not because they expect disaster, but because they expect the future to be unpredictable.
If the UK wants young people who can navigate a complex world, we need to follow suit.
And for the education supply sector, this is a moment to innovate, support schools, and shape the next generation of learning.