Euros loss teaches children resilience - teacher

Gary Spracklen said he wanted to show pupils "we are still standing"

A head teacher whose school had a staggered start time following the Euros final said England's loss would help demonstrate resilience and respect to pupils.

Gary Spracklen, of The Prince of Wales School in Dorchester, Dorset, said although the gates opened at normal time on Monday, students were able to come in any time until 11:00 BST to give them the "opportunity to lie in after the result last night".

England were defeated by Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday.

"We're trying to lift the spirits," said Mr Spracklen, as Elton John's hit song I'm Still Standing played while children arrived.

He said Spain were "the better team" and deserved respect.

"They're the first team to win those seven matches in a row to win the tournament," he said.

The school had a number of initiatives to get children involved throughout the tournament

Mr Spracklen explained the school had two cuddly toys - Raya the respectful butterfly and Reggie the resilient tortoise.

"Reggie teaches us that resilience is about bouncing back from setbacks, learning from our experiences and continuing to strive for our goals no matter the obstacles we face," he said.

Tyler, Josh and Kizzie, all aged nine, stayed up to watch the match on Sunday night.

Josh said he "found it quite hard" when Spain scored their second goal, and Tyler said he felt "bad" for England players that were subbed on late in the game.

"Players normally want more time on the field," he said.

Tyler with Raya respectful butterfly, Josh, and Kizzie with Reggie the resilient tortoise

Kizzie said Reggie "helped us when England lost and Spain won".

"It's a small tortoise that always keeps going," she said.

She added Raya "knew that Spain was the better team".

Mr Spracklen said: "We'll be there for [the students] today, we'll be there with that message of resilience and message of hope for the future."

He added: "We're gonna [sic] keep going. We are still standing."