Pupil Care - The Moray Council - The Moray Council · of drawing together systems and procedures...

October 2002

Dear Colleagues

I am very pleased to introduce the Moray Inclusion File. This has been produced by a multi-agency group and takes as its starting point the recommendations in the national reportBetter Behaviour Better Learning.

The file contains key principles, practical applications and more detailed examples of goodpractice designed to help schools develop policies and systems that promote pupil care,welfare and positive discipline. This is one of the priority areas for development in theEducational Services plan and, as such, it is an issue which all schools should include intheir own development planning process.

The heart of the Inclusion File is built around four ‘Key Areas’ identified in Better BehaviourBetter Learning:

• Positive Behaviour Management• Pupil Care• Involvement of Parents and Carers• Staff Development.

Each key area and its associated ‘positive features’ provides policy makers and practitionerswith effective measures to ensure continuous improvement in Better Behaviour BetterLearning across Moray.

I am particularly impressed by the number and sheer quality of the examples of goodpractice contained within the file. There is excellent work being done throughout Morayand the file provides a means of sharing this with other colleagues. Please note that thefile is an evolving document which will be added to as time goes on and I trust that you willall feel confident to submit further examples of good practice in the months and years tocome.

Finally, I would like to thank all the members of the Better Behaviour Better Learning -Development Group for their hard work and vision in preparing the Inclusion File which Iam sure will be helpful in developing further our services for all children and young people.

Donald DuncanDirector of Educational Services

1. BACKGROUND

The main thrust of this File relates to the principles, good practice and recommendationscontained in the report ‘Better Behaviour Better Learning’ produced by the Discipline TaskGroup and published by the Scottish Executive in June 2001. The starting point is the beliefthat pupil behaviour can be changed for the better.

This report, and its related ‘Action Plan’, places obligations on all local authorities inScotland to evaluate their current policy and practice (at a school and authority level)relating to pupil care, welfare and the promotion of positive behaviour. The ‘Action Plan’sets targets for both the authority and schools to complete this evaluation and to meet therecommendations set out in the full report.

October 2002

2. RATIONALE

From the outset the Moray Inclusion File was seen as providing a much broader context forinclusion in Moray than that contained in the Discipline Task Group report. The importanceof drawing together systems and procedures already developed to support childrenexperiencing difficulties could not be overlooked. To this end a multi-agency team (seeappendices) from across the authority has developed the Inclusion File to:

Identify key, joint working principles for pupil inclusion.

Clarify the procedural steps when dealing with challenging behaviour.

Provide examples of good practice in the application of the key principles.

Helping schools and others by providing catalogues of useful resources and

personnel/organisations.

October 2002

3. INTRODUCTION

Inclusion and equality are at the heart of the Scottish Executive’s national priorities and areclearly identified within the ‘Standards in Scotland’s Schools Act 2000’. There is now a legalrequirement that all schools develop young people to their fullest potential irrespective oftheir needs, including behavioural problems. Within this context there is a clear expectationthat the authority, together with schools, will support and help pupils in addressing theirneeds.

Clearly there are many ways in which individual needs can be met and this file providessome examples of good practice. Central to this file is good practice concentrating onteaching and learning, pupil support and positive behaviour management.

The key aims of this file are:

1. To clarify procedures for the authority, schools and local community networksrelating to pupil care, welfare and the promotion of positive behaviour.

2. To encourage consistency of approaches to pupil inclusion across Moray.

3. To clarify roles and responsibilities.

4. To further promote inter-agency, joint planning mechanisms for pupilsexperiencing difficulties.

5. To offer examples of good practice.

6. To lead to measurable outcomes for pupil improvement (such as theachievement of targets within IEPs and pupil behaviour plans).

7. To ensure that relevant information is accurate and up-to-date.

By its very nature this 'Better Behaviour Better Learning' Inclusion File will be an evolvingdocument. It will assist in the development and improvement of services for behaviourallychallenging pupils and in providing a supportive framework within schools and across theauthority.

October 2002

TERMINOLOGY

There are some key terms mentioned throughout this Moray Inclusion File. In the context ofthis file their meanings are as follows:

Alternative Curriculum - This refers to any educational programme which involves learningexperiences other than mainstream provision (e.g. Moray Youth Action, Social Work,Specialist Programmes).

Behaviourally challenging children - Pupils whose behaviour brings them into conflict withthe accepted values and beliefs of the school and the community.

Behaviour Management - This is the process by which schools develop and implement‘discipline’ procedures, track pupil behaviour, develop strategies for pupil support, userewards and sanctions, involve parents/carers and support staff, take steps to preventdifficulties occurring.

Behaviour Plan - A plan which offers the opportunity to outline the objectives, targets,timescales, responsible personnel and review dates for individual behaviour supportprogrammes. Such plans may be an element within an IEP.

Behaviour Support - This refers to the provision of support for pupils (and assistance forteachers) in dealing with challenging behavioural difficulties. It might include in-classsupport, withdrawal for a cooling down period, advice to staff on teaching strategies orinvolvement of central support services (e.g. Educational Psychology, Moray Inclusion andSupport Service).

Blame-free approach - This implies that no sides are taken when dealing with conflicts.Individual points of view are respected and a resolution is sought.

ICT - Information and Communication Technology. It refers to the whole range oftechnologies used in information processing and electronic communications (includinginternet, electronic mail and videoconferencing).

IEPs - Individualised Education Programme. They provide the planning framework forchildren and young people with special educational needs. They include written plansoutlining the steps to be taken to enable specified targets to be met. They are drawn up forthose children/young people who need significant planned intervention (including thosewith a Record of Needs).

Inclusion - The participation of all young people, irrespective of need, in appropriateeducational programmes. These programmes address the needs of pupils and mightinclude elements of mainstream, support packages, other agencies etc. There is a legalduty to provide education in a mainstream school unless there are exceptionalcircumstances.

October 2002

TERMINOLOGY continued

Integration - This is the process of ensuring consistency in the aims/objectives of plans andprocedures relating to pupil care ( this is not now used when referring to individual pupils)

Looked after children - These are children who have been subject to supervisionrequirements made by a Children's Hearing and who will usually live in foster homes, staywith friends/relatives, be supervised at home or be accommodated in residentialschools/units.

Multi-agency working - Relevant agencies (such as Social Work, Moray Youth Action,Educational Psychology) operating within an integrated framework to develop, andcontribute to, individualised pupil support programmes.

Partnership - Relevant personnel working together to enhance the learning experiences ofyoung people.

PSD - Personal and Social Development. This is concerned with the development of life skillsand involves young people’s experiences at home, in school and out of school.

School community - All personnel contributing to the work of an educational establishment(including pupils, teachers, helpers, non-teaching staff, parents and carers, other agencies).

Social Inclusion - This is one specific aspect of inclusion but basically refers to the creationof opportunities for positive interaction between pupils, irrespective of individualcircumstances.

October 2002

4. MORAY PRINCIPLES

The Moray Council, together with the school community, plays a crucial role

in the development of young people. It is recognised that behaviour, and

achievement for all, can be improved by valuing the views and opinions of

all members of the school community and by promoting partnership

between all involved in the educational process.

There are certain key principles embedded within this overarching statement:

Expectations of pupil behaviour can be high yet realistic; that behaviour can,and needs, to be understood, taught and expected.

Behaviour can be influenced by how, where and what young people are taught.

Every member of the school community has the right to have their views, feelingsand efforts respected and valued.

Consistency of approach in terms of rewards, sanctions and behaviourmanagement need to be agreed throughout the school.

Standards need to be modelled consistently by all members of the schoolcommunity.

October 2002

5. APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES

The Moray Principles can be applied to the development areas identified in “BetterBehaviour-Better Learning”. For present purposes these key areas are as follows:

Positive Behaviour Management (including interventory discipline)

Pupil Care (including pupil involvement and pupil advocacy)

Involvement of Parents and Carers

Staff Development

For each key area essential components are identified as well as some positive featuresreflecting good practice. These examples of good practice are based on experience inMoray schools. They also articulate with the suggestions in “How Good is Our School”(2002).

More details of positive features are included in the Case Studies later in the file.

October 2002

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(a) POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENTESSENTIAL COMPONENTS POSITIVE FEATURES QUALITY

INDICATORPOSITIVE ETHOS

Climate and relationships The school is welcoming and well maintained (e.g. there 5.1is clear signposting, a waiting area is provided for visitors,there are attractive displays around the school)

There is a sense of community in the school (e.g. everyoneis treated politely and with respect, staff and pupils havea sense of identity and pride in their school)

There is a shared sense of values (e.g. aims of the schoolare agreed by the whole school community and are displayedthroughout the school, aims are regularly reinforced duringthe academic year, a no-blame approach is adopted whendealing with 'disciplinary' matters)

Expectations and achievement There are high and achievable expectations for all members 5.2of the school community in terms of attendance, co-operationand attainment.

Success is recognised and celebrated in various ways(e.g. through the use of good news letters, contact withparents, reward systems, use of assemblies )

Teachers successfully create a learning environment whichcombines high expectations with a stimulating andenjoyable pupil experience.

Equality and fairness All members of the school community are treated with 5.3equal respect and concern, irrespective of language, gender,race, individual needs, age.

Staff, pupils and visitors feel valued, safe and secure.

The school deals with equality issues in an open andconstructive manner (e.g. through assemblies and PSD lessons)

Effective channels of communication are developed(e.g. parent/carers are informed of difficulties at an early stage, all contributors to pupil behaviour plans are fully aware of the plan).

October 2002

(a) POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT cont.ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS POSITIVE FEATURES QUALITY

INDICATOR

POSITIVE ETHOS cont.ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The roles and responsibilities of the Authority are clearly 4.8

identified.

Everyone is valued and accepted as an equal member of 7.4the school community

Teachers respond to the needs of the pupils by using a variety 3.2of teaching styles to support learning (e.g. co-operative learningand the use of ICT)

The school provides various kinds of pupil support (e.g. the use 4.1of buddies, classroom helpers, counselling sessions, help groups,multi-agency working, alternative curriculum bases)

Pupil progress is monitored and records kept; progress is 3.6communicated to parents and pupils. 4.4

Pupils take responsibility for both their learning and their actions. 3.3

Parents/carers fulfil their responsibilities (e.g. by ensuring that 5.4their children attend school).

RULES AND EXPECTATIONS Everyone realises why rules are necessary (e.g. through the use 5.1of assemblies)

Rules have been discussed and agreed by the whole school 4.1community and are displayed in every classroom.

The rules are clear, few in number and easily understood by all(e.g. they are discussed during the PSD programme)

Strategies are in place to minimise classroom disruption through inappropriate behaviour (e.g. use of Time Out, coloured warning cards)

Pupil support mechanisms are in place to address behavioural difficulties (see previous section)

Pupils recognise the certainty, rather than the severity of consequences.

Pupils are never backed into a corner without being given a way out(e.g. by the effective use of choices)

October 2002


INDICATORPOSITIVE ETHOS cont.REWARDS AND SANCTIONS The school promotes and recognises positive behaviour 5.2

(e.g. the whole school community follows the same setsof values, praise is used when deserved, rewards are usedmore often than sanctions)

Rewards reinforce good behaviour and genuine achievement(e.g. use of merit systems leading to certificates of achievement,rewards being given when pupils successfully meet their targets)

Reward systems allow for parental involvement (e.g. communication through year planners, positive letters are sent home, parents/carersinvited to assemblies or awards ceremonies, telephone calls are made)

Sanctions, when needed, are immediate.

Sanctions are in proportion to cause of the sanction andtake account of individual difficulties and circumstances.

Sanctions are applied consistently (e.g. through the use ofstandardised referral systems)

Pupils are aware of the inevitability of sanctions as consequencesof certain actions(e.g. pupils are 'taught' the behaviour managementsystem through registration or PSD)

PARENTS/CARERS A variety of methods are used to communicate with 5.4parents/carers (e.g. newsletters, open days, press articles,local radio, displays in the community, information leafletsavailable from a range of outlets)

Parents/carers are encouraged to enter into partnership with theschool (e.g. through the use of 'home-school' books, homework diaries,easy contact with promoted staff)

Parents/carers participate in the life of the school (e.g. providing in-class support, helping with extra-curricular events, offering advice and help)

Parents/carers feel involved and supported with matters relating to their children (e.g. parent/carers are involved at an early stage if their children are showing behavioural difficulties).

Individual action plans including target setting are used to help toimprove behaviour

October 2002


INDICATORPOSITIVE ETHOS cont.

MONITORING & EVALUATION Appropriate personnel are involved in the planning processes 4.4(e.g. planning meetings are attended by pupils, parents/carers,teaching staff, educational psychology, social workers etc.as appropriate)

Plans and progress are regularly reviewed and revised in lightof experience.

Successful achievement of targets is recognised and celebrated 5.2( e.g. positive letter home, certificate of achievement)

INTERVENTORY DISCIPLINE Pupils have a clear understanding of the expectations in terms of 5.1their out of class behaviour (e.g. expectations are displayedthroughout the school and are communicated to parents)

Support staff have a high profile during intervals and lunch times .

Staff adopt a collective and consistent approach to good order anddiscipline outwith lesson time (e.g. the school adopts a consistent 'standards' referral system)

Parents/carers are contacted regarding out of class behaviour andtheir support is encouraged (e.g. through the implementation of awhole school approach to out of class indiscipline).

October 2002

(b) PUPIL CAREESSENTIAL COMPONENTS POSITIVE FEATURES QUALITY

INDICATORTEACHING AND LEARNING

Planning and day-to-day There are clear and consistent school routines 3.1activities. (e.g. lining up and entry/exit procedures).

Prompt start-up times for lessons i.e. teachers in class ready to start.

Sharing of the objectives of the lessons with the pupils(e.g. describing the format of the lesson from beginning to end).

A good range of appropriate Different learning styles are taken into account when 3.2teaching approaches. planning and delivering lessons (e.g. awareness of gender,

culture etc.)

There are opportunities for co-operative learning.

There is a balance of whole class, small group andindividual teaching and learning opportunities

The quality of pupils’ learning There is an appropriate balance of challenge and support. 3.3experiences.

The environment is stimulating and challenging(e.g. wall displays, resources).

Courses are appropriate for pupils’ learning needs(e.g. further development and refinement of Higher Still courses).

Meeting pupils’ needs. Provision and resources are made available for an alternative 3.4curriculum, when necessary (e.g. staff, location etc.)

There is effective differentiation to address the issue ofdifferent learning needs.

The early identification of learning need(e.g. effective evaluation and assessment procedures).

Effective use is made of Early Intervention e.g. using PIPs to trackprogress, additional staffing etc.

October 2002

(b) PUPIL CARE continuedESSENTIAL COMPONENTS POSITIVE FEATURES QUALITY

INDICATORTEACHING AND LEARNING cont.

Assessment as part of teaching. A range of approaches is used for assessment. 3.5

Assessment information informs future teaching andlearning (e.g. effective tracking and monitoring procedures).

Pupils are involved in assessing their own progress(e.g. end of theme evaluations, self -evaluation forms etc).

Reporting pupils’ progress. Informative, user-friendly reports are provided for all those 3.6entitled to have them.

There are clear procedures for reporting pupils’ progress,including times for reporting when it would be most effective.

The views of parents/carers and pupils are used to informthe reporting process.

Staffing. Reduction in pupil : adult ratio e.g. an appropriate allocation 6.4and deployment of staff, use of classroom assistants,SFL auxiliaries.

Staff have appropriate qualifications and skills for their positionsand, where possible, are in permanent posts.

Effectiveness and deployment Good training opportunities are available for all staff. 6.5of staff.

Staff have the opportunity to contribute towards decisionsabout their deployment (e.g. through PR&D).

Teaching and auxiliary staff work well as a teame.g. joint planning, assessment, evaluating.

Self-evaluation. The School uses Authority guidelines and Quality Indicators 7.2to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning,generally and individually

Staff use self-evaluation regularly to improve the delivery ofthe service.

Opportunities are available for pupils, parents/carers and otheragencies to contribute towards the process of self-evaluation(e.g. questionnaires, focused discussion etc).

Self-evaluation evidence is used to inform developmentplanning and reporting on standards.

October 2002


INDICATORRESOURCESAccommodation and facilities. Good use is made of Authority exemplars for possible 6.1

classroom layouts and information about organization.

Work areas are safe, pleasant and well maintained.

Access and facilities are suitable for all users (e.g. ramps,toilets, lifts etc.)

Provision of resources. The school regularly reviews its built and natural environments 6.6and the deployment of human resources and makes appropriate adjustments (e.g. regular updating and upgrading of resources).

There are opportunities for staff to visit different teachingenvironments.

SUPPORT FOR PUPILSPastoral Care. The appropriate and agreed policies are operated consistently 4.1

(e.g. care and welfare, drugs and alcohol abuse etc).

There is a climate of mutual respect and trust.

Issues are dealt with quickly, sensitively and fairly.

Personal and Social Expectations, rules, sanctions and rewards are clearly 4.2Development. understood and consistently applied.

Planned approaches to encourage PSD e.g. citizenship,anti-bullying.

Curricular and Vocational Pupils make informed choices with regard to education, 4.3Guidance. training or employment, e.g. through access to clear and up-to-

date information).

Guidance staff are familiar with pupils’ needs and liaisewith subject departments and appropriate agencies.

Parents/carers and pupils are consulted and are activelyinvolved in decisions.

October 2002


INDICATORRESOURCES cont.

Support for Learning. Pupil need is identified and addressed at an early stage. 4.5Additional support provided if appropriate.

The effectiveness of SFL/Behaviour Support is monitoredand evaluated regularly.

Programmes of work are appropriate for meeting identifiedneeds and target setting ensures progress.

Training oppotunities are organised for older pupils to providepeer support.

Parents/Carers are involved in pupils’ learning(e.g. involved in the setting of targets and monitoring andevaluating progress).

SFL staff are able to carry out the 5 roles contained in thejob description and these roles are understood by all staff.

Specialist support is used effectively.

Legislation Senior managers and SFL staff have a clear understanding 4.6of current legislation and advice.

There are procedures in place for fulfilling the legal requirementsrelating to children with special needs.

Placement of SEN pupils. Pupils are assessed and placed in the appropriate schools 4.7and classes. Parents/carers and pupils share in thedecision making.

The appropriateness of the placement is regularly reviewed.

Links with outside agencies. Effective working links have been established with outside 4.8agencies (e.g. sharing information and assessments, roles andresponsibilities are clearly defined and understood).

October 2002


INDICATOREARLY INTERVENTION

Pupils’ progress and development is tracked and 4.4monitored systematically.

Learning needs are identified as early as possible and 3.4appropriate resources are in place to meet those needs.

A range of assessment strategies are in place (e.g. PIPS, 3.5National Tests, self-evaluation, effective monitoring andtracking procedures etc.)

Links between pre-school providers/P1, P7/S1 and other 4.8agencies are appropriate and working effectively.

Staff are trained, qualified and, where possible, permanent. 6.4

Teachers and classroom assistants work well as a team. 6.5

BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT

Pastoral Care Behaviour policies/guidelines have been agreed and area 4.1operating consistently and effectively.

All staff set high, but realistic, standards and expect pupilsto meet them.

Issues and concerns are dealt with openly and fairly, in theknowledge that sanctions WILL be applied when necessary.

Staff have a good understanding of pupils and their backgroundsand use this information appropriately.

Information about advice and support services is readilyavailable to pupils.

PSD Social Skills groups and out of class behaviour support have 4.2been established and operate effectively.

PSD policies clearly articulate expected standards of behaviourand guidance for staff.

October 2002


INDICATORBEHAVIOUR SUPPORT cont.

Curricular and Vocational Properly established alternative curriculum opportunities are 4.3Guidance available for pupils who require them.

Good use is made of specialist help and advice is used effectively.

Target setting is specific, measurable, achievable,relevant and time-scaled.

Parents/carers, pupils share in the decision making aboutmeeting identified needs.

Monitoring Progress and Appropriate use is made of I.E.P.s and I.B.P.s and target setting. 4.4Achievement Parents/carers and pupils have shared in the decision making.

Improvements and progress are celebrated.

Staff, pupils and parents/carers are committed to improvement.

SFL, Legislation and Placements. Authority guidance is understood, agreed and implemented 4.5consistently. See Support for Learning Framework 4.6- Moray Council. 4.7

Links with other agencies etc. Multi-agency working is based on mutual trust, a shared 4.8understanding and joint resourcing.

October 2002


INDICATORSUPPORT FOR STAFF

Courses and Programmes. All pupils have access to a broad and balanced 1.2curriculum as is appropriate to their needs.

High quality support and guidance are available for staffat all levels.

Systems are in place for good practice to be sharedin schools and across the authority.

Wherever possible an alternative curriculum correlatesto mainstream courses.

Climate and Relationships. Teamwork features strongly in working with children exhibiting 5.1challenging behaviours - this includes in school, across theauthority and inter-agency work.

High staff and pupil morale encourages positive pupil/teacher relationships.

The application of consistent standards ensures fairness andequality and an awareness of cause and consequence.

Staff have access to professional associations.

Staff are involved in meetings etc. where appropriate.

Aims and Policy Making. All staff are consulted and actively participate in policy formation. 7.1

Parents/carers and pupils are consulted about aims and policies.

Policies include advice and guidance for staff.

October 2002


INDICATORSUPPORT FOR STAFF cont.

Professional Review and There are opportunities for multi-agency training. 6.6Development.

Good quality INSET is carefully targeted.

CPD catalogue is linked to National, Authority and School priorities.

All staff have access to information about appropriate trainingopportunities.

Professional Review and Development provides opportunities for staff to discuss strengths and development needs.

There are mechanisms in place for liaison with pre-servicetraining providers.

Leadership. School management clearly articulates priorities and strategies 7.4for change and improvement.

School management encourages discussion, debate and the sharingof ideas and resources.

School management is open, ensuring equality and fairness.

Planning and development work are well organised and encourageall staff to participate actively.

There are peer support groups operating.

Effectiveness and deployment Staff should have the appropriate qualifications and training and 6.5of staff. should be permanent, wherever possible.

The effective deployment of staff should be reviewed regularly.

October 2002


INDICATORSUPPORT FOR STAFF cont.

Links with outside agencies. Mechanisms are in place to enable staff, pupils and 4.8parents/carers to access representatives from outside agencies.

Partnership with the Good relationships have been established within the community.Community.

Teaching and Learning is enhanced through community 5.4involvement.

There is clear understanding of the role of other agencies in thecommunity and how these relate to schools.

Good use is made of authority procedures for the involvementof other agencies in school matters (e.g. police in cases of assault).

PUPIL PARTICIPATION,LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN,PUPIL ADVOCACY.

Climate and Relationships All appropriate staff are familiar with procedures and advicerelating to looked after children

Staff use their knowledge of children’s circumstances to 5.1deal effectively with difficult situations.

There is a sense of identity and pride in the school.

Expectations and Promoting There are agreed policies for co-operation with/collaboration 5.2Achievement. between residential and school staff (e.g. sharing information

on a day to day basis).

There is an agreed understanding of expectations/standardsbetween schools and residential settings.

Pastoral Care. Staff with responsibility for pastoral care, including staff 4.8working in partner agencies, keep each other informed ofrelevant background information.

October 2002


INDICATORPUPIL PARTICIPATION,LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN,PUPIL ADVOCACY.

Equality and Fairness. Effective systems are in place for pupils to be consulted 5.3regularly on decision making matters that affect them directly(e.g. Pupil Councils, Pupil Reps. on adult committees,questionnaires etc.)

There are opportunities for pupils to be actively involved instatutory procedures e.g. outside agencies could assist pupils tohave their say and thus, ensure a fair hearing.

Pupils, parents/carers are aware of the role of the Childrenand Young Peoples Rights Worker and how to access help.

Pupils Learning Experiences. Pupils are encouraged to evaluate their own behaviour, 3.3attitude and performance regularly and systematically.

Pupils have opportunities to suggest and implement strategiesfor self-improvement.

October 2002

c) INVOLVING PARENTS/CARERSPOSITIVE FEATURES QUALITY

INDICATOR

Schools provide learning opportunities for parents (e.g. discussion events dealing with topical issues, 5.4opportunities to extend qualifications by joining classes, use of school facilities such as ICT)

Schools make it 'easy' for parents to be involved at an early stage in discussion of behavioural problems being shown by their children (e.g. use of non-threatening language in communications with parents, meetings are arranged at a suitable time for parents)

Parents/carers are involved in formulation of school behaviour policy

Schools organise 'drop in clinics' operated by senior and guidance staff

Schools encourage parental participation in classroom assistance, playground helpers etc. (see previous sections)

Parents are encouraged to become involved in their children's learning (e.g. parents are advised on how they can help in the teaching and learning process, suggested resources for self study are provided)

Staff, parents/carers and pupils share in the drawing up of home-school ‘contracts’ and sign a 5.4commitment to implement.

Parents/carers are full, valued and active participants in decisions about pupils.

Information about support and advice from other agencies is available for parents/carers.

Good use is made of authority guidelines for working with parents.

Schools give advice, support and training in order to support pupils with homework. 5.4

The use of Home/School Link Workers is effective in terms of improving attitudes, behaviour and co-operation.

Meetings are non-threatening in terms of procedures and terms of reference.

Information about procedures etc. is “user friendly” and available for parents/carers.

October 2002

(d) STAFF DEVELOPMENTPOSITIVE FEATURES QUALITY

INDICATOR

Appropriate authority in-service is provided to match national, authority and school priorities. 6.6

All staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities (e.g. the use of staff meetings to explain the statutory obligations of staff regarding inclusion issues)

Schools provide an appropriate staff development programme to match authority and school priorities (e.g. the organisation of staff development events to support teaching and non-teaching staff in meeting school development planning priorities).

Staff are regularly informed of updates to existing policies.

October 2002

6. MORAY COUNCIL SUPPORT(including procedural steps)

Within Moray there are essentially five levels of planning when deciding how best to meetidentified pupil needs. These can be summarised as follows:

SENIOR PLANNING GROUP(SPG)

SOCIAL WORK & EDUCATION LIAISON GROUP(SWED)

INTERMEDIATE ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING SERVICE(IAP)

LOCAL ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING FRAMEWORK(LAP)

SCHOOL PLANNING PROCEDURES

The composition, function and purpose of LAP, IAP, SWED and SPG are all contained in theMoray Council document' Joint Arrangements for Assessment and Planning' which wasupdated in October 2001. The underlying principle underpinning these arrangements isthat those best placed to understand and make decisions about a child's needs are thosewho work most closely with that child. In this respect School Planning Procedures and theLocal Assessment and Planning meetings are at the heart of the Council's supportframework. Through these two processes, not only will the child's needs be best understoodbut there will also be a clarity about the wide range of supports and strategies applied inresponse to identified needs. Evidence of these strategies will be required should a childmove to an IAP and beyond. The following list offers some examples of support at a locallevel:

October 2002

Positive behaviour card

Advice to staff regarding successful teaching strategies

Pupil counselling

In-class monitoring

In class behaviour support

Regular communication/involvement with parents/carers

SMT target cards

Circle Time

Support groups (e.g. anger management, social competence)

Positive use of rewards and celebration of success

Agreement of behaviour protocols

Alternative curricular provision

Weekly 1:1 review meetings with mentor

Deployment of 'buddies'

Alternative working bases

Involvement of outside agencies

Use of work experience for older pupils

Family Support

Further examples of planning and support procedures are provided in the Appendices tothis file. What is important, however, is that those working most directly with children knowthat these procedures are designed to enable local decision-making and the developmentof innovative and creative solutions to individual needs.

October 2002

October 2002

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BACKGROUNDForres Academy has a range of strategies in place to help pupils who are experiencingbehavioural difficulties (see Case Study dealing with Joint Action Planning). However,recently we have become increasingly aware that there still appears to be a need forspecialist support for those pupils who would benefit from a block of time away from theformal structure of the school. We are considering pupils who are becoming seriouslydisengaged from school. We are at the point of 'losing them'. Such pupils may:

• Have a major problem with truancy• Be at the point of exclusion• Fit into the category of 'school refusers.

In order to help such young people we have established an Alternative Curriculum Base inForres Academy. This provides a flexible and supportive facility designed to meet the needsof such pupils The emphasis is on the development of life skills (and their applications).There are also opportunities for consideration of youth issues.

STAFFINGThe base has been staffed as follows

• 9x80 minute blocks of teacher input (Numeracy/Literacy in the context ofLife Skills)

• 8x80 minute blocks from Moray Youth Action (applying the ideas from the Life Skills Input)

• 3x80 minute blocks of Youth Issues from New Community School Staff

The programmes of study have been designed flexibly so that pupils can join any aspect ofprogramme at any stage. The overall aim will be to return pupils back fully into mainstreamas quickly as possible

CURRICULUM BASEWe have refurbished one of our 'huts' as the new base The furniture is comfortable andmodern It has been well equipped with excellent ICT provision and designated 'chill out'space. The decor reflects pupil wishes. Specialist rooms in the main building can also'booked' for appropriate parts of the teaching programme

REFERRAL AND LIAISON SYSTEMSThere is a timetabled weekly liaison meeting between the Alternative Curriculum Base anda member of the SMT. Pupil progress can be monitored. Plans for reintegration can bedevised and new pupil members of the scheme discussed. Teaching plans for the followingweek can also be drawn up.

Alan Gibson, Forres Academy.

Theme: Alternative Curriculum and Bases

Title: Alternative Curriculum and Curriculum base in Forres Academy

October 2002


THE POLICYAll of us in Forres Academy are dedicated to the improvement of relationships betweenpupils and staff. We recognise that this requires everyone to respect the rights of others.Teachers must be allowed to teach and pupils to learn. Pupils who disrupt classes denyothers their rights and may have to be removed temporarily. The rights of all pupils areprotected, however. Rules are arrived at in classroom negotiation. A system of warnings isin place. Teachers will normally encourage disruptive pupils to think about theconsequences of their behaviour through producing a classroom plan. Those who fail tochange their behaviour. after final warnings will be removed from class to our Time Outfacility. A support system is automatically triggered by Time Out

Pupils who arrive in Time Out will bring home a searching questionnaire designed to makethem think hard about their behaviour They have to confront their bad behaviour findreasons for it and plan ways of acting differently and acceptably. in order to achieve whatthey want from school. The document is meant to be worked through with a parent orguardian who. we hope, will help and encourage the youngster to compete a Personal Planfor overcoming their difficulty.

We hope that the early and positive involvement of parents will be sufficient to remind sons/daughters of their responsibilities Parents will also have an opportunity to pass on anyuseful information to us in school regarding the situation.

It is stressed that an occasional Time Out iS seen by the school as an opportunity to supportand not a reason to punish. Most parents will never see a Time Out form Those who dowill be able to reinforce the standards of behaviour they expect. Together, school andparent can make a difference, mistakes will be corrected, and as self discipline grows withmaturity, so relationships across the school will improve.

THE SYSTEM1) Teacher and pupils negotiate the rules. The basic rules are

• Have respect for yourself and others • Do your best

The consequences for Breaking the rules area) a reminder is givenb) a warning is givenc) the rule may be taught / walked throughd) a short list of questions may be issued to make pupils think

2) A classroom plan is Issued This requires pupils to think seriously about their behaviourand to tell the teacher how they propose to modify their problem.

Failure to Slick to the plan or to complete a plan may bring a reminder or a warning forTime Out depending on circumstances.

Theme: Behaviour Management

Title: Behaviour Management in Forres Academy

October 2002

October 2002


3) Except in the most serious cased, a pupil will receive 2 Time Out warnings before beingremoved from class.

4) Pupils will be given work in Time Out. They will bring home an extensive paper whichshould be worked on by parents and pupil.

Time Out is not a punishment but an opportunity to think and reflect on poor behaviour. Itis a chance to cool down and consider the consequences of further misbehaviour. Bydrawing up a good Personal Plan as a result of Time Out any young person involved willthen have behaviour targets to aim for.

5) After 3 Time Outs a Case Conference will be called. Afterwards parents will be invitedto discuss the problem and to be made fully aware of the schools actions in respect of theirchild.

The whole system is based on the co-operation of school and home. The development ofself-discipline is a key element of our policy for better relationships. Punishment encouragesdenial by pupils rather than a facing of reality. Often punishments result in even moreaggressive behaviour rather than a problem solving approach by the young person.Punishments, once given, cannot be taken back and may prejudice future relationshipsneedlessly.

Our system is very powerful in encouraging changes in behaviour because it forces pupilsto reflect, and we hope, learn that.

a) each of us can influence a situation for good or ill

b) there are ALWAYS alternative ways of behaving in any situation

c) we each have the power to choose the best alternative.

Responsibility for change lies with the only person who can make it happen, the pupil.



All staff at Keith Primary School have been reviewing the school's behaviour policy in orderto adopt a consistency of approach. In particular staff have watched and discussed the fourtraining videos contained in the pack devised by an American Lee Canter' AssertiveDiscipline in the U.K - Primary Video Package' It was decided to use this package as it hadreceived very favourable reviews in the Times Educational Supplement. Lee Canter makesthe following recommendations.

A plan for rules, consequences and rewards should• Promote consistency• Protect the rights of students• Help to obtain parental support

The behaviour plan should• Describe observable behaviour: have nothing vague like 'be nice'• Be applicable at all times• Have a maximum of 5 rules• Be in the students' best interests• have input from pupils

Positive reinforcement• Encourages appropriate behaviour• Increases self-esteem• Reduces problem behaviour• Creates a positive classroom environment

Positive recognition types• Praise each pupil at least once every day• Positive phone calls• Behaviour awards• Class wide recognition system. ie rewards for the whole class (helps peer pressure)

Guidelines for class recognition• Choose positives you are comfortable with• Choose positives students want• Students need to earn the rewards quickly• Do not take rewards away

When deciding on consequences & sanctions be aware of the following• They need to be comfortable to use• Students should not like them• They should not he harmful to students• The lesser the consequence the better


Title: Behaviour Management in Keith Primary School

October 2002

October 2002


Examples of effective consequences• Warning• Separated from the group for 5 minutes• Stay in I minute after class• Stay in 2 minutes after class• Call parents• Send to H.T.• Severe clause

*If you have to talk to a pupil for bad behaviour use a calm, quiet voice, go up to the pupil,get eye contact, do not argue with pupil but repeat the directions; repeat again if necessary

Important Points to remember.• Start each day afresh• Review plan with Head Teacher• Teach the plan to students• Keep track of behaviour by writing notes in book and on clipboard

Having watched the videos and discussed the contents, staff set out to implement some ofthe recommendations, deciding on the following.

SCHOOL RULES• Do follow instructions and directions• Do keep hands, feet and objects to yourself• Do raise your hand if you wish to speak.

In addition, staff discussed these rules with their pupils and each class agreed on twoadditional rules. Now the five rules are clearly displayed in each classroom as are therewards and consequences

REWARDS - these were a"reed by the school community• Praise• Stickers, stamps, house/team points all adding to class points• Class award golden time.• Certificates, stamps to take home and telephone call to parents• Sent to Head Teacher or Depute Head Teacher or Assistant Head Teacher• Award from above to be presented at assembly

CONSEQUENCES- these were agreed by the school community• Warning• Removed from group for 5 minutes• Last out• Parents informed• Sent to Head Teacher/Depute Head Teacher / Assistant Head Teacher.• Severe clause for behaviour such as physical violence. persistent bullying.

Complete defiance - immediately sent to Head Teacher.

October 2002


CONSEQUENCES OF BEING SENT TO Head Teacher, Depute HeadTeacher, Assistant Head

Teacher (these were agreed by the school community)• Formal letter to parents• Detention• Parents invited to school to discuss behaviour• Letter to parents warning of possible exclusion• Exclusion

Advice for Teachers:

To do with your class on the first day:• Discuss and decide on classroom rules (maximum of 5)• Write these rules and display them on the classroom wall so that they are easily read• Teach the discipline plan to the pupils - the rules and the reason for them the

consequences and the rewards

To do with your class every day:• Emphasise the positive - actively search out behaviour thaI you can praise• Give rewards• Note down behaviour of your pupils• Be consistent

To do once per week• Telephone or write to parents with positive comments

To do during the course of the term.• Discuss your behaviour management with a colleague; if you wish work together in

the classroom to observe each other teaching; actively seek help and advice from colleagues or Assistant Head Teacher / Depute Head Teacher / Head Teacher.

The behaviour plan is not yet fully effective due to inconsistencies in its application. It willtake some more in-service training, more practice, more effective collegial working, andincreased partnership, with parents before it is fully successful. A number of staff havecommented, however, on how well children respond when good behaviour is recognisedand praised.

A further resource is being purchased on recommendation which should give more specificguidance on the use of sanctions and rewards, Lee Canter’s Assertive Discipline Textbook..The emphasis throughout is on praising and rewarding positive behaviour.

Helen Kirkwood, Keith Primary School.


A particularly difficult and disruptive P6/7 class had been causing a great deal of concernto staff, pupils and the management team. The usual reprimands, punishments, threats anddetentions seemed to make no difference to the overall standard of behaviour. This problembecame the focus of a full staff meeting. After a long and very animated discussion, the staffsuggested the "red and yellow card" strategy which is based on the football code of conduct.The link to football was designed to appeal to 10/11 year-old boys especially - at that timethe nucleus of the problem.

Quite simply a set of 8 classroom rules, or Classroom Code of Conduct as it was called,was set out - 5 rules were yellow and 3 were red.

It was important not to overload the class with too many rules. On the other hand, it wasvery difficult to choose only eight.

Breaking a yellow meant a warning. Two yellows was the maximum in one day, a thirdyellow constituted a red. A red meant immediate removal from class to work undersupervision.

Although a daily monitor of reds and yellows was kept, every day saw a fresh start whichgave those who were coping badly a second chance - an incentive to try harder, toencourage more positive behaviour.

At first "reds" were appearing two or three times a day. There appeared to be a competitionto see who could be given the most! Very gradually, however, the class came to terms withthe strategy and understood the consequences of breaking the rules. Very slowly they beganto accept responsibility for their actions.

The acceptance of the Classroom code of Conduct filtered to other classes and eventuallythe whole school adopted the strategy PI - 3 classes had a similar but simpler code stillusing the red/yellow card system.

Playground behaviour was still an issue so a Playground Code was introduced for thewhole school. Each class displayed the Code which was regularly re-inforced by classteachers.

More importantly, playground supervisors and auxiliaries actively supported the Code anddealt yellow and red cards as and when necessary. This also meant that yellows were dealtwith in situ and only reds were taken into school for more 'formal' discipline, ie missing thesubsequent interval or playtime. A monitoring record for perpetual red breakers was keptand this formed the basis for future parental involvement.


Title: Promoting Better Discipline in New Elgin Primary

October 2002

October 2002


The effect over two years has been significant. Behaviour has improved and incidents havebeen greatly reduced, both in class and in the playground. Parents understand and mostsupport the Code of Conduct which is explained in the school prospectus.

Three main factors contributed to the success of this system:

• All staff at all levels share responsibility for all areas of the school• Easily understood rules which are not open to misinterpretation• Consistency of approach

To produce effective strategies for dealing with indiscipline and bad behaviour requires ashared vision and commitment by all staff.

Anne Robertson, New Elgin Primary School.


This pupil who we will call George was admitted to the school during the middle of PrimaryFive and stayed in the school on an increasing attendance basis through to Primary Seven

George arrived at the school with a long history of problems relating to school, that hadculminated in his exclusion on a number of occasions from his last class for violent anddisruptive behaviour both within class and in the playground,

Before admitting George a discussion was held with the class teacher so as to keep herinformed of the background and the support that would be made available in respect toGeorge coming into class

Initially it was proposed that George would attend for part mornings only, on certain dayseach week. These times were agreed by the class teacher as convenient and were allocatedon a basis of least disruption for the whole class. An auxiliary was allocated to George whoshadowed him at all times (from arrival to departure George was never out of sight/contactwith a supervising adult).

Initially George was very aware of his position in the school and this coupled with his ownlack of positive self-image led to some very aggressive though withdrawn behaviour. Onentry to the school playground each day George would show physical aggression to anyonewho spoke to him. On entering the building George would not remove his outer clothingbecause he did not look the same as the others and if spoken to by an adult would verballychallenge their authority in a very aggressive manner.

Initially George had no realisation as to the accepted parameters of behaviour in theclassroom, shouting out for no reason, talking at the top of his voice over the class teacher,swearing at his peers, lewd comments (both about female peers and staff and oftencomplete refusal to complete any task set.

To begin with George was supplied with clothing from the schools returned items. Thishelped immensely in his attitude towards being accepted as part of the school. (Though theclothing issue re-emerged later when cleanliness became an issue with him, this was solvedby supplying him with another set of clothing from school). The wearing of school uniformis seen as an integral part of the school ethos and George's acceptance of it was a majorstep forward.

The allocation of an auxiliary to George gave him the opportunity to build a relationshipwith an adult within the school. At no time was George allowed to dictate in any area ofschool life. If there was any instance of inappropriate behaviour then this was immediatelydealt with. This had a two-fold effect in that not only was George dealt with in a quietsympathetic but firm manner immediately but also the rest of the class knew thatinappropriate behaviour would be dealt with in no uncertain manner.

The class was a very important part of the integration of George into the school as a whole.Before bringing him into the class the children were given the opportunity to discuss the


Title: Integration of Pupil with Severe Disruptive Capabilities

October 2002

October 2002


likely effects a child like George would have on their class during a couple of circle times,and how they could help. As the time went on, after George was away from class, the pupilswere given the opportunity to discuss their feelings for him and now the were coping.

The curriculum delivered initially when George was in attendance in the class was skewedto ensure that there was very little movement around the room. This usually entailed timebeing devoted to core curriculum subjects life language and mathematics. This was of amajor benefit to him as even though in Primary Five, (though by birth date he should havebeen in Primary Six) his academic progress had been severely curtailed and he was onlyoperating at WTA. The class teacher obviously had to deliver an individual curriculum toGeorge initially with the auxiliary being his main point of contact within the class.

Quiet authority was seen as the ideal remedy for George's behavioural problems. Everytime that there was an incident then the auxiliary would;

• remove him from the class,• calm him down,• talk the situation over with him,• explain that his behaviour was unacceptable and for what reason,• solicit from him what had caused the upset,• explain the rules concerned,• gain an apology and then return him to the classroom set-up

Over the time that we spent with George this procedure was repeated over and over again,but by the time he left us incidences (occurring in school needing this procedure) were fewand far between.

As time went on and George progressed through the classes then his attendance in theschool increased and the close supervision decreased. He became a very well likedmember of his peer group who could make very reasoned and helpful contributions in allareas of the curriculum. As an example of progress made, by P7 George would contributeto a circle time in accepted norms, taking turns, listening to others and making reasonedcontributions.

Certain aspects of the curriculum still had to be differentiated for him but on the whole hisoperation within the class was within a group situation.

At the end of his time with us;George had never been excluded whilst attending the school,• he had formed some close relationships with his peers,• he had accepted direction from adults,• he accepted the opinions of others,• he could operate within a normal classroom situations (albeit with differentiatedcurriculum) and could hold his head up and approach most situations with some degree ofconfidence.

Chris Burns, Aberlour Primary School.


RATIONALE

As a school Forres Academy is committed to the social inclusion of pupils. Our BehaviourSupport scheme is designed to help us to achieve this aim. Presently the Behaviour Supportteam consists of a Senior Teacher, one auxiliary and the equivalent of 0.5 FTE fromGuidance Staff and SMT. The work of the team is co-ordinated by a member of the SMT.

We can offer a variety of support strategies to help meet the needs of pupils and staff Forexample we can:-

• Offer advice on the needs of individual pupils/small groups

• Suggest teaching approaches which have worked with specific pupils

• Offer constructive advice/feedback to teachers following a period of classroom observation

• Provide in class support for identified pupil(s)

• Develop support programmes for specific pupils in collaboration with departments

THE SCHEME IN ACTION

The following points refer to the scheme in action

1 The Behaviour Support Scheme is a partnership between teachers, pupils andBehaviour Support Staff. Its main purpose is to support youngsters in undertaking thework of the class It is not a mechanism for removal of pupils from the work of the subjector from the class.

2 Whenever in-class support is agreed, the Behaviour support Staff are timetabled for thatclass for a six week block; progress will usually be reviewed at the end of this period oftime.

3 Where in-class support is provided, the scheme will normally be explained to relevantpupils by the designated Support Staff Member during the first lesson.

4 Request forms for Behaviour Support input are given out to staff at the start of session.

Theme: Behaviour Support

Title: Behavior Support in Forres Academy

October 2002

October 2002


PROCEDURAL STEPS

The following flow chart shows the procedural steps for our Behaviour Support Scheme:

STAFF COMPLETE FORM REQUESTING BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT

OUTCOME INTIMATED TO STAFF USING RESPONSE SHEET

IF REQUEST IS SUCCESSFUL, BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT STAFF MEMBER ANDCLASS TEACHER MEET TO DISCUSS STRATEGIES AND AGREE

'GROUND RULES'

DURING FIRST LESSON, BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT STAFF MEMBER MEETS WITHIDENTIFIED PUPIL(S) TO DISCUSS EXPECTATIONS

AT THE END OF THE SIX WEEK BLOCK PROGRESS IS REVIEWEDUSING APPROPRIATE REVIEW PRO FORMA



M had a troubled history in Primary school. By Primary 7 he had already been excluded andhad a weekly support with Moray Youth Action. He had recognised learning difficulties.Socially and emotionally he was unskilled and immature. In fact when I met M in Primary Ihad grave concerns about his transfer to Secondary being successful.

During the summer holidays, he was included in a small *transition group which broughttogether #vulnerable pupils from all the ASG primaries. These young people met weekly toshare outings, meetings and games. By the time they arrived in Secondary, they were allquite used to each other, knew their way round school and had a circle of acquaintances.

M was placed in a small class (containing all of the transition group and some others) withsupport in every class. He was withdrawn from Modern Languages to address the re-learning of reading and writing. All staff were aware of his difficulties and all staff agreedon a ‘modus operandii’ if he refused to make choices which would sustain him in class. Mwas presented with work that he could do. The class were set learning targets and socialtargets in every lesson. They were also presented with the same 5 guidelines by everyteacher in every class, all positively phrased, short and to the point. The class, but moreespecially M, knew exactly what was expected and where the lines were. He was furthersustained by an ad hoc check by SFL staff on a daily basis,

Support for Learning were identified as lead players as opposed to Guidance and thereforeall contact with Dad and outside agencies was via this department. This was to reduce thelength of the chain of communication.

M made progress. He began by making eye contact and by beginning to smile. He wasmore relaxed. He did take longer to contribute in class unless asked directly. He respondedamazingly well to his time in Support for Learning. His spelling improved as well as hisreading and his presentation of work became an area where he took pride in doing well.Gradually M gained in confidence and in self esteem. His behaviour was monitored bysupport staff in that he was removed from situations before they escalated outwith hiscontrol. A variety of pretexts were used, 'can you go to office' - 'go to Mrs Smith and askfor'. All of these had been 'set up' previously and staff knew to keep M for 5 minutes or soto allow the situation in class to move on.

However, it was not all plain sailing and M did on occasions escalate situations to the pointthat he was uncooperative and very challenging. This brought him into the disciplineprocedures in school.

* transition group - aim to widen a circle of friends. To raise self esteem# vulnerable - covered a wide range of concerns not only learning

Theme: Behaviour Support

Title: Exemplar from Milnes High School

October 2002

October 2002


A support report was initiated.

A support report is a daily target setting exercise. Targets are written positively at the top ofeach daily page. These are done by the monitoring teacher and then checked forunderstanding with M. If the targets are not made, no comment is written bythe class teacher. M then has to give the reason to the monitoring teacher at the end ofeach day. This was a difficult exercise for M. Gradually he began to understand that bybeing more honest he gained praise even though at times the behaviour was notacceptable. However he gradually became more willing to explain and take responsibilityfor his behaviour. In other words, he owns up.

The report is taken home at weekends for Dad and M to comment on. It has worked verywell. M has full weeks of excellent reports and these are shared with his Youth Action worker.Praise is a 'corporate feedback'.

Now at almost the end of Sl M has a different profile in school and amongst his peer group.He has progressed in his learning and most definitely in his behaviour. He has establishedgood relationships with support staff and trusts that they will act in his interest. Target settingfor M as a Recorded pupil includes social and personal targets.

Staff too, have benefited from the experience of M and are more willing to try newapproaches to supporting youngsters who challenge authority. M's social skills are improvedbecause the standard was set and expected from every pupil in the class not just from M.The behavioural support strategies are seen as positive supports and not negative reactions.Therefore positive behaviour was promoted and the need for negativereaction was lessened.

Writing this case study does not show the level of staff co-operation involved and theamount of work required if it is to be successful. This included an agreement that allinformation about M was to be shared with all staff; staff reported straight to SFL and it wasrecognised that an emergency meeting could be initiated by any teacher. It created asupport network for staff that has been of great benefit.

The payback is that it has worked.

M is in school and about to move into S2. His reports are about his learning and not abouthis behaviour. Teachers who taught him have learned new skills about supportingchallenging children and in their evaluation have said that they are already trying out theseskills with other pupils.

M has been, and has had, a very positive experience as a result of these strategies.

Liz Devine, Milnes High School.


This scheme was first introduced to Lossiemouth High School in the year 2000 / 2001.There is a whole range of awards all based on key skills. In the first and second year ofimplementation pupils have achieved the Bronze Award. It is hoped that next year a groupwill progress to Bronze/Silver. This level of the scheme is most appropriate for youngsterswho are not following a full diet of Standard Grades and can be adapted to accommodatea range of abilities and learning difficulties. In some authorities special units use it foryoungsters with SEBD. There is a great deal of flexibility to enable teacher and pupils tochoose activities appropriate to their needs and interests. Credits are built up from eachactivity with 1/4 credit taking approximately eight hours of work. Two full credits constitutea Bronze Award and four full credits a Bronze / Silver.In S4 the topics chosen were.

World of workSport and LeisureTechnology -Information TechnologyThe Community

These topics are particularly relevant to pupils who are moving on from school to collegeor work and a 1/2 credit is gained for the work experience carried out by all S4 pupils.

In S3 a more general set of topics have been chosen and again credits can be gained fromwork that the pupils are doing in other areas of the curriculum.

Number Handling - MoneyEnvironmental AwarenessInformation Handling - Discussions and ExchangesHealth and SurvivalInternational Awareness - Work done/or Access Unit Life in Another CountryBeliefs and Values - Work done in RME

Outside visits and visiting speakers are an integral part of the scheme. In the first year onegroup chose Archery as an activity they would like to try and the Forres Archers came anddemonstrated to the group and allowed them to try it out. This year the pupils went to theMoray Gig at Findhorn and were invited back to the naming ceremony conducted by PrinceCharles. Other visits have included the Police Station in Elgin, the Sheriff Court and MorayCollege Speakers have been members of school staff or people from outside agencies.Local historical sites such as Spynie Palace and tourist attractions further afield like theHighland Folk Museum at Newtonmore have been the focus of visits.

The award has been publicised in the local press and local employers were invited in to domock interviews thus raising awareness of the award.

Theme: ASDAN

Title: Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network

October 2002

October 2002


Pupils must achieve the necessary credits and keep a well organised folder of evidence foreach activity, including three action plan and review sheets and a summary of achievement.The method of gathering and displaying evidence is at the discretion of the teacher and isdependent to a large extent on the ability of the pupil. Samples of work are requested forverification at an annual consortium meeting, the nearest one being held in Dundee at thebeginning of May.

Administration is very easy with a minimum of paperwork required to register pupils.

Further information can be obtained from:

Rosemary McGheeASDAN Co-ordinatorLossiemouth High SchoolLossiemouthTel: 01343 812047

Allan ScottASDAN Co-ordinator- ScotlandGreenwood High SchoolIrvineTel: 01294 213 124

ASDANWainbrook HouseHudds Vale RoadSt GeorgeBristolTel: 0117 941 1126

Theme: Joint planning and multi-agency approaches

Title: Recent Development in Managing Challenging Pupilsin Lossiemouth High School


During the academic year 2000/2001 a Working Party was formed to discuss strategies tosupport challenging pupils and to minimise the disruption to the education of others. Thegroup consisted of volunteers from within the school staff and representatives from theMoray Council Inclusion and Support Service, Educational Psychology, Moray Youth Actionand Social Work Department. The remit of the group was to produce a draft policy tosupport pupils who presented challenging behaviour.

The Policy outlines the following.

1 General Principles2 Partnership Arrangements3 Procedures for Referral and Action4 Management5 Staffing and Accommodation6 Strategies7 An appendix describing the roles of the different partnership agencies and also the

Local Assessment and Intermediate Assessment Planning processes.

It is important that all staff in the school are aware of the procedures for referral and of thevarious strategies that can be employed to support pupils with the most challengingbehaviour All staff were issued with the draft policy and invited to comment

For session 2001/2002 a decision was taken at school level to fund 0.4FTE teaching timeand I FTE auxiliary time to trial the arrangements. Due to the limits on the staffing availablesupport has been restricted to SI and S2 to hopefully reduce the need for support by S3.Two memos outlining progress of the policy have been issued to all staff and commentsinvited. The former Guidance accommodation has been altered and adapted to provide aclassroom, two small offices and one larger group meeting room Recent funding hasallowed for IT resources to be added. Currently it is used for individual withdrawal work, forgroup work on social skills and to hold LAP and review meetings

A number of adjustments will now be made to the draft policy in light of experience and arecall meeting of the working party will be held at the May in-service to discuss experiences,redraft the policy and discuss an action plan for session 2002/2003.

The strategies used to support pupils are

• Weekly behaviour support booklet / contract, incorporating targets and rewards Included in this process is weekly discussion and counselling time

• in class / Withdrawal support• Counselling• Group work on social skills in partnership with Moray Youth Action and Social Work• Interagency working

October 2002

October 2002


One of the strengths of the work done so far is the joint working with other agencies.Monthly meetings to discuss pupils causing concern enable appropriate services andresources to be targeted where they are needed most. Joint working between socialworkers, Moray Youth Action workers and staff within the school provides a more cohesiveapproach to understanding and dealing with some of our most vulnerable youngsters.

Rosemary McGhee.


Title: Lossiemouth inter-Agency Group in Lossiemouth High School


In September 1998, following high levels of youth crime in the town of Lossiemouth, theRector wrote to the Director of Education expressing concern about the effect this washaving on the community and seeking a conference of the main professionals involved toconsider how the problem might be addressed.

In response, the Director called a meeting on Wednesday 4 November, 1998 which wasattended by:-

Kevin Gavin, Director of EducationBill Barber, Rector, Lossiemouth High SchoolHazel McPherson, Headteacher Hythehill Primary SchoolKen Lowson, Depute Headteacher, Lossiemouth High SchoolRobin Weeden, Community Development Worker, Lossiemouth Community

Education CentreGerry Harkins, Social WorkerDavid Williams, National Children's HomesInspector Reid, Elgin Police StationSgt Campbell, Lossiemouth Police StationSgt. Allan McBey, Local Authority Liaison Officer.

This initial meeting proved to be very useful in clarifying the roles and responsibilities of thevarious agencies and identifying areas where co-operation and communication needed tobe enhanced.

Regular meetings took place on a monthly basis thereafter and a gradual reduction incriminal activity did occur. However, it became clear that the exercise needed to haveseveral strands to it:-

a) An urgent need to deal with the problem in the short-term and to prevent copycat/hero worshipping behaviour on the part of younger children.

b) A need to widen membership of the group to involve the local community and otherspecialist agencies.

c) A need for a longer-term strategy to tackle the problem at an earlier stage and dealwith parenting skills and family support issues.

As a result. membership of the group has been widened and now includes representativesfrom-

•Schools •Police•Community Development •Local Councillors•A representative from the Community Council •Health promotions•Housing Department - Moray Council •National Children’s' Homes•A representative from the local Health Centre •Moray, Youth Action•Social Work

October 2002

October 2002


Although this size of group may appear cumbersome, smaller working groups have beenformed and taken forward specific issues.

More recently, an exercise has taken place to identify the main areas on which the groupneeds to focus in the future" These were identified as:-

Promoting Positive Citizenship

Community Involvement

Community Wellbeing

Community Co-ordination, Partnership and Funding.

A major concern of the group has been the increase in the number of funding opportunitiesaround this kind of community activity and the complexity of locating and accessing these.

Recent proposals for the introduction of Community Learning Plans and the developmentof Local Community NetWorks across Moray fit very well with the activities of theLossiemouth Inter Agency Group, and it is hoped that the new Area Support Officer will beable to undertake a lot of the administrative and development work involved in co-ordinating and targeting the work of such a wide range of agencies.

In summary, it is perhaps now fair to say that the activities of the Lossiemouth Inter AgencyGroup provide a good example of "hands on" short-term and long-term solutions to aparticularly acute community concern.

Rosemary McGhee.


Title: Joint Action Plan in Forres Academy


BACKGROUND

As part of our commitment to the social inclusion of pupils Forres Academy has adopted ateam approach towards action planning for pupils with particular needs. In order to decidehow best to support students the following personnel will have involvement at some, or all,stages in the process

Pastoral Support Co-ordinator, Curricular Support Co-ordinator, GuidanceTutor, SFU Behaviour Support Staff, Year Head, Parents and OutsideAgencies

A shared understanding of the agreed plan for pupils, and clearly identified lines ofcommunication, are vital to the success of this approach

PLANNING

When planning for a student with particular difficulties the year Head convenes a meetingso that a plan can be drawn up which matches the difficulties of the pupil. Some or all ofthe following personnel will be involved.

At this meeting a plan will be formulated. This plan will specify the part to be played by thepersonnel involved. Once the plan is formulated its implementation will normally becomethe responsibility of the Guidance Tutor.

October 2002

Parents

Outside Agencies

Pastoral Support Curricular Support

Guidance Support SFL / Behaviour Support

Year Head

October 2002


SUPPORT STRATEGIES

Support strategies can include some or all of the following, which include involvement fromMoray Youth Action, Social Work and or New Community School staff.

• Positive behaviour card• Advice to staff regarding successful teaching strategies• Pupil counselling• In-class monitoring• In class behaviour support• Regular communication/involvement with parents/carers• SMT target cards• Circle Time"• Support groups (e.g, anger management, social competence}• Positive use of rewards and celebration of success• Agreement of behaviour protocols• Alternative curricular provision"• Weekly 1.1 review meetings with mentor"• Deployment of 'buddies'• Alternative working bases"• Use of work experience for older pupils

MONITORING THE PLAN

Initially responsibility for monitoring pupil progress will lies with the Guidance Tutor; anyenquiries should initially be directed to Tutors. When necessary, Guidance Tutors cancontact the Year Head who will convene any necessary meetings necessary to addressconcerns or problems. It is essential that the Year Head is kept informed of developmentsand especially of any communications with parents and outside agencies.



This is not really a case study. It is rather a brief story of a system that evolved in an attemptto meet demand. The demand was caused by a realisation that discipline, learningdifficulties and guidance issues are all intrinsically linked. Any school problem of this kindalways seemed to be dealt with in a more satisfactory way when all or some of either SFL,Guidance and Behaviour Support were involved. It therefore seemed sensible to formalisethe system so that all the relevant in school agencies were grouped together so that workingtogether was the norm rather than an extra.

The Guidance system in operation had five full time Guidance staff for the last eight years.Each had a pastoral responsibility for a fifth of the school pupil population, but it was clearthere was another group of pupil whose needs demanded more specialist input. Pupils withrecognised and recorded difficulties and were supported throughout the school by the SFLdepartment and in order to do this effectively, the PT-SfL was in regular touch withparents/guardians/carers, outside agencies of many kinds as well as class teachers andauxiliaries. In fact the PT-SfL was already fulfiling a very thorough Guidance role, so it wasagreed that the whole "Guidance support" for this group of children should be adopted bythe PT-SfL.

It was soon after this that the need for "proactivity" in relation to Behaviour Support washighlighted. Because the SFL department had a base with suitable resources, and becausethis base was usually staffed the initial thinking was to develop this resource toaccommodate pupils who were out of their normal classes. This became impracticalhowever as the needs of a "temporarily class excluded" pupil was in many cases quitedifferent from those with specific learning difficulties. The two sets did not sit easily togetherand there was a need for staff with a designated Behaviour Support remit. To this end anappointment was made about two years ago, and an APT Behaviour Support joined the SFLdepartment.

As the Beh Supp work developed it became clear that it lay much more comfortably withGuidance than with SFL. There were also developmental issues, such as resources, roomstorage etc. that required an SMT link. This evolution then led to the formation of thepresent structure whereby the AHT Guidance has an overview of Guidance, SFL andBehaviour Support and is therefore in a position to coordinate as and when appropriate.Coordination of the three vital links, particularly in relation to situations which werebeginning to show signs of difficulty, proved problematic, so again a formalisation of theprocess was put in to place. This took the form of a Behaviour Support meeting. Weekly, aPT Guidance, the APT Behaviour Support and the PT-SfL met with the AHT Guidance todiscuss pupils who were causing concern On the basis of this meeting, the APT BehaviourSupport timetable for the week ahead was agreed.

The discussions during this meeting highlighted the need for an input from outsideagencies, so once a week this becomes a 'multi agency' meeting, with the schoolpsychologist a social work representative and more recently, a community service officer allin attendance.


Title: Exemplar for Elgin Academy

October 2002

October 2002


PTGs had always found a need to share information with each other and indeed much ofthe weekly Departmental Meeting was taken up with this. Health issues became increasinglyconcerning and input from the school nurse valued. It seemed logical then to instituteanother weekly time when all the PTGs, the school nurse and the APT Behaviour Supportcould meet and this is designated a "welfare meeting".

This then is the situation so far. It is not perfect and not by any means unique. It is a systemthat has been allowed to evolve and hopefully will continue to do so as the staff involvedwith pupil welfare and behaviour, attempt to address pupil needs.

G. Milne.


Tim (S1) had been gaining increasing absences prior to Christmas. His mum (Mrs H) hadeventually acknowledged to his Guidance Teacher that she was concerned that he wasbecoming more and more reluctant to attend school. At this point she was driving him ashe refused to travel in the school bus and it had reached the point where his Guidanceteacher was spending 10-15 minutes each morning persuading him to enter the schoolbuilding.

The 'case' was brought to a Year Heads Meeting (SMT/Guidance /SFL) and due to the factthat SFL had recent experience with a school refuser Tim became their 'project' - led by MrsA.

Using a solution focused approach is a positive method of pursuing small identified targets.It is about finding a way to take down, avoid,and hurdle barriers to what is required.

Mrs H was invited to school for discussion and it was quickly established that she would co-operate in any strategy no matter how radical. She agreed that the first priority was to getTim back into a school routine.

Area of Difficulty: Tim had been bullied on the school bus. It had beendealt with but he was still reluctant to travel on it. It wasa bone of contention with Mrs H.

Solution: Mrs H to continue bringing T to school. There was to beno mention of bus in the meantime by mum.

Outcome' Success

Area of Difficulty: Tim refusing to come into school from car,

Solution: Mrs A met the car and gave Tim 5 minutes to be in herroom. A promise made of no class contact until he wasready to go.

Outcome: Tim did arrive at SFL department in tears but was givenwork to do immediately and an expectation of time inwhich to complete it. Mum left by literally pushing himinto the room.

Tim became calm within a short space of time. His work was corrected and he was praisedfor his effort. After 2 periods in SFL it was suggested that he try periods 3 & 4 in class. Hewas happy to try as long as he was walked there. He did not return to SFL all day.

Theme: Solution Focused Methodologies

Title: Exemplar from Milne’s High School

October 2002

October 2002


When discretely monitored he was totally merged in classes, one of the crowd and notunhappy.

This pattern continued for 3 weeks. Mum was updated at a weekly meeting. Significantissues emerged, both from mum and from Tim, during this period

• Mrs H wanted no outside agency help having initially agreed to a LAPMeeting.

• Tim's fear of travelling on the bus. He was still unhappy about how the bullyingincident had been handled.

• Tim's jealousy of a much younger sibling in Primary 1 who 'goes to school nobother and gives me no problems.' (Mrs H)

• Tim's behaviour in some classes was verging on 'unacceptable' because of his'rudeness' and 'arrogance' and 'put downs' of other pupils. He was not a verypopular boy.

• Tim's total lack of concern about being seen crying loudly, hanging on to hismother and generally behaving in an age inappropriate way.

• Mrs H's promises - made as rewards and not kept due to the fact that they wereall cash based and the family were living on benefits.

• Tim's ridiculously early bedtime - at age 13 - 8pm.

• Mrs H's reluctance to get up early. Boys were getting ready on their own.

At this point, having gleaned the information above, Mrs A decided to pass the 'case' on toanother teacher, Mrs B. Dealing with family problems and being the lead person for Timwas going to be difficult and Mrs A assumed the role of manager. This makes being frankand making difficult decisions easier as the 'manager' is seen as neutral and acting in thebest interests of all.

At this point too the Daily Diary was introduced which was to be the main strategy in asolution focused approach. Tim had to score each day out of 10. Targets were set and thescore was dependent on how close he came to meeting the target. This prevents a score of0.The diary is also done in school each morning with the monitoring teacher and thereforeit is not home influenced.

Some areas were easier to deal with than others.

Mrs H was advised of Tim's feelings about his brother and urged to not make comparisons.She did accept this and she did try.

The early bedtime suited Mrs H, but, by allowing leeway, Tim had some time alone with hismum which he desperately needed. She accepted this and made the change.

October 2002


The bullying incident on the bus was re-visited by the Year Head and this time a witnesscame forward. Tim may have felt that he had not been believed previously because thatsingle factor made him much happier.

Due to the fact that Tim was meeting with success and enjoying his progress it appears thathe had settled in class and had become much more content. He was less abrasive withother pupils and less attention seeking with staff.

Throughout all of this Tim scored each day out of 10 and checked in with Mrs B beforeschool started. By asking mum to have Tim in school for this meeting by 8.30, he was ableto attend first two periods. Teachers of these classes were happy to be included in thesupport and Tim was told to forget about what he'd missed and to begin again on the dayhe made it to class.

The 8.30 meeting also meant that Mrs H had to get up much earlier.

The school and Mrs H approached an older boy to help with the bus situation. The olderpupil now calls for Tim and they go to the bus together. They do not sit together. Tim'sreaction to having arrived at school on the bus for the first time in months was quite movingas he ran to tell Mrs B.

The project is now 5 months in progress. Tim does not want the daily check in to stop anda recent prank by a leaver's group disorientated him to the extent that he was tearful again.Demonstrating graphically, in case of complacency, just how fragile he is.

It is the opinion of both teachers, Mrs A and Mrs B, that the real tensions are between Timand his mum and that they are manifested in Tim being a school refuser. Mrs H was initiallyvery keen for any support offered but when she realised that inter agency support wouldmean Social Work as well as Educational Psychologist input she was quite adamant thatthat was not what she wanted. She was not prepared for the fact that she would have tosupport Tim as much as she was asked and that too caused some difficult talking betweenMrs A and Mrs H.

The decision to put Mrs A as a neutral manager was a good one as Mrs B required supportand advice on occasion and Mrs A did not allow Tim and Mrs H to manipulate situations.

The entire project has maintained at its core, looking at the difficulty, finding the solution tothat difficulty and then the route through the difficulty.

In all of this Tim, by keeping a daily score diary, identified for himself and others the reasonswhy some days were low scored but more importantly the reasons why most days were highscores. The reasons for the low scores were dealt with and the high scores showed the wayto go.

This solution-focused project has the inbuilt ability to raise confidence, self concept and selfesteem. The diary also identifies difficulties and areas of success and has worked mosteffectively for this pupil.



In February 2001 loan Rees conducted a training session on Solution Focused Brief Therapyat the Beechbrae Education Centre. Being inspired by the philosophy behind the approach,further study was done using the book "Solutions in Schools" edited by Yasmin Ajmal andloan Rees. In simple terms the focus is on finding solutions rather than dwelling on past orexisting problems.

This approach was used with a group of five SI boys experiencing behavioural problems.Four out of the five had been excluded from school on more than one occasion and thefifth was regularly in trouble for constant low level disruption. The forum for this work wasa Boys' Group run jointly between the school and Moray Youth Action. It was important tobuild up a rapport between the boys and the workers before any real work could begin.This was done by discussion and activities designed for everyone to get to know each otherbetter. Once a working ambience was present in the group ..scaling was introduced. Thisis one of the techniques of Solution Focused working.

A flip chart was used on which was drawn a scale from 0 to 10. The boys were asked inturn to identify a target that they could work towards to improve their lot in school. Once atarget was identified they were asked to say where on the scale they currently were towardsmeeting this target. Some suggested that they were around two or three while others feltthat they were nearer five or six. Two weeks later the flip chart was re-visited and the boysasked where they had reached in the progress towards their target. As well as quantifyingprogress in numerical terms they were asked to identify how they knew that they had madeprogress towards their target. In addition they were asked how other people, such asteachers or parents knew that they were making progress towards their targets. This proveda very worthwhile exercise with all the boys listening attentively to each other andconsidering the solution to their difficulties in a way in which progress could be quantifiedThey also had to consider the reaction of themselves and other people to the efforts theywere making towards meeting their targets.

The Solution Focused approach is also used in meetings with parents and in LocalAssessment and Planning (LAP) meetings. Time is always at a premium, particularly wherea number of people from different agencies have to be brought together for jointassessment and planning. It is wasteful of time to use the meeting to cataloguemisdemeanours when instead the focus should be on finding a way forward to minimise thedifficulties and to discuss what the different agencies might have to offer in the way ofsupport. It is also essential to engage the young person in seeking solutions to theirproblems rather than having decisions imposed on them by others.

Further training in the Solution Focused approach would be beneficia] for all personnelworking with young people experiencing difficulties in their lives. It is hoped thatopportunities will be available in the near future.

Rosemary McGhee.


Title: Exemplar from Lossiemouth high School

October 2002


Problem-solving has traditionally concentrated on trying to identify and understand theproblem. A solution-focused thinker acknowledges that professionals may only be able tohypothesise about reasons for problems and sadly can often do little to change a child’scircumstances. By focusing on looking for a solution it is possible to begin to makechanges.

The fundamental premise of Solution Focused Brief Therapy is that positive change cancome about by utilising the strengths, skills and resources of those with whom we work.Thus, SFBT is a competency-based model which promotes seIf-reliance. When used inschools, the teacher is the facilitator. Young people are helped to explore their ownknowledge about the dIfficulty they have and the emphasis is on their ability to dosomething about it.

SFBT is focused on clear, achievable, practical and realistic goals. These are in fact set bythe young person (or parent, or colleague) through a joint process of identifying patterns ofbehaviour where the problem does not occur in his or her life (ie the 'exceptions'), visualisinga preferred future, focusing on changes which need to happen and remembering examplesof past successes in relation to resolving difficult situations. Thus the concept of 'possibilities'is introduced - change is possible.

So, the process consists of two main activities:-

• finding out where the young person (or colleague, or parent) wants to get to, and• finding out what he or she has already done or is already doing which is likely to

help him or her to get there.

The power behind the approach comes from co-operation. The person's views are listenedto and respected without judgement, criticism, blame or even advice and the ensuingproblem-solving is joint. Goals are not imposed. By fully involving the young person in theprocess and giving him or her ownership of the goals, and ultimately the solutions thechances of success are maximised.

The basic guiding principles of SFBT, in relation to schools are:-

• If it works. do more of it; if it doesn't, do something differently.• A small change in any aspect of a school problem can initiate a solution• Young persons, parents and teachers have the necessary resources to change school

problems.• A focus on future possibilities and solutions enhances change.• There are many possible meanings and interpretations for any given behaviour.

If one particular view is not working, toss it out and try another.• Co-operation enhances change.• The problem is the problem. not the young person.

(These principles are reproduced with permission from loan Rees - see references)


Title: The Solution Focused Approach

October 2002

October 2002


Listening and language are all-important in SFBT. The facilitator listens intently for cluesabout the young persons strengths. skills and resources initially. The next stage involveslistening for 'exceptions. (ie when the problem does not happen or happens less). andexamples of past successes. and for small indications that change is happening.

The language used by the facilitator and the way language is used is most Important andit is this aspect which requires training, practice and experience. Certain kinds of questionsare used throughout the approach and it is worthwhile becoming familiar with these. Hereare some examples:-

GOALS• How will you know that you are managing better in PE?• What will be happening?• How will your mum know that it is OK to stop worrying?

Such questions help the young person to set clear and specific goals. If the goals are notclear, he or she will not know when the goals are attained and will not recognise whenprogress is being made towards the goals.

EXCEPTION FINDING“Tell me about the times it doesn't happen/it happens less/it bothers you less.”“What was life like before?”“Tell me about the times when (the problem) is not in control. What do these timeslook like?”

In relation to virtually any problem there are exceptions. In terms of the young person's (orcolleagues or parent's) view of the problem there is a great difference between the idea thata problem always happens and that the person has no power and no control, and the ideathat the problem might only happen in a specific set of circumstances and sometimes theperson can refuse the problem behaviour and can be in charge. These kind of questionsaim to elicit exceptions.

LOCATION RESOURCES, BUILDING ON STRENGTHS• When you faced this sort of problem in the past, how did you resolve it?'• How could you do that again?• What needs to happen for you to do that again?

Talking with the young person, colleague or parent about how they solved other problemsin the past can help him or her to identify an approach that has worked in the past. Thisprocess helps to keep the intervention brief, empowers and makes success more likely.

SCALINGA tool which can be helpful if used carefully is 'scaling. The basic idea can be improved andexpanded through experience and practice and it is advisable not to use scaling toofrequently until a repertoire has been built up as it could be off- putting for a young personto be asked the same thing time and again.

October 2002


A basic scaling question would be, “On a scale of I - 10 with I being the worst that thingshave been in your life and 10 representing how you want things to be, where are youtoday?”

It can be followed with:-

“What is it that you are doing that means that you are at .......... and not at 1?”

“How will life look when you are at 10?”

“So if you are on 3, what will you be doing that tells you you are on 4?”

“What will be happening when you get to ........ ?”

Scaling questions help to break down complex situations into manageable parts. Thebeauty of scaling questions is that once the teacher becomes really familiar andcomfortable with them they can be applied more specifically and creatively to anindividual's problem in a way that is quite personal to him or her,

SFBT is a way of working which fits well into the classroom situation. A Solution Focusedapproach can be usefully applied in a variety of ways from individual work with a child toparent/teacher meetings to multi-agency meetings,

TRAINING

• Local training can be organised through the Educational Psychology Service,• loan Rees, of Sycol Brief Therapy Training, is engaged by The Moray Council toprovide training once or twice a year in Moray (www.svcol.org),• The Brief Therapy Practice, 7 - 8 Newbury Street, London, ECl 7HU haveregular training programmes, some of which are based in Scotland.

REFERENCES

Rees, I (2001) The Theory and Practice of Pupil Support - A Solution-Focused Approach.

O'Connell, B (1998) Solution-Focused Therapy. Sage Publications.

J Rhodes & Y Ajmal (1995) Solution-Focused Thinking in Schools, BT Press.

George, E, Iveson. C & Rather, H. Brief Therapy Practice Course Notes.

Durrant, M (1995) Creative Strategies for School Problems, WW Norton.

Springer. B & Mall, M (1999) A Solution-Focused Approach in Anger Management withChildren, The Questions Publishing Company Ltd.

Deirdre Cavalcante


Framework for Intervention (FFI) is primarily a mechanism to provide support for classroomteachers in addressing behavioural concerns which affect teaching and learning. It also hasan impact upon the wider school system, aiding their evolution as learning organisations.The approach was developed by Educational Psychologists working for Birmingham CityCouncil and has been widely adopted throughout its nursery , primary and secondaryschools. Evaluation1 has highlighted the benefits from aiding whole-school improvement toimproving teacher self confidence.

THE PRINCIPLES

These are fundamental to the success of the approach. It is accepted that, whatever thecauses of a young persons challenging behaviour, their environment has an impact and, assuch, the school/classroom environment can be adapted to positive effect. Blame is agreedto be unhelpful and a barrier to change and is taken away from young people, theirparents, teachers, school management and so on.....

The Framework is not imposed upon staff and is available on a purely opt in basis. It isviewed as a support system where seeking the support is a positive and proactive move. Theteacher is in control of the process from accessing the support worker to deciding uponappropriate intervention. The role of the support worker is to work alongside the teacher ina solution focused way. encouraging the teacher’s own ideas in recognition of their role asexpert of their class. All teacher concerns are taken seriously.

THE FRAMEWORK

A trained support worker (BeCo in Birmingham) who is a respected member of the schoolstaff is responsible for the running of FFI within the school. S/he is, in turn, supported by akey support worker from outwith the school. It operates on 3 levels, starting withenvironmental intervention in a Behaviour Environment Plan jointly drawn up between theteacher and support worker. This will usually run for 6 weeks.

The approach provides a clear structure for the identification, baselining, planning andreview of intervention. This will primarily be class-based and led by the teacher althoughthe support worker may provide practical assistance in factors outwith the class. Typically,intervention stays at level I, although provision is made for focusing upon individuals orgroups at levels 2 and 3. This will involve parents, pupils and promoted staff,

1 Cole. Dr T. Visser. Dr J. Daniels and Daniels Prof H - The Framework for Intervention Identifying and Promoting Effective

Practice ISecond Evaluation Report) - The University' of Birrnmgham January 2000.

Theme: Framework for Intervention

Title: An Example of Good Practice

October 2002

October 2002


THE PROCESS Teacher has concern

Teacher approaches supportworker

Support worker asks teacher to completeBehaviour Environment Checklist

Teacher & support worker reviewBehaviour Environment Checklist

& identify priority areas

Baseline

Behaviour Environment Planruns for 6 weeks

Baseline repeated

Teacher & support worker reviewBehaviour Environment Plan &decide upon any further action

FFI IN MORAY

Moray came to find out about and value FFI through our own interest and research linkswith Aberdeenshire and Birmingham City which coincided with the Scottish Executives BBBLinitiative and national recognition of its values, aims and effectiveness.

As a result, we are committed to carrying out an evaluated pilot study in both primary andsecondary sectors with a view to its possible expansion.

Anyone interested in finding out more can do so through Educational Psychology or theInclusion and Support Services.

Framework is ..... empowering, supportive, no blame, evidence based and effective.

Framework is not ...... a deficit model, imposed or a behaviour policy.

Kirsty MacDonald.


Psychiatrists differentiate between truancy and school refusing as truancy being a "conductdisorder" and school refusing an "emotional disorder".

School refusing involves:-• severe difficulty in attending school, often amounting to prolonged absence.• severe emotional upset, symptoms of which include excessive fearfulness, undue

tempers, distress or complaints of feeling ill without obvious organic cause onbeing faced with the prospect of going to school.

• staying at home with the knowledge of parents.• showing absence of significant antisocial disorder.• fears often dissipating once successfully in school.

The traditional psychoanalytic view is that separation anxiety often underlies schoolrefusing. This may be as the result of obvious stresses - maternal illness, for example, ormarital disharmony - or it may be an enduring characteristic of the mother-childrelationship. However, separation anxiety can occur without refusal to go to school andschool refusing can occur without separation anxiety. Depressant mood and otheremotional symptoms occur in about half of all school refusing children.

To determine the true nature of the condition a psychologist or psychiatrist would askquestions about what the child is like when he or she is not at school. If the child isdescribed as being withdrawn, miserable, lacking in concentration and interest, not mixingsocially, friendless, it is likely that the school refusal is part of a more widespread emotionalproblem such as depression.

Another key question is. . . What does the child do when he or she is not attending school?Some may be happily occupied watching television or playing computer games. If parentsdo not insist that these activities stop in school hours they are colluding with the child in hisor her refusing.

An important related issue is that of "control". In many instances of school refusing,boundaries and limits are not set consistently at home. The child tries to take control by wayof ensuring that the status quo remains, ie. that they will not have to attend school. Life canbe difficult and "stuck" for the family. The child's behaviour in these circumstances becomesvery powerful. Professional help is sometimes needed to support parents in being firm,which actually serves to make the child feel safe, and to help the child to relinquish the needto try to control.

Good communication between professionals and parents is of the utmost importance in thetreatment of school-refusing. It is a condition which can arouse high levels of anxiety andcan provoke inter- and intra-professional conflict. A consistent co-ordinated approach isthus required. (Abridged from article in Scottish Child, March 1995 by D Leach).

Deirdre Cavalcante.

Theme: School Refusers

Title: “Can’t go, won’t go”

October 2002

October 2002


WHAT IS NEEDED

• early identification and intervention• co-operative joint working between school staff, parents and child• a programme of clear steps, adhered to rigidly, by all concerned (no

surprises for the child)• good communication between all involved professionals• regular review and planning

GUIDELINES FOR WORKING WITH CHILDRENWHO SCHOOL REFUSE

• It is of crucial importance to identify the difficulties at an early stage and to beproactive. Early signs of a problem may be odd days of absence particularly on aMonday or the first school day following a holiday. Many school-refusing childrenhave found it difficult to return to school following a period of absence due to illness.There may also have been a history of separation anxiety around nursery/P1 stage.

• If there is reason for school staff to be concerned over absences, the Head Teachershould not hesitate to talk sensitively with the child's parents. The concerns should beshared, and an explanation given as to the reasons for needing to address thedifficulties together.

• It might be suggested that a friend walk to school with the youngster or a member ofthe child's extended family can be helpful in that they are slightly more removed fromthe situation than parents.

• Somatic symptoms such as tummy aches, feeling sick or headaches may be evident.It is important to have the child's health checked by the school doctor or GP. Theadults in the child's life need to accept these complaints are real for the child and theywill recede when the difficulties begin to be addressed.

• The parents need feedback about how the child settles in school as they will imaginethe same upset they face in the morning to be continuing throughout the day.

• Parents sometimes need support to be firm with their child in relation to setting limitsaround school attendance. It can be upsetting for them to insist that their child goesto school in the face of tears and upset. They need reassurance that teaching staff willmonitor the child's well-being and contact the parent in the event of illness. However,unless the child is running a temperature or being physically sick, it is better, withparent's permission, to keep the child in school allowing them to take "time oUt" in aquiet place. If the child is not attending the parent should be encouraged to withdrawaccess to TV or computer games during the day.

October 2002


• In primary School there are opportunities to listen carefully for clues about thedifficulty and even more importantly, to identify the times when the problem is not aproblem and the child manages well. If the child feels able to talk about what istroubling them in school and feels that the adults are trying to help to make changesin order to find a solution, there is more chance of success. In secondary school theguidance teacher or a teacher from the SFL team may be the key person to work withthe child and link with home and other professionals if necessary

• Some children who school-refuse have difficulties relating socially to their peers andmay need some support and guidance in this area. Classroom strategies such asCircle Time or smaller groupwork such as Circle of Friends, can help to address thesedifficulties.

• Concerns may be brought to the attention of the school's educational psychologist asa consultation without a formal referral being required at an early stage.

• Teaching staff can provide useful and important information by keeping short,objective notes about absences, and about the young person's coping strategies. Itmay be possible to build a picture of patterns of behaviour from these.

• An assessment by the SFL team may identify any learning difficulty which might becontributing to the difficulty.

• Teaching staff most closely involved with the child may need support. School refusingcan cause teachers to feel de-skilled or blamed, as the parent often looks for school-based reasons for the difficulties. School refusing is more often about the child feelingsafe and comfortable at home and perhaps threatened by the prospect of separationfrom his or her parents than about the child feeling upset in school.

• If a child appears to be excessively anxious or depressed the parent should beencouraged to visit their GP and a referral to Child and Family Psychiatry might besuggested at that point.

• Once the school-refusing is rather more entrenched there is sometimes a need for amember of staff or a person from another agency to set up an arrangement for a fewdays (hopefully!) where the child is collected from home and taken to school until theyget back into the routine and are clear about the expectation to attend. (Dependingon the stage of the school-refusing problem this may require a gradual process ofintegration starting with an initial journey to school, visiting a key teacher, etc.)

• A Local Assessment and Planning meeting is a supportive and constructive way ofbringing people together and problem-solving jointly. Good communication is crucialand at this stage an Individual Plan may be required. All steps need to be clearlystated and it is important that these steps are adhered to by all concerned and nosurprises are sprung on the child or parent. There is a temptation when things aregoing well to rush ahead but this can result in becoming the reason for a breakdownat a later stage.

• Regular review and planning will be needed until the difficulties are resolved.

Deirdre Cavalcante.


The demise of Scotvec and the 'seamless transition' to Access 2/3 in the Higher Still ladderof qualifications was one which was both timely and appropriate for those young peoplewithin the 2% identified by Warnock as having a Special Educational Need.

Support for Learning staff had, for a long time, recognised the need for an alternative routeto qualifications at the end of S2 for those pupils for whom Standard Grade 'F' courses werestill inaccessible.

The Skillstart and Workstart group of Scotvec Modules provided our pupils with effectiveand appropriate courses. However the choice of module and the model for delivery wasbased very much on the experience of the Support for Learning teacher and as a result thepool of resources was very much limited and school based.

In Session 2000-2001, the Principal Teachers voted to use 'H' Still development money co-operatively. Each school who could, offered to develop and present, in an 'off the shelf'format, a cluster of units or a single unit. These were then submitted to the Education Officeand then circulated to all secondary schools.

In a single session, each school in the authority has gained a broad range of units and evencomplete clusters which have been developed for all to share. It has to be recognised thatthe delivery and presentation will change with the personnel involved, but the backbone hasbeen put in place and the benefit is that there is now a cohesion and commonality on whatis offered as alternative post 14 choices to young people whose learning requires supportand differentiation.

The core skills are in place for each school to deliver if that is appropriate and a sharing ofexperience and money has resulted in a cost effective and cost productive exercise.

At this point, a second group of pupils in my own school are halfway through their Access2 curriculum. Their confidence, self esteem and learning have noticeably increased and thishas been witnessed by their peers where courses are delivered in parallel. In fact, thecourses have provided a safety net for pupils, whose presentation at Standard Grade is arisk

It is gratifying to see young people who have difficulties with learning working towards unitassessments and being on an inclusive level with their peer group. 'They talk the same talkand walk the same walk'. They use the same terminology and have assessments at the sametime as everyone else. Their progression towards qualification is expected and it is charted.They know where they are and what they are expected to know. There is a different attitudeto learning and to the process of learning amongst those young people who werechallenging in classes where the learning was not at their access level.

The decision taken by the Principal Teachers on how to use development resources has mosteffectively and practically used time and money to benefit a group of young people acrossthe authority.


Theme: Use of Higher Still Units

Title: Higher Still Access 2

October 2002


Ever since I was the primary representative on the CITB1 I have had an involvement with TheMoray College. We bid into a grant which was available to enhance the ground at the backof the school grounds. The initial plan was to construct tactile slabs and a garden area tobe used by the children in the unit for autism.

The whole project was fraught with problems from the start however because ofreorganisation at the college and the lack of staff to carry out the actual work. Work didstart however and Mr Gordon McKinnon, a lecturer at the college, was my direct contact.He constructed an area which was mainly a horticultural project which did not develop toowell however.

Due to added problems with the college's restructuring and personnel we had no contactwith the college until recently when Mr McKinnon and students came to the school to rectifythe work and construct a new paving area. The children from the school's gardening clubin fact went to the college to make concrete slabs in the building department at Linkwood.At the moment the MEBP2 will be funding the additional costs for the project. The state ofplay at the moment is Mr McKinnon contacting Mr Donnie McBean, of the college, to assistus with greener, which we would be planting in the garden area.

The other aspect of our college links is the regular student placements in the nursery at theschool. Students in the national certificate in child care and education course have toundertake placements in nursery departments and other providers. We have a steadystream of students assisting us in the nursery.

My thanks go to the college for all the help they have given us over the years. Thepartnership is a strong one and hopefully will continue into the future.

Ian Brodie.

1 Construction IndustryTraining Board2 Moray Education BusIness Partnership

Theme: Moray College Links

Title: Kinloss Primary School & relationships with Moray College

October 2002


One of the greatest causes for concern in any school is dealing with inappropriatebehaviours and responses from young people. As the teacher who usually has contact withthe young person I am privy to both sides of every story .

What is significant is the number of occasions when a young person's lack of social skillsleads to an escalation of a situation. This usually ends in confrontation and challenge. Theinterchange allows the young person to appear rude and ill mannered. It can leave themconfused and angry too because the simple fact can be that, the skills demanded by anadult in such a situation are skills as yet unlearned by the young person.

As part of a support strategy a Classroom Behaviour Plan was initiated within a Support ForLearning department which recognised the need to, not only address learning needs, butalso to teach the skills required for responsible, age appropriate behaviour. The base lineof the Classroom Behaviour Plan is that, a teacher has the right to teach, a young personhas the right to learn and that within the teaching area everyone has the right to be safephysically and psychologically.

An established set of Ground Rules was the starting point. Ground rules are not whatchildren allow us to have: Ground rules are what is needed if teaching and learning is totake place. They are statements of expectation. Ground rules are about producing andmaintaining a clear code of conduct which balances rewards and sanctions within a positivecommunity atmosphere. Ground rules make it unacceptable for teachers to acceptbehaviour from young people that developmentally is totally inappropriate. Ground rulesare hard work but though consistency is hard work for teachers, it is crucial for pupils.Ground rules are statements of expectation and an understanding that adults willdemonstrate what they expect of young people.

The Ground Rules were 5 positively written statements, written and arrived at co-operatively.However the expectations implicit in the ground rules had to be taught. Staff followed a 3-step plan.

• Use clear activity directions which include an instruction about how to e.g. 'Comein, sit down, jackets on chairbacks, bags on floor, pencils on desk' repeated againand again and again. In two weeks the pupils knew what was expected. Theteacher had coached the entrance. It was repeated from time to time but in fact thepupils had learned how to enter a room and how to prepare to work

• Provide supportive feedback to those who follow the clear activity direction whichmeant that the teacher found a way to praise those pupils who carried out theactivity well. It modelled good practice.

Theme: Teaching Social Skills

Title: Exemplar from Milnes High School

October 2002

October 2002


Other examples are coaching how to change from one activity to the next; how to answerin class, how to speak to each other, how to speak in groups (a 2 group voice, 4 groupvoices, whole class voice) how to take a turn, how to accept praise, how to ask to leave theroom, how to behave when some one new enters the room.

The maintenance and consistency of adhering to the plan demands a real commitment.However the whole process, although lengthy to describe, becomes part and parcel ofpreparation and staff become comfortable with it. In fact the learning of a new skill is thesame for staff as for pupils . Repetition and reinforcement take the skill from new, througha practice process to the automatic stage.

In the present session all staff have adopted this approach within this department. It isnoticeable how our pupils have responded to this teaching process. They can identify forthemselves what is appropriate and suitable in a given situation.

At this stage in SI it is recognised that the pupils in our area of responsibility have madeconsiderable progress in acquiring social skills. This factor has allowed these youngsters inparticular to learn skills which they use across the curriculum.

The process has been evaluated and is about to be shared with the whole staff. It isenvisaged that the Classroom Behaviour Plan which has proved effective for verychallenging pupils will be adopted across the school by all staff.



Two male pupils from a Primary 5 class had been referred to the Team because ofbehavioural difficulties. One was overtly challenging and the other was withdrawn, isolatedand appeared to be unhappy. At a planning meeting, it was decided that both would benefitfrom participating in a Social Skills programme because of difficulties experienced by bothpupils in communicating their needs and wishes to both pupils and staff. In consultation withthe Head Teacher and the Class Teacher, it was decided to run the programme for thewhole class. In this way, all who shared the social context could have the opportunity toparticipate and the class teacher would be able to reinforce the skills in the week betweenthe visits. As the class was already familiar with Circle Time and its guidelines, it wasdecided to use this format for teaching the individual lessons. Two teachers worked togetheron planning and delivering the programme, which comprised of 8 weeks of a one hourlesson.

Games were chosen to link in and practice the skills of the lesson and to promote a senseof enjoyment. The children were urged to reflect after each game as to why it might beincluded and which skills it was developing. These skills were mainly listening, turn-taking,observation and cooperation. Initially this took a bit of time and encouragement but thechildren quickly improved in their ability to identify the skills within a game. They alsoenjoyed the challenge of the games and grew in confidence to participate, particularly themore inhibited and withdrawn children. The structure of the games also helped the moreimpetuous children to await their turn.

The social skills viewed as important ports of relationship building and maintenance weretaught to the group through the games and through a variety of other methods such as roleplay, modelling of behaviours, story-telling, brain-storming, puppets and discussion.

The children were firstly asked to consider ways in which they might be similar and alsodifferent to highlight the importance of being an individual and of considering individualresponses in situations. Through brainstorming they looked at physical attributes andpersonal qualities and what made people the way they were. The importance of listeningand detecting when people were listening by considering body language and eye contactwas presented through roleplay , when the children were encouraged to observe carefullyto become "body language detectives". Pupils then role-played good listening techniquesand poor listening techniques and were asked to think about how they felt when theythought they were being listened to and when they thought they were not being listened to.

The lessons then moved on to consider feelings through a story involving a puppet . Thechildren quickly identified with what happened to the puppet and were able to identify whatfeelings the puppet might have had by thinking about how they might feel in a similarsituation. The children were asked to be feelings detectives while further role-play ofsituations was demonstrated by the teachers. They were asked to look for outward signs ofwhat the feelings might be and again proved to be capable of identifying these. Next they

Theme: Teaching Social Skills

Title: Examples of good practice

October 2002

October 2002


were asked to match up feelings labels with cartoon face cards, looking for observablesigns. This illicited quite an amount of discussion within the group. Another part of thelesson involved looking at a series of photographs depicting scenes to identify what mighthave happened and how people might be feeling. This section finished off by asking thechildren to complete the rounds, I feel happy/sad/angry/worried/excited when.............”

Finally the children were asked to explore what friendship was, how they would identify whowould be a friend and what they would do to maintain a friendship. This was done throughbrainstorming and discussion.

At the end of the programme, the children were asked to reflect on what they had learntand were each presented with a certificate identifying the skills which had been presentedas part of the course.

The benefits of presenting this programme to the whole class were that everyone had thesame opportunity to learn and reflect on the skills. There was no resentment of the two boysbeing treated as 'special' or 'different'. The class teacher was present and participated fully,which also meant that she was able to reinforce during the week what was presented ateach session. The children clearly enjoyed the experience as they participated andcontributed well week by week. They also extended a very warm welcome to the visitingTeam teachers.

Sandra Bruce.


Praise and reward systems are in operation in many schools in Moray asan important means of promoting and reinforcing positive behaviour inschool. It is a central theme of our behaviour policy at Rothes PrimarySchool.

In simple terms, our behaviour policy at Rothes School is based upon 3 key principles:I. There is a clear set of rules for behaviour, which have been developed by pupils,

staff and parents and endorsed by them.

2. There are strategies for rewarding and promoting pupil behaviour as individuals,working as a class and as part of the whole school community.

3. There is a framework of sanctions, recognised and accepted by pupils, staff andparents that is called upon when school rules are not upheld.

We believe that by continually reinforcing 'good' behaviour from children through praiseand reward systems, that the child's self esteem and confidence increases as the child learnsto accept responsibility for his or her behaviour; when given choices, the pupil isencouraged to take the positive one.

It is important that children develop an awareness and sense of community with others,through striving not only for individual praise and reward, but for recognition as part of agroup or team that is working towards similar goals.

Rules

Any group or people who live, work or interact with one another need to have a set of rules(or guidelines) to follow that are fair and just, enabling achievement for all. This helps tocreate a positive, caring ethos in which achievement, attainment and a sense of belongingare recognised and built upon.

A basic set of rules for the whole school that has been agreed and endorsed by the wholeschool community is one of the foundation stones of a behaviour policy. In addition,classroom rules are discussed by the teacher and pupils at the beginning of the schoolsession, to heighten pupil awareness and input, and to reflect the fundamental principlesstated in the school rules and statement of school aims

Agreed rules are displayed in classrooms and throughout the school to remind everyone(including parents) about what has been agreed and accepted, as well as reinforcing thehigh profile accorded to creating a positive, working atmosphere in school.

Theme: Use of Rewards

Title: Praise and Reward System

October 2002

October 2002


Sanctions

Parents and pupils need to be aware that if children break rules in school that the childrenaccept responsibility for this and address the consequences. The framework for sanctions inRothes is based on a system of Timeouts, which was developed through working with pupils,parents and staff to identify the most common negative behaviour dealt with in school, andallocate a level of sanction appropriate to the action.

Minor misdemeanours such as excessive talking, non-completion of work on time,disrupting others, etc, can usually be rectified through verbal warnings, removal of the pupilto another seat, use of staff to ensure closer observation, monitoring and support for thepupil. Head Teacher referral may also be used, but only after classroom strategies havefailed.

If misbehaviour is persistent and serious, Timeouts are given to the child. A Timeout is a slipof paper that identifies what the child is being given a sanction for. The class teachernormally issues these (it can also be the Head Teacher, Playground Supervisor, VisitingSpecialists and SFL), detailing the reason for the Timeout. The parent is expected to checkit and discuss the incident with their child, helping to demonstrate that the school and homeare working in partnership to promote positive behaviour. They are encouraged to contactthe school to discuss serious incidents and may be requested to do so. The slip is signed bya parent and returned to school, where the child will then carry out the sanction - a numberof specified lunchtimes that he/she stays in school and completes tasks set by the classteacher.

Timeouts are given ranging from a Level C for minor, persistent misbehaviour such as time-wasting, through to Level B - swearing, spitting, etc, and finally on to Level A - bullying.insolence to adults, fighting, damage to school property. Timeouts range from a singlelunchtime spent in school, to five days. Support staff, teachers or the Head Teacher providelunchtime supervision for pupils.

Only a small minority of pupils are issued with Timeouts in any school session. The focusfor our school is to recognise and promote positive or desired behaviour. Staff areencouraged to use praise and motivation as frequently as possible and to link this with theformal systems in place for rewarding good behaviour.

Strategies for Promoting and RecognisingPositive Behaviour to Achieve Better Learning

There are a number of strategies outlined below which Rothes School employs to ensurethat positive behaviour is recognised throughout the school, not just in curricular areas Weare reinforcing high standards of citizenship, responsibility for their own actions, a desire todo their best and the recognition of other peoples' rights

October 2002


House Points

Rothes School has a three House System in which all pupils and staff are members (familiesare placed in the same House.) Points are awarded by all staff for achievement, effort andpositive behaviour. Points are collected weekly by House Captains, who are elected bypupilsand staff at the start of the session. There is a weekly Assembly, at which the House Captainsannounce points gained to date, award extra house points for individuals, keep them up todate with inter-House challenges and encourage 'their' team to do their best for their House

Passports for Prizes

This is an idea developed from Hythehill Primary School in Lossiemouth, in which pupils areissued at the start of the year with a 'passport' and they collect 'stamps' to work towards smallprizes. Teachers have five passport stamps that they issued daily to the class for a challengethat is specified to pupils for the week or that day. At the end of the day, the teacher issuesstamps to those children who have best worked towards that target. Challenges are notalways curricular, but relevant to the class.

Prizes are issued from the school office when the pupil has gained 10 stamps, then 20, 30,etc. At the end of the school session, a prize is awarded to the pupil who has the moststamps overall. Prizes are donated by local companies/individuals and are usually smallitems such as keyrings, erasers, special pens, notebooks, mini-torches, etc.

This initiative has proved highly motivating for individuals, who relish a daily challenge andsee an obvious gain for themselves. It is also a motivating tool for teachers that can betailored to their daily requirements, who alone can issue them to her class.

C.H.A.M.P.S. (Children Have Achieved Maximum Potential)

Again, an idea based on an initiative from Hythehill Primary School. This is a class-basedchallenge. Each month, the class teacher and pupils together draw up three challenges forthe class to work towards during the next month. There is one challenge based oncitizenship, one curricular and for positive thinking. Each challenge starts off with 5 points.As the month progresses, the teacher observes how the class have responded to the setchallenges. Points are lost if challenges are not taken up, but pupils have an opportunity toregain points throughout the month if they respond to the challenges and work togethertowards achieving them.

At the end of each month, the school holds a CHAMPS Assembly, at which each teacherwill read out the class challenges and the final score for the class. The Head Teacher canalso award CHAMPS points for specific positive behaviour of the class as a whole. The classwith the most points wins the CHAMP Challenge for that month and is given juice andbiscuits in class along with a treat chosen by their teacher.

This challenge is particularly popular with staff and pupils, as it identifies how each class

October 2002


by the whole school. It has become an established part of the school's programme formaintaining a positive ethos across the school.

Golden Time

On Friday afternoon, children are allowed a 'free period' of up to 30 minutes if they havehad a week free of incidents and have worked hard to achieve their best in class. The classteacher makes a specified range of activities available, or children can choose story-telling,drama or team games. This has a positive impact for the whole class, allowing them somefriendly, informal time together with their teacher. It ends the school week on a high notefor children and staff alike.

Assembly

Assemblies are used to promote, display and discuss pupil work and to allow classes theopportunity to highlight their achievements alongside their learning.

When children have passed national assessments they receive a certificate to celebrate this.When they represent the school in sport or other competitions, they are thanked andcongratulated and asked to tell the audience about the event itself. Each team that hasrepresented Rothes School throughout the year will receive certificates at the closingceremony at the end of the session.

House Captains confer and choose a weekly citizen of the week, which is recognised at theassembly.

Praise and reward systems must include formal and public recognition of good behaviourand work, from their peers and adults alike.

Head Teacher Awards

Head Teacher Awards are nominated by any member of staff and are given out at assembly, or when the child is sent to the Head Teacher with a particularly good piece of work orachievement. This reinforces to staff as well as pupils that children should haveopportunities to share their work with the Head Teacher, who sees it as infinitely morepreferable to seeing children due to poor behaviour!

Conclusion

A number of strategies are in use at Rothes to ensure that pupils remain highly motivatedand take responsibility for their own behaviour, as well as supporting staff in maintaining apositive, pleasant and challenging working environment for their pupils. There are severalissues that have been identified in this school as well as others which are essential factorsin using an effective praise and reward system in school.

October 2002


• Teachers must be consistent in their use of praise and reward strategies, as well assanctions.

• Monitoring of the system is essential to ensure that is being administered in linewith whole school procedures, as well as the teacher using strategies as a meansof monitoring individuals.

• Rewards must be reasonable and should not consist of getting out of necessaryschoolwork.

• Praise must be genuine and deserved.

• The systems in place should be reinforced at the beginning of each session toensure that pupils and staff keep it at a high level of awareness.

• Promises made should be kept.

An excellent commentary, guidance and advice about the use of Praise and RewardsSystems is available online from the Anti-Bullying NetWork Website'

www.antibullying.net/praisereward.htm

Address' The Anti-Bully Network, Moray House Institute of Education, University ofEdinburgh, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8, 8AQ.

Julie Grant, Rothes Primary School.


a) Positive Behaviour Award

This school operates a positive behaviour award on a weekly basis.

Pupils receive on entry to the school a pamphlet entitled 'Look Who's Smiling this Week'.This outlines the process for them and is intended to be shared by the pupil and their parent.

Each week initially there were two awards handed out for each class; Teacher's pupil of theweek and Pupil's pupil of the week. This has now been extended to an award from the SENBase to whoever in the school has been of help with the pupils in that area.

The Teacher's award is chosen by the class teacher and awarded for positive attitudes asdetailed in the pupils pamphlet.

The Pupil's award is chosen by the peer group in the class and awarded for anything thatthey think appropriate This is done on a secret voting system with all nominations signedand reason stated.

The certificate awarded states exactly what it has been awarded for along with the class anddate of award.

The awards are handed out weekly, with certificates presented at assembly time with allawardees coming out to the front to receive the recognition they deserve The originalcertificates are taken home for the pupil to share with their parents. Duplicate certificatesalong with the pupils photograph are then displayed in the hall for the coming week. Thesephotographs are taken yearly and kept in the Pupil Portfolio so consequently if a pupil goesright through the school then they would have a photograph of themselves from P1 throughto P7. The duplicate certificates are also stored in the same location after their stint in theschool hall.

The whole process has been welcomed by the pupils, parents and staff alike. Pupilsbehaviour especially in the playground has seen a marked improvement and there isobvious pride in being awarded one of the certificates.

We have found this to be a very positive step with the pupils in the school and have foundit to be a very good cornerstone in promoting positive behaviour throughout the school.

Theme: Use of Rewards

Title: Exampe from Aberlour Primary School

October 2002

October 2002


b) TEACHER’S PUPIL OF THE WEEK

To be chosen as the Teacher's pupil of the week a pupil will have achieved either a numberof things or just one. The award will be decided on various things not just educationalprogress, aspects of behaviour will also be taken into account especially in respect ofunreasonable behaviour affecting the award for good educational progress

The award may be for:good work, achieving a target,good behaviour, overcoming a problem,trying hard, or a combination of these things.

c) PUPIL’S PUPIL OF THE WEEK

The pupils’ pupil of the week is rewarded by vote of all the children in the class.

In Primarys'' 1/2 and 2/3 this is done by an initial nomination (with reason) followed by ashow of hands. In the other classes up the school, each pupil is given a nomination paperthat consists of a place to put their nominee and their reason for choice, as well as a lineto sign on.

All the votes are counted and the pupil with the most receives the award. In the event of atie a further ballot is conducted using those pupils as the nominees

The award may be for:good behaviour hard workkindness achievement

d) WHEN AND HOW ARE THE AWARDS MADE

The awards are decided on a Thursday by both the teachers and the pupils

The pupils' pupil is chosen by all of the children in a class

The awards will be announced in assembly/hymn practice on a Friday morning along withthe reason for the award.

Each chosen pupil will have their photograph displayed in the hall for the following week

Each pupil will receive a small certificate to lake home

• ANYBODY CAN ACHIEVE THIS AWARD •

Chris Burns.


During the spring of 2000 I received reports of a serious bullying campaign against asecond year pupil in a local school. When I began to investigate this, I found that manypupils were involved, most involuntarily. The problems seemed to arise through storiesbeing incorrectly carried around the school.

I suggested that the victim and the perpetrators meet in a controlled environment to try andresolve the issues. The girls agreed to meet with a colleague and myself at the local park.

During this meeting we played a game of Chinese Whispers to give an example of howstories are distorted over a period of time. I left 10-minute intervals before asking the girlsto pass on the information. The result of this proved to the group that the details of the storyhad become extremely distorted over just a short period of time. The girls agreed that thiswas at the root of the problem and that the victim had been treated unjustly.

When I asked if a weekly meeting with Moray Youth Action workers might alleviate theproblem, the girls agreed. The purpose of these meetings would be to 'let off steam' abouthome, school and peers in a confidential setting.

Chill 'n' Spill began soon after. The drop-in style group was held twice a week in the localCommunity Centre. On the Monday, the weekend events were usually discussed and ifanything of concern was brought up, it was addressed in greater depth on the Thursdaymeeting. One example of this is one member having a bad experience whilst using illegalsubstances at the weekend. On the Thursday meeting we took along our drug educationresources.

As the group became established it began to be used by members for a variety of reasons.Some came to ask for advice on problems, others to meet for a chat. Some of the youngerpupils came along to tell of bullying and used it as a 'safe haven'. They then found that theolder ones could be relied upon to look out for them at school. One young gentlemanattended every meeting whilst his mother was receiving treatment for a life threateningillness and said it was easier to tell us how he was feeling, because he didn't want to worryhis family.

The school also began to use the group in a number of different ways. When they suspectedthat a young person was experiencing difficulties the SMT recommended that they comealong to the group where they knew that we had the luxury of time and resources to help.On one occasion a young man was behaving inappropriately towards the females in hisclass. He received lunchtime detentions, however, it was decided that these should be spentat Chill 'n' Spill where work could be done to address the problems and explore ways ofexpressing himself in front of females without causing offence. Attendance at the groupvaries. It's a heartening sign when there are few as this indicates that all is well. There can,however, be up to 40 young people attending over the lunch hour.

Theme: Chill ‘n’ Spill

Title: Example of Good Practice

October 2002


One female pupil from the P6/7 class had been referred for behaviour support because ofdifficulties settling in to a new environment, making friends and accepting guidelines fromadults. Work had been ongoing for some time doing individual and small group work usingCircle Time techniques to explore a range of issues for the girl and her peers. Two otherchildren from the same class who were also related were referred. At the time the wholestaff had been involved in Circle Time Staff Development delivered by an EducationalPsychologist and myself. At a planning meeting it was decided to introduce Circle Time tothe whole class in an effort to meet the needs of the individual children and the rest of theclass in response to their difficulties.

The aims of Circle Time are to enhance the self-esteem of both pupils and staff bydemonstrating a positive regard for all in the circle. Everyone has a responsibility in this aswell as a right to it. The shape of the circle is important so that everyone can see each otherand to promote a sense of equality and joint ownership. It is therefore important thatappropriate behaviour is modelled within the circle by the adults involved. Within the Circlethere are a series of guidelines which should be presented to the group and adhered to byeveryone. There should be no “put-downs" and statements should be presented in a positiveframework. Confidentiality of individuals should be preserved when speaking of an incidentof concern. Individuals can only speak when they have the 'talking object" , be it a soft toy,a conch or an object of pupils' choice. Pupils may also pass and not say anything althoughthey may feel able to speak at a later stage and can be given that opportunity. Theseguidelines are there to promote positive experiences within the circle and to preserve self-esteem intact in a public situation.

Circle Time includes a variety of activities and promotes the use of games as an enjoyableway of learning for young people. Skills such as listening, turn-taking, sequencing,cooperation and coordination are promoted and developed through games. Children oftenpractice the skills without realising it and should be encouraged to think and reflect onthem. Groups often develop their favourites and request them regularly. The main partcentres around a range of activities which can include drama, role play, a round eg "I feelhappy when...........", or problem solving eg "Someone has a problem because they arebeing called names in the playground. What can we do to help?" The framing of thesestatements in a set way helps children to become familiar with the formula and so improveon confidence in contributing. The purpose of the main part is to allow pupils to build onrelationships and trust by sharing both positive and negative experiences in a safe andsupportive environment, to allow them to express their emotions in a calm and assertiveway, to solve problems in a collective way and to promote self-discipline.

Within this P6/7 class the individually identified pupils were helped in their ability to expresstheir emotions, particularly about things which concerned them, when previously theremight have been an emotional outburst of some kind. The others in the class weresupported in coping with the behaviours of these individual children. The whole class

Theme: Circle Time

Title: Example of Good Practice

October 2002

October 2002


gradually built up confidence within the circle and were gradually able to bring their ownissues for discussion. Initially some children were reluctant to speak on some personal issuesand would pass but this improved to such an extent that by the end of the sessions , therewere very few children who ever passed. The class teacher was also present and so couldpick up on some of the more personal issues which might require further exploration at alater stage in the week. One of the most successful exercises involved the children pickingsomeone and the rest of the class had to give a positive statement about that person,whether that was a quality they admired or whether it was something the person was reallygood at. Some of the quieter children and those with poor self-esteem benefited greatlyfrom seeing these positive remarks written down. The circle was also used to solve problemswhich had happened during the week, thus promoting a sense of shared and collectiveresponsibility within the class. The children definitely enjoyed the Circle Time sessions andon visiting the school some five months after finishing the work there, a number of childrenran up to me wanting to know if we were going to do Circle time.

Sandra Bruce.


The heading "Support for pupils" is a key area of the Quality Indicators and covers a widerange of topics. There are many approaches developed by schools that suit the needs andcircumstances of both individuals and the whole pupil population. What are describedbelow are three recent initiatives that have been introduced in Keith Grammar School.

Support for Learning/Guidance Liaison

There had been concern that a small number of pupils were being missed from a screeningprocess for specific learning difficulties. Similarly, a significant number of pupils who weredisplaying behavioural problems were also receiving support from the SfL department.Consequently, it was decided to link a member of the SfL department with each guidancehouse. Regular meetings were envisaged between the PT Guidance and the SfL teacher. Theinitial meeting identified all the pupils in that house that could be assigned to levels I to 5in the staged model of provision. Subsequent termly meetings will review all pupils in thathouse. The aim will be to provide a flow of information between the Guidance staff and theSfL department so that support can be targeted at anyone who is presenting concerns to thestaff at large. This might include the possibility of initiating testing if it is appropriate.

Purple Folder

Keith Grammar School, like many schools, has a significant number of supply staff takinga variety of classes. Recently there has also been a turn over of teachers On a number ofoccasions parents had complained that their children who had dyslexia, or other needs, hadbeen inappropriately treated by some of these staff The school was able to show that theSupport for Learning Department and Guidance were aware of the pupil's needs and hadissued information However, the supply and new staff for understandable reasons, had notaccessed the details

The previous year, a purple ringbinder had been placed in every teaching area. This waspart of a new behaviour support system. The folders were kept in prominent place in therooms, but not somewhere that the pupils could get access. A staff committee looking atthese issues decided to expand the use of The Purple Folder. All staff were asked to keepthe pupil information sheets issued by the Sfi department and school first aider in thesefolders In addition, a collection of A4 sheets providing practical information about many ofthe needs/conditions of the pupils were issued. These covered topics such as dyslexia,Asperger's Syndrome, Autistic Spectrum Disorders and diabetes. Most of the sheets had abrief description of the condition and useful hints for classroom teachers. The folders werealso given to all support staff. Supply staff are told about the importance of the file Since itis available in every room they can get easy access to the information whichever class theyhave. Additional information sheets are issued when the need arises. The file is also usedfor keeping information issued by guidance about pupils. Class teachers have responsibility

Theme: Pupil Support

Title: Exemplar from Keith Grammar School

October 2002

October 2002


for keeping the folder up to date and ensuring that it is kept in an accessible, but safe placeso that it is available to anyone taking classes in that room.

Peer Support

During the last few years a number of initiatives have been developed in order to involvepupils in taking responsibility for each other. These include:

• Prefects System - each year about forty S.5/6 students are appointed as prefectsThey apply for the post and may be interviewed before being chosen. Their rolesinclude canteen and corridor duties. They are given training (usually by the localpolice liaison officer) and are expected to keep an eye on what is happening atbreak and lunchtime. They have the authority to intervene where appropriate, orto report a situation to a member of the SMT. Their areas for patrolling can includethe toilets and the outside of the school. The Head Prefects arrange the rota forresponsibilities.

• P. 7/S.1 Transition- when the guidance staff visit the local primary schools to meetthe P .7 pupils. they usually take with them a number of "former pupils" from thecurrent S.I to answer questions. During the induction visits, senior students areinvolved in escorting the classes.

• Peer Support 1 - this has developed from a scheme that was introduced from NewZealand. A member of staff attended a training conference in Glasgow and tookresponsibility for the idea. S.5/6 students volunteered to be involved. They weregiven a day's training in a local hotel. It was run by the member of staff. The localRotary Club provided finance for materials and for the training. Initially thestudents helped with the S.1/2 PSE programme. At times they assisted theGuidance Teacher on other occasions they led and organised the activities.Evaluation amongst the S.1/2 pupils was very positive. At the end of the session,the seniors were presented with certificates of achievement from representatives ofthe Rotary Club. The scheme has expanded to allow students to work withparticular pupils in a number of subject classes This has been under the directionof the class teacher.

• Peer Support. 2/Buddy Scheme - the above scheme has developed and now triesto support a targeted group of S.l pupils who were identified as having difficultiesin school. The S.5/6 students work in pairs and meet with groups of no more thanfive pupils These meeting take place during interval or at lunchtimes The meetingsrelate to issues connected with school, self-esteem, personal goals. etc. The PeerSupporters meet with a member of the Guidance Team on a weekly basis to allowfor preparation and feedback

Andy Simpson.


Early Intervention has become an integral part of the early stages in schools throughoutMoray in the last five years. Initially the programme looked specifically at reading with theaim of improving the standard of reading in the early stages from nursery onwards. In thelatter stages ..Aim to Count" came into focus with the emphasis mainly on maths.As thesecondments for Early Intervention in Moray come to an end, I feel it is important to lookat not only what Early Intervention has achieved over the past five years but also to thelegacy that it has left behind in our schools.

Early Intervention initially started in the central belt of Scotland where it was recognised thatchildren were not achieving their maximum potential in reading, The focus was very quicklyput on the early stages with the importance of catching the children at the earliest possiblestage in their school career recognised by all. As the results began to become public, otherregions began their own programmes and funding became available for pilot projects forASG's around the country and in Moray.

In its conception Early Intervention was piloted in stages around Moray in order to shareboth resources and manpower. The Early Intervention team was made up of part timesecondees from the primary sector, whose remit was to raise the attainment in reading forpupils, by raising the awareness of staff to new ideas and practices in language teaching.For the duration of the project, schools were given Early Intervention Classroom Assistants(differing from normal classroom assistants by the need to have at least a nursery nursequalification). In the early stages of the project schools were given large sums of money todevelop their language resources. This money was spent in many different ways with someschools purchasing complete new reading schemes whilst others bought such items aslanguage games, puppets and phonic materials. The Early Intervention team alsopurchased substantial resources which schools could borrow at any time on a first come firstserved basis. The Early Intervention team also used these resources within schoolsillustrating good practice and developing new and familiar ideas.

In many schools, libraries were set up for the early stages departments with the emphasison Book Bags and the extra activities which could be included in these, to develop thechild's enjoyment of books further. Schools started to include information leaflets for parentswithin these bags recognising that parents may not all have had, good, learning to readexperiences themselves. Many schools also had a series of short meetings for parents toexplain the difficulties in learning to read and phonic work.

Early Intervention was approached in many different ways by schools and teachers alike andit's success relied heavily upon the individual personalities involved. For many theexperience was an unmitigated success with reading levels improving and children's love ofbooks and reading materials also seeing a significant rise. However for some others theexperience was not so positive, with teachers feeling a certain apprehension caused byhaving another adult working in the classroom for the first time, This is something that we

Theme: Early Intervention

Title: Exemplar from Forres ASG

October 2002

October 2002


as teachers now take almost for granted, but the introduction of classroom assistants on amore permanent basis came towards the end of the first phases of the project.

Aim to Count

The second phase of the Early Intervention project - namely "Aim to Count," came sometime later and for the Forres ASG, in April 2001. Again schools were given funding for EarlyIntervention Classroom Assistants and a substantial budget for purchasing maths equipmentand for staff development. Schools were left at their own discretion to use the funding asand how they wished with the only constraint being time.

One of the main changes from the original Early Intervention set up was the introduction ofa full time Development Officer - recognition having been given to the difficulties faced bythe original team. Many new projects, courses and ideas were introduced but I feel the mostsignificant was the introduction of PALS - a maths take home game scheme for primary I.This has been implemented by most of the schools in the ASG or steps have been taken toput it in place for the coming session. Early indications are that it has been very wellreceived by parents and children alike and possible extensions for primary 2 and 3 arebeing discussed.

Without doubt Early Intervention has made a significant impact on the early stages inschools. It has increased awareness and understanding of the impact that different methodsof teaching have, and the significance of learning through games and play. Money wiselyspent on resources throughout the projects should continue to manifest itself in years tocome leaving a lasting legacy in our schools. Teachers have changed their styles, changedtheir attitudes and most importantly have raised the attainment levels of children inlanguage and maths. The results of Pips Baseline Assessments and National Tests being avery good indicator of such improvements.

The idea of recognising children who are experiencing difficulties at an early stage andusing adult input and resources to reduce difficulties later, has become firmly entrenchedand should be seen as a very positive step for early education.

June 2002

Ian Brodie.






THEME TITLE SCHOOL

Alternative Curriculum Alternative Curriculum and Forres Academyand Bases Curriculum base

Behaviour Management Behaviour Management Keith Primary School

Behaviour Management Promoting Better Discipline New Elgin Primary

Behaviour Management Integration of Pupil with Aberlour Primary SchoolSevere Disruptive Capabilities

Behaviour Support Behaviour Support Forres Academy

Behaviour Support Exemplar Milnes High School

ASDAN Awards Scheme Development Lossiemouth Highand Accreditation Network School

Joint Planning & Multi- Recent Developments in Lossiemouth HighAgency Approaches Managing Challenging pupils School

Joint Planning & Multi- Lossiemouth Inter-Agency Lossiemouth HighAgency Approaches Group School

Joint Planning & Multi- Joint Action Plan Forres AcademyAgency Approaches

Joint Planning & Multi- Exemplar Elgin AcademyAgency Approaches

Solution Focused The Solution Focused Educational PsychologyMethodologies Approach

Solution Focused Exemplar Milnes High SchoolMethodologies

Solution Focused Exemplar Lossiemouth HighMethodologies School

Framework for Intervention An Example of Good Practice Educational Psychology

School Refusers “Can’t go, won’t go” Educational Psychology

Use of Higher Still Units Higher Still - Access 2 Milnes High School

October 2002


October 2002






THEME TITLE SCHOOL

Moray College Links Relationships with Moray College Kinloss Primary School

Teaching Social Skills Exemplar Milnes High School

Teaching Social Skills Examples of Good Beechbrae EducationPractice Centre

Use of Rewards Praise and Reward Systems Rothes Primary School

Use of Rewards Examples from Aberlour Aberlour Primary SchoolPrimary School

Chill ‘n’ Spill Examples of Good Practice Moray Youth Action

Circle Time Examples of Good Beechbrae EducationPractice Centre

Pupil Support Exemplar Keith Grammar School

Early Intervention Exemplar Forres ASG


uusseeffuulloorrggaanniissaattiioonnss

ORGANISATIONS

Advocacy 2000134 Ferry Road,Edinburgh, EH6 4PQTel: 0131 5547878 Fax: 0131 554 7832E-mail: [email protected]

This service aims to be a support project to all those involved inindependent advocacy in Scotland.

Barnardo's ScotlandHeadquarters, 235 Corstorphine Road,Edinburgh, EH12 7ARTel: 01313349893 Fax: 0131316 4008Web-site: http://www.barnados.org.uk

Works to give disadvantaged children help in building their future. It runslocally based projects in Scotland.

Child Psychotherapy Trust in Scotland (CPTS)13 Park Terrace,Glasgow, G3 6BYTel: 01413533399 Fax: 01413323999

Provides publications on emotional andbehavioural issues.

Childline Scotland18 Albion Street,Glasgow, GI ILHTel: 0141 552 1123 Fax: 0141 5523089Helpline no: 0800 1111Web-site: http:/www.childline.org.uk

Offers children and young people confidential advice on matters concerningthem.

Children in ScotlandPrinces House,5 Shandwick Place,Edinburgh, EH2 4RGTel: 0131 2288484 Fax: 01312288585E-mail: [email protected]

A membership organisation representing the interests of children and youngpeople in Scotland on behalf of its members.

October 2002


ORGANISATIONS

ENABLE6th Floor,7 Buchanan Street,Glasgow, GI 3HLTel: 0141 2264541 Fax: 0141 2044398E-mail: [email protected] to promote the interests of people with learning disabilities inScotland. They also run an information service.

ISEA (Scotland)Independent Special Education Advice,164 High Street,Dalkeith, EH22 IA yTel/Fax: 0131 4540096Helpline: 0131 5450082Provides information, advice and support, including representation, toparents and carers of children with special educational needs.

ParentlineA Floor,Argyle House,Lady Lawson Street,Edinburgh, EH 3 9SHTel: 0131 2299313 Fax: 01312298672Freephone: 0808 800 22 22 available at the following times:Mon/Wed/Fri 10am-Ipm; Tue/Thur 6-9pm; Sat/Sun 2-5pmA confidential helpline providing support to parents and carers re: concernsrelating to parenting issues.

Schoolhouse311 Perth Road,Dundee, DD2 ILGTel: 01382649664 Fax: 01382640472E-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.welcome.to.schoolhouseOffers information and support related to home based education.

October 2002


ORGANISATIONS

EnquireChildren in Scotland5 Shandwick PlaceEdinburgh, EH2 4RGTel: 0131 2288484 Fax: 0131 2289852Typetalk: 0800 959598Helpline: 0131 222 2400E-mail: [email protected] national information and advice service for parents/carers of childrenwith special educational needs.

NASEN(National Association for Special Educational Needs)Nasen House4 and 5 Amber Business VillageAmber CloseAmingtonTamworthShropshire, B77 4RPTel: 01827311500 Fax: 01827313005E-mail: [email protected] organisation. Produces journals, books, organizes courses,conferences, exhibitions etc. Has a network of branches.

October 2002

CONTACT NAMES AND ADDRESSES

For a comprehensive list please refer to The Moray Council, Community ServicesDepartment – Child Care Services booklet.

ABERLOUR CHILD CARE TRUST – MORAY YOUTH ACTIONProject General Ofice7 Parade Spur SouthPinefield Industrial EstateElgin, IV30 6JDTel: 01343 546214 Fax: 01343 542383E-mail: [email protected]

CHILDREN’S PANELAuthority Reporter23a High Street Elgin, IV30 1EE

CHILDREN 1STFamily Group ConferencingMary MacLeodHighfield House AnnexeNorthfield TerraceElgin, IV30 1NETel: 01343 569258 Fax: 01343 569190E-mail: [email protected]

Children and Young People’s Rights WorkerBeth FraserHighfield House AnnexeNorthfield TerraceElgin, IV30 1NETel: 01343 569188 Fax: 01343 569190E-mail: [email protected]

October 2002

CONTACT NAMES AND ADDRESSES cont.

COMMUNITY SERVICES - CENTRAL MANAGEMENT TEAM

Head of ServiceJohn SullivanHQ, High Street Elgin, IV30 1BXTel: 01343 563534 Fax: 01343 563521 Mobile:07771 918485E-mail: [email protected]

Child Care ManagerJohn Carney6 Moss StreetElgin, IV30 1LUTel: 01343 563552 Fax: 01343 563579 Mobile: 07771 982517E-mail: [email protected]

Service Manager – Children’s ResourcesJohn Brewer6 Moss StreetElgin, IV30 1LUTel: 01343 563553 Fax: 01343 563579 Mobile: 07967 748920E-mail: [email protected]

Service Manager – Child ProtectionGordon Sinclair6 Moss StreetElgin, IV30 1LUTel: 01343 563554 Fax: 01343 563579 Mobile: 07967 748919E-mail: [email protected]

October 2002


COMMUNITY SERVICES - CENTRAL MORAY CHILD CARE TEAM

Team Manager Family Support WorkersGraeme Rizza 1 Gordon Street1 Gordon Street Elgin, IV30 1JQElgin, IV30 1JQ Tel: 01343 557249 Fax: 01343 541125Tel: 01343 557248 Fax: 01343 541125 Mobile: 07788 150665E-mail: [email protected]

COMMUNITY SERVICES - EAST MORAY CHILD CARE TEAM

Team Manager Family Support WorkersTrisha Hall 13 Cluny Square13 Cluny Square Buckie, AB56 1AHBuckie, AB56 1AHTel: 01542 837222 Fax: 01542 835783 Mobile: 07788 150669E-mail: [email protected]

COMMUNITY SERVICES - NORTH MORAY CHILD CARE TEAM

Team Manager Family Support WorkersGerry Harkins 1 Gordon Street1 Gordon Street Elgin, IV30 1JQElgin, IV30 1JQTel: 01343 557240 Fax: 01343 541125 Mobile: 07899 877613E-mail: [email protected]

October 2002


COMMUNITY SERVICES - WEST MORAY CHILD CARE TEAM

Team Manager Family Support WorkersMark Cotter AuchernackAuchernack High StreetHigh Street Forres, IV36 1DXForres, IV36 1DX Tel: 01309 694000 Fax: 01309 694001Tel: 01309 694000 Fax: 01309 694001Mobile: 07788 150667E-mail: [email protected]

COMMUNITY SERVICES - CHILDREN’S RESOURCES TEAM

Team ManagerDavid Cameron6 Moss StreetElgin, IV30 1LUTel: 01343 541669 Fax: 01343 552595 Mobile: 07771 773655E-mail: [email protected]

COMMUNITY SERVICES -OUT OF HOURS SERVICE

Service ManagerJohn Brewer6 Moss StreetElgin, IV30 1LUTel: 01343 563553 Fax: 01343 563579 Mobile: 07967 748920E-mail: [email protected]

October 2002


COMMUNITY SERVICES - THROUGHCARE AND AFTERCARE TEAM

Service Manager – Children’s ResourcesJohn Brewer6 Moss StreetElgin, IV30 1LUTel: 01343 563553 Fax: 01343 563579 Mobile: 07967 748920E-mail: [email protected]

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Operations ManagerBlair Dempsie9 North Guildry StreetElgin, IV30 1JRTel: 01343 557205 Fax: 01343 557201ME-mail: [email protected]

CROSSROADS (MORAY)

Care Attendant Scheme115 South StreetElginTel: 01343 544575 or 541383

October 2002


DEPARTMENT OF CHILD AND FAMILY PSYCHIATRYDr. Cleo HartThe Rowan CentreMaryhillElgin, IV30 1ATTel: 01343 558399 or 567399 Fax: 01343 567699E-mail: [email protected]

EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES

Head of Educational Support ServicesEric ScarboroughEducation OfficesHQHigh Street Elgin IV30 1BXTel: 01343 563183 Fax: 01343 563416E-mail: [email protected]

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS

Education OfficesHQHigh Street Elgin IV30 1BXTel: 01343 563405 or 563404 Fax: 01343 563478E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY SERVICE

Principal Educational PsychologistChris ToonBeechbrae Education CentreDuffus RoadElgin, IV30 4NPTel: 01343 550999 Fax: 01343 557933E-mail: [email protected]

October 2002


INCLUSION & SUPPORT SERVICE

Inclusion & Support ManagerDouglas WilsonBeechbrae Education CentreDuffus RoadElgin IV30 4NPTel: 01343 557925 Fax: 01343 557935E-mail: [email protected]

NEW COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

Integration ManagerWendy JamiesonEducation OfficesHQHigh Street Elgin IV30 1BXTel: 01343 563108E-mail: [email protected]

GRAMPIAN CAREERS

Grampian Careers Inclusiveness ProjectLink Worker Teamc/o Grampian Careers19 Batchen StreetElgin, IV30 1BHTel: 01343 548884 Mobile: 07876 440251E-mail: [email protected]

October 2002


HOUSING NEEDS

Housing Needs ManagerRichard Anderson12/14 Greyfriars StreetElgin, IV30 1LFTel: 01343 563438 Fax: 01343 563525E-mail: [email protected]

Homeless AccommodationCameron Park BraeCameron RoadBishopmillElginTel: 01343 550363

Cluny AnnexeCluny SquareBuckieTel: 01542 835722

Quarryhill30 Quarryhill RoadKeithTel: 01542 886173

Young Persons’ OfficerCarol Chambers12/14 Greyfriars StreetElgin, IV30 1LFTel: 01343 563438 Fax: 01343 563525E-mail: [email protected]

October 2002


MORAY YOUTHSTARTYouthstart Co-ordinatorJeremy AkehurstHighfield House AnnexeNorthfield TerraceElgin, IV30 1NETel: 01343 569209 Fax: 01343 569190E-mail: [email protected]

Youth Inclusion WorkerCarole CarthewHighfield House AnnexeNorthfield TerraceElgin, IV30 1NETel: 01343 569467 Fax: 01343 569190E-mail: [email protected]

NATIONAL CHILDREN’S HOMES ACTIONFOR CHILDREN SCOTLANDProject ManagerDavid WilliamsWinchester House1 King StreetElgin, IV30 1EUTel: 01343 549557 Fax: 01343 549588

WHO CARES? SCOTLANDPeter NobleTel: 01463 718939 Mobile: 07712870335

E-mail: noblejpeter@hotmail

October 2002

USEFUL RESOURCES

Assertive Discipline for UK Primary Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lee Canter

At the Heart of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GTC

A Route to Effective Learning and Teaching . . . . . . . . . .South Ayrshire Council

A Route to Equality and Fairness. (Audit Unit) . . . . . . . . . . .ISBN 0-11-497225

Better Behaviour-Better Learning - A joint Action Plan . . .ISBN 0-7-559-2148-8

Classroom Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ISBN 1-85539-079-5

Direct Interactive Teaching (Learning and Teaching Scotland) ISBN 1-859556876

Education for Citizenship in Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ISBN 1-85955735X

Improving our Schools SEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ISBN 0-7480-9382-6

Improving our Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ISBN 07559-1009-5

Is Praise Always a Good Thing? SCCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ISBN 1859551556

Jump Starters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ISBN 1-57542-050-3

Making a Positive Difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Perth and Kinross Council

Managing Classroom Behaviour (Watkins) SCCC . . . . . . . .ISBN 1859556906

Playground Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Health Promotions

Promoting Positive Discipline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ISBN 1-899795197

SCRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ISBN 0951-1369

Standards and Quality in Primary Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . ISBN 0-7053-1000-0

Teaching for Effective Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ISBN 1-859551165

The ‘alps’ Approach . . . . . . . . . .ISBN 1-855390787 and ISBN 1-855390566

Transforming School Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alan McLean

October 2002

USEFUL RESOURCES cont.

Positive Behaviour Management for Today’s Classroom - A pack whichcontains 2 videos and a Teachers’ Resource Pack.

Bill Rogers videos

ASG Boxes have some resources

Quality Circle Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jenny Mosley

Turn your School Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jenny Mosley

Framework for Intervention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aberdeen Council

Scottish Executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Web-site

Support for Learning Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Moray Council

OTHER RESOURCES ARE CONTAINED IN THE ‘ASG’ RESOURCES BOX. THECONTENTS, AND RATINGS, 0 = Not Recommended to 6 = Highly Recommended follow.

October 2002

IN-SERVICE PROVIDERS

Solution focussed approach ........................................Ioan Rees 01758 770653

Assertive Discipline .......................................................................... Geoff Moss

Managing Challenging Behaviour ...............................Rob Long 01803 866745

Circle Time ...................................................................................Jenny Mosley

Positive Behaviour Management ......................................................Bill Grimble

Motivation .....................................................................................Alan McLean

Intervention Trisha Hall ...............................................................01542 837200

Teaching and Learning .....................................................................Brian Boydl

Teaching and Learning .............................................Rob Powell 01785 664600

Teaching Unlimited ....................................................Ian Smith 0141 955 1514

Closing the Learning Gap .................................... Mike Hughes 01242 238 990

October 2002

ISSUES FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION

Local authority guidance and support for BBBL *

Launching the Moray Inclusion File : BBBL

Provision of resources

Sustainability of initiatives

Sharing good practice

Involving parents/carers

Exclusion : consistency and support

Dress Code

Pupil voice and advocacy

Updating the file

* including staff development and possible provision of welfare officers.

October 2002

'BETTER BEHAVIOUR-BETTER LEARNING' DEVELOPMENT GROUP

STEERING GROUP :Eric Scarborough Council Offices, High St, Elgin

Douglas Wilson Beechbrae Education Centre, Duffus Road, Elgin

Alan Gibson Forres Academy, Forres

Alex Leggatt Council Offices, High St, Elgin

Chris Toon Beechbrae Education Centre, Elgin

Marion Ross East End Primary School, Elgin

SOCIAL WORK :Trisha Hall 13, Cluny St, Buckie

Tracy Stephen 1, Gordon St, Elgin

Judy Smith 1, Gordon St, Elgin

Graham Rizza 1, Gordon St, Elgin

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES :Graham Jarvis, Council Offices, High St, Elgin

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY :Dierdrie Cavalcante Beechbrae Education Centre, Duffus Road, Elgin

Kirsty Mackintosh Beechbrae Education Centre, Duffus Road, Elgin

PARENT/CHILDREN’S REPRESENTATIVES :Beth Fraser Children & Young Peoples Rights Worker,

Highfield House Annexe, Northfield Terrace, Elgin

Roy Haynes ‘Rheingold’, Seapark, Kinloss

MORAY YOUTH ACTION :Laura Clunas 7 Parade Spur South, Pinefield Industrial

Estate, Elgin

October 2002

'BETTER BEHAVIOUR-BETTER LEARNING' DEVELOPMENT GROUP

PRIMARY SCHOOLS :

Chris Burns (HT) Aberlour Primary School, Mary Av, Aberlour

Kate Elder (HT) Pilmuir Primary School, Pilmuir, Forres

Anne Robertson (DHT) New Elgin Primary School, Bezack St, Elgin

Hazel McPherson (HT) Hythehill Primary School, Lossiemouth

Alison Underwood (HT) Portessie Primary School, By Buckie

Juli Grant (HT) Rothes Primary School, Green St, Rothes

Helen Kirkwood (HT) Keith Primary School, School Road, Keith

Ian Brodie (HT) Kinloss Primary School, Burghead Road, Kinloss

Barbara O'Brien (HT) Craigellachie Primary School, Craigellachie

Fiona McLean (HT) Mosstodloch Primary School, Mosstodloch

SECONDARY SCHOOLS :

Delia Thornton (DHT) Buckie High School, West Cathcart St, Buckie

Graham Milne (AHT) Elgin Academy, Morriston Rd, Elgin

Sigi Spence (PTGuid) Elgin High School, High School Drive, Elgin

Andy Simpson (DHT) Keith Grammar School, School road, Keith

Rosemary Mcghee (AHT) Lossiemouth High School, Lossiemouth

Liz Devine (PT SFL) Milnes High School, West St, Fochabers

Pat Mason (AHT) Speyside High School, Mary Avenue, Aberlour

October 2002

October 2002

aassggccoonntteennttss

ASG BOX – CONTENTSTitle Author/Ed. Publisher Rating

Photocopiable materials for use with Jenny Mosely Positive Press 5J Mosely Circle Time Model

Managing Challenging Children Gerard Gordon Prim-Ed 5

The Co-operative Classroom Teacher’s Gilmore and Dymond Links Educational 4Pack Publications

Inside the Co-operative Classroom Junior Gilmore and Dymond Links Educational 5Pack Publications

The Primary Behaviour File Rory Gordon PFP Editorial 6

Knowing Me, Knowing You Sanders and Swindon LDA 6

Overall Direction E. Perry Good New View Publications 6

Turn Your School Round Jenny Mosely LDA 6

Managing Teacher Stress W. A. Rogers Pitman 4

Developing Moral Awareness -- Heinemann 4

Developing Circle Time Bliss, Robinson and Maines Lucky Duck 5

Behaviour Education-Teaching Positive Moss, Came and Webster AVEC 4Behaviour in the Primary School

Circle Time Bliss and Tetley Smallwood Publishing 5

Esteem Builders Dr M. Barba Jalmar Press/ Smallwood Publishing 2

The Chalkface Project: Exercises for Rickwood and Burgess Chalkface Project 3Unrealistic Ambition

Managing Children Managing Themselves Teresa Bliss Lucky Duck 6

Children in Control Bernard Allen Lucky Duck 6

Let’s Mediate Stacey and Robinson Lucky Duck 6

Promoting Social and Emotional Learning Maurice J. Elias et al Assoc. for Supvn. andCurr. Dev 3

Attention Seeking: A Practical Solution Nigel Mellor Lucky Duck 6for the Classroom

The Journey to Quality Tinsley and Perdue New View Publications 3

Crying for Help – The No-Blame Robinson and Maines Lucky Duck 6Approach to Bullying

The Chalkface Project: Issues in Pictures Philip Freeman Chalkface Project 3

The Whole School Approach -- Scottish CCC 5Murray White

Raising Self-Esteem Murray White Folens Ltd 3

ASG BOX – CONTENTSTitle Author/Ed. Publisher Rating

We Can Stop It Hilary Clare Five Castles Press 4

Examining Self-Esteem - In the Young Thompson and Lowson Ready-Ed Publications 6Vols. 1 and 2

Cracking the Code with Behaviour Dorothy Constable Desktop Publications 6

Working with Parents John Bastianim Routledge 4

Let’s Play Together Mildred Mashedar Green Print 6

Not You Again Wallace and Caesar Lucky Duck 5

The Big School Maines and Robinson Lucky Duck 6

Crying For Help Robinson and Maines Lucky Duck 4

Celebrations Robinson and Maines Lucky Duck 0

It’s Good to be Different Neva Milicic Lucky Duck 5

Important Issues Relating to the Jenny Mosely LDA 3Promotion of Positive BehaviourEtc. in Secondary Schools

Managing Behaviour Maureen J. Ramsay Northern College 4

The Youth Games Book Dearling and Armstrong Scottish IT Resource 5Centre

October 2002

Thankyou to pupils at Forres Academy for contributingartwork used on this folder for the

Moray Inclusion File.

Pupil Care - The Moray Council - The Moray Council · of drawing together systems and procedures...

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Transcript of Pupil Care - The Moray Council - The Moray Council · of drawing together systems and procedures...