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STL 41 Support pupils with behaviour, emotional and social development needs.
K1. *************************** INTEGRATED EQUALITIES AND INCLUSION POLICY Rationale
The ************** Academy believes that inclusion and equalities demand commitment and change at the most profound institutional level. Every person connected with the establishment and in the community is held to be of equal value and is entitled to equal access to opportunities regardless of age, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, academic ability, or social class. This policy relates directly and fundamentally to the achievement of outcomes of Every Child Matters. These beliefs underpinned and informed the vision statement and core values of the school. Aims
y

To promote institutional development that promotes the full inclusion and achievement of the widest range of students within our community. To heighten staff, student and community awareness of equal opportunities and inclusion issues, and to encourage positive images of all groups and individuals. To encourage an appreciation of the value of others and oneself, in order to work towards the elimination of discrimination, either dire ct or indirect, victimization and harassment. To provide staff, students, Governors and community members with the skills and confidence to explore, understand and deal with equal opportunities and inclusion issues, and to challenge all discriminatory beh aviour, including harassment. To create a culture of change within The City Academy so that equality of opportunity and inclusion are at the core of all its activities. To encourage the use of positive action to overcome disadvantage, discrimination and deprivation. To ensure quality, equity and consistency in working practices and conditions. To identify positive approaches to equal opportunities in The City Academys work, curriculum and management, and to set and apply the highest equality standards. To seek to influence others through good practices, in -service provision and employment. To develop and provide effective consultation structures that reflect the views of equalities groups. To facilitate further review, development, monitoring and evaluation. To ensure that where breaches of the Integrated Equalities Policy take place, effective and prompt action is taken by The City Academy and, where appropriate, other agencies. To contribute to a more just society.

y y

y y

y y

Copy of actual policy held o n o dive>staff only>**************************

STL41 May 2011 The Academy and all staff aim to promote awareness and encouragement of inclusive education and equality and I believe that we achieve this to the highest standard. We have a wide range of students at ************* from different backgrounds, be it ethnic origin; sexual orientation; gender; disability; social class and level of academic ability. In my role as a teaching assistant I am fully aware of what this means approach my role with inclusive and encouraging ethos to all students and staff in the setting and continue this when I am outside of the setting representing the Academy. ____________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ K2. ********* have a Behaviour and Ethos for Learning Policy that underpins all aspects relating to possible scenarios and outcomes to manage the students at ***********. This covers: y y y y y y y Underlying Principles The ************* :Responsibilities during Learning Sessions The ************* : Respect, Safety and Well Being around the Academy Rewards Managing student behaviour in the classroom Monitoring classroom behaviour and staff responsibilities Every Child Matters-promoting positive behaviour the Brunel Way

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Other policies relating to student s behaviour and social development.

Child Protection Policy

Behaviour Management Policy

Anti-bullying Policy

School policies relating to behavioural and social development

Inclusion & Equal Opportunities

SEN Policy

Sex Education & Relationship Policy

STL41 May 2011 The ********that I work in are used to using the framework of these policy s to manage all of the issues that may relate to student s that belong to the ***********. We operate a very open policy with the students when we are discussing issues with them surrounding their behaviour. We are in regular contact with parents and carers regarding students in the ************ family and this creates the level of trust needed to enable the ********** to be successful. ************ staff are given a guideline that addresses the Academy s location within an inner city community that staff should: y Accept that unsatisfactory behaviour may occur on a daily basis, but be prepared to challenge and deal with this in an emotionally literate way.

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The policy addresses staff approaches to different types of disruptive behaviour and how it should be followed up. Disrespect/Fighting/Swearing/Silliness/Refusal to follow instructions etc are all types of behaviour that can occur on a daily basis at **************** . Although all staff are aware of these issues and policies guidelines to deal with them when managing their classes, if there is a major issue that needs to be managed at a higher level, SLT (senior learning team) will involve the *********** and my line manager will be involved in putting together the correct strategy to tackle a student s behaviour successfully and if all avenues at ************ are exhausted, and off site provision may be found that can best manage the needs of the student. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _____________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

K3 It is essential that all adults involved with supporting the educational needs of students are responsible for keeping the boundaries and expectations consistent and clear for all students. Teaching staff at ************** are made aware of students with challenging behaviour; SEN s and IEP s and will often report in person or by email to the year group or ************ regarding students behaviour in order to reach the best outcome when dealing with them. There are also external professionals who come into the Academy and multi-agency professionals off site that have been sought as another provision to cater for students needs. These professional agencies are Social Services; CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services); Youth Offending Team; FIP (family intervention project); Drug Workers and others. These agencies all work towards helping the student to work in school and achieve their full potential in their education. There are a number of ways that will best suit these students and it may not be full time education in the school setting of ************* . They may only be able to cope with part time schooling or may only be able to stay in lessons for a shorter time than most students and will work in the ************** for part of the lesson and certain lessons may be too difficult to work in the classroom with the dynamics of the classroom having a negative effect on their learning. There are several off site provisions that are in place to help students with behavioural, social and emotional to overcome their issues and return to the school setting. All of the

STL41 May 2011 professional people involved have the responsibility to share relevant information regarding the welfare of the student with each other when it concerns them. Whilst it is important that the professional people that are involved with children are responsible for their actions and information that they share it is equally important that the parents or carers of these children are responsible for supplying a caring environment which caters for their emotional and physical welfare . ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ K4 I have worked with students that are prescribed medication to help with conditions such as ADHD. This drug is a stimulant that will help them focus on tasks that they would normally struggle to do for more than a short time. Children that take RITILIN will be more able to conform in lessons; however, they may also become drowsy and lethargic. A student s behaviour may become erratic when they first start taking the drug should notice the positive benefits when their body has got use to it being taken daily. It is important that the student takes their dosage at the correct times, especially before their first dose wears off towards mid-day if they take it twice a day. I have witnessed the benefits of this drug when taken correctly and also noticed the negative side of not taking the drug at the correct time and taking it when a routine mid-day meal is missed. When a ************* student that is prescribed RITILIN shows signs of bad behaviour, it is normally just before their second dose is due and sometimes if they have missed their mid-day meal. The student has become very aware of this and does his best to come to the ************* to take the dosage at the correct time. My colleagues in the ************* have received the required training to administer the medication to the student and manage the dosage and keep records of this. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________ ________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ K5 If a student is experiencing negative or traumatic experiences at home, it will be highly likely that this will affect their behaviour at school. As an adult whose life is in order I can empathise with a student that is experiencing difficulty in their home setting and struggling to cope with situations at school. It could be a breakdown in the relationship of their parents where there is a lot of shouting and damaging content that they are witnessing. They may be experiencing a crowded household where things are not shared equally and there self esteem is very low because of this. T hey may have been a victim of abuse or witnessed abuse and have developed a distrust of adults and poor regard for their own welfare and potential. Some students may mirror any physical aggression they witness at home and may need to be physically restrained by staff that are trained to do so. If we see any physical markings on a student we will question the student as to why they have marks on their body and discuss their answer amongst the ************** staff to see if anybody suspects abuse. Although children do get grazed and bruised in general play some markings such as a bruise from being squeezes tight may tell a different story. We will log what we have seen and the answer we were given by the student and a decision will be made by my line manager to investigate further if the student continues to show markings of similar nature. There may be a simple case of a student feeling unloved at home and their behaviour is affected by this without

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STL41 May 2011 them realising. This can also affect the students appearance if they not to care about themselves and start to appear withdrawn and unkempt. It is important for all staff to be aware of these possibilities and know who they have to report these cases to. ________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ K6 The *********** has approximately 22 students who have a Target Card with their lesson Target setting (expectation) written across the top. They take the card to every lesson and have a possibility of having it marked 7 times with a mark ranging from 0-5 that their class teacher will give them depending how close to their target they have performed. Their scores at totalled up at the end of the week and they wi ll fall in the category of earning rewards for a total of 120 or above or reflection time for a score of below 80. Some of these students have a Statement of Special Educational Needs or IEP (individual education plan). This will indicate their reading age and all relative levels of the student s ability. It will state important information that needs to be adhered to by all staff that teaches them, such as details of prescribed medication, a diagnosis of an ailment that affects their learning, hearing or visual impairments and remedies to help overcome them. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

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S 41 May 2011 A copy of a stud nts IEP

S ate e te Pupil

INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN

Fo a stud nt with sp cial educational needs

Stude t Name ***** ***** Learning Family 7 Dob: 01/01/98

Readin Age:

6 Years 8 Months

NC Level:

Cause(s) for concern: ****** has significantly reduced vision following an accident in spring 2006 He has poor literacy and numeracy s ills and some auditory processing difficulties leaving it difficult for him to follow verbal instructions in a noisy environment. He has low self esteem as a learner and struggles to remain emotionally stable. He also re uires potentially hazardous aspects of the curriculum mediated by an adult to ensure his safety for e ample technology cooking and PE. Reports and observations suggest that he can struggle to behave appropriately or safely and he is likely to re uire a great deal of adult support and direction in order to make a successful transition to secondary school. bjectives:

The objectives for ****** are to demonstrate: y y y y y y y y increased ability to sustain attention on an adult directed task for increasing amounts of time increased ability to work independently improved fine and gross motor skills age-appropriate self help skills age-appropriate progress with literacy and numeracy skills increased ability to deal with frustrations improved self esteem ability to make choices to ensure personal safety

Educational Provision / Strategies: ****** will require the following provisions in order to meet the needs and objectives set out above: y Substantial modification of curriculum presentation to reflect ****** sensory difficulties for e ample verbal information supported with visual cues to-do picture lists to support auditory information, clear worksheets, activities of a kinaesthetic nature and access to a laptop. Awareness by ****** teachers of his learning difficulties and of appropriate ways to support him, such as regular breaks and rest time during tasks, broken down into small manageable chunks, fre uent rest times for his eyes to prevent visual stress, opportunity for ****** to go to a quiet space if auditory input becomes too much for him. Awareness by ****** teachers that he finds it e tremely hard to sustain his attention to

Co prehension Age:

6 Years 10 Months

Literacy Nu eracy

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Current

Target

STL41 May 2011 verbal information such as whole class instructions. y Carefully constructed programmes to assist in the development of his literacy and numeracy skills. y Considerable modification to the curriculum to prioritise the listed objectives and to present content and skills at an accessible literacy level. y Additional adult support to ensure curriculum access, make sure he has understood instructions and to help him remain on task and focused for most of the school day. y Additional adult support during tasks which require manipulation of tools and other apparatus, for reasons of health and safety, due to******motor difficulties, e.g. wall bars in P.E. y Support, in unfamiliar places, such as on school trips. y An identified key adult to act as first point of contact, on a daily basis, to discuss social difficulties, frustrations, review targets, build on successes and create meaningful links with home and to hand over to parent after school, to ensure safety monitored by the ************ Team. y A planned programme to build self esteem. y A programme of support, to encourage appropriate on task behaviours and deal with frustrations appropriately. y Additional support, to ensure safety during unstructured times.
Longer term aims: 1. ******will make continued improvement with his literacy and numeracy skills by the end of Year 7 2. ****** will make progress more appropriate to his potential across the core subjects by the end of KS3. onitoring Arrangements: 1. ******literacy and numeracy skills will be monitored by the Academy s SENCO. Specialist lessons will continue in Year 7. 2. Chris Davies, the ************ team and his mother will monitor his progress and welfare during Year 7. Academy reports, parental and teacher feedback, as well as formal testing will be used to monitor ****** ****progress

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Home Strategies: 1. ******mother will liaise with the Academy about any concerns with his welfare and progress.

Completed b : Chris Davies (SENCo) Date: September 2010 Next review: After reports and with Parents at Parents Consultation Evenings. Venue: Bristol Brunel Academy.

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Example of a ********** Target Card. *********** Target Card NAME



The target setting will be different for every student

DATE

.


TARGET: To put m learning first and speak to people respectfull . Scores can be given by staff ranging from 1 5 showing attitude to learning 1=Not Acceptable, 2=Poor, 3=Satisfactory, 4=Good, 5 = Excellent MONDAY LEARNING FAMILY SESSION 1 SESSION 2 BREAK SESSION 3 SESSION 4 SESSION 5 SESSION 6 TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

K7 Although most of the students that I support have certain behaviour issues and these are quite often mirrored in most of their lessons. When monitored closely, a pattern can emerge that indicates a particular context, be it a certain classroom; teacher or student grouping. We will trial a period of time where the student is timetabled out of the particular lesson to work in the *************. We will monitor any differences in the student s behaviour when they are working in the ************* ; however, we are ideally looking to find what triggers there are in the classroom that may be causing the student to struggle in the lesson and display challenging behaviour. It may be a case that some students take advantage of a teacher that is not so strict and has fewer boundaries in their classroom. These students may also struggle to cope when they go on a school trip. When *********** students are scheduled to go on school trips a member of the *********** staff are assigned to accompany them on the trip and th ere have been times when a joint decision has been made

STL41 May 2011 by the ************ and SLT that certain students are not permitted to go on the trip. If students display aggressive behaviour and continue to do so, a risk assessment will be carried out and that will indicate what activities it is safe for them to be involved in. We will work with the students to help them understand why they are not allowed to go on a trip and discuss strategies for how the student can best manage their behaviour in order for them to be able attend the next trip scheduled. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ K8 See K7 The ************ staff and the students that are part of the ************ family are all aware of certain expectations that are permanently in place that are also intervention strategies for certain students that find it difficult to manage certain aspects of their day. The academy has some expectations which are enforceable at all times such as the wearing of the appropriate school uniform; blazers; shoes; ties and correct trousers and skirts. The chewing of gum is also prohibited around the academy. Another expectation is that students are not allowed to have their mobile phones, iPods and headphones out in lessons unless their teacher allows them. In some lessons it may be agreed by the class teacher that students can listen to music while they are working. While most students are able to manage this choice wisely, we are aware of*********** students who are unable to do this and we will make sure the students hand over their devices in the morning where we lock them away in a safe place and return them to students at break and lunch time and at the end of the day. We will relax this for students when they are able to make an agreement that they will not let their mobile phones, iPods and headphones disrupt their lessons. The expectation is explained to them so they are fully aware of what is expected and they are also aware of the consequences should they fail to keep to their word and not follow the rules of the expectation. Members of staff are encouraged to hold rebuild meetings with students that have behaved badly in their lessons. These meetings are normally held on the same day as the student has misbehaved and are designed to be a short session of about 5 minute where a third party is present either a head of year or member of *************. The meeting highlights the actual event that took place and the teacher will outline their expectations of the student in their lesson in order for the student to have their say and feedback to the teacher anything that they may not be happy about in the lesson. A compromise is normally reached and therefore the student and class teacher will both be aware of this in their next lesson together and the incident should not take place again. *********** staff will talk in greater depth with the students at another time so the student can develop from our positive support. We will encourage a student that has made a small mistake to manage a similar situation better, this way the student will be more willing to receive our support and not draw a blank by us continually chastising them and not giving them the tools to manage things them selves. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________ ________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _____________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

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STL41 May 2011 ____________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

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K9 It is extremely important that I model the level of behaviour that I request from the students that I work with. I always talk to students about empathy and how it is easier to communicate with others when this connection has been made. My own mora ls and values in life are that I do not have to emulate somebody that I am not in order to project my message to the students. I hope that the students are able to make an empathetic connection with me; therefore my job supporting them will be that much e asier. I not only ask the students to do this and not do that etc, I fully explain the reasons behind why certain things are inappropriate, forbidden in and out of the school setting and possibly against the law in society. I always conduct myself in a way that I would want my own children to aspire to and equally the students that I support. I sometimes talk about real life situations that I have been involved in where I have had to make decisions that are important to my integrity and have taught me to know the difference between right and wrong. Some of the students that I support do not have a dominant male figure in their life and I feel it is important to behave in a way that may be admired by students if I just happened to fit that mould in their li fe. K10 There are many different characters amongst the students that I support and they will all learn to foster new social skills when dealing with different situations in their school day and in life in general. It is important to try to nurture these s kills in order for the students to learn manage their behaviour better. In the ************ we help them reflect on their behaviour if their target cards score is low at the end of the week. We look at their target card and try to detect any flash points that they have managed incorrectly that may have caused a low score in certain lesson. Each day s score is plotted on a graph so they are able to monitor their day and week lesson by lesson. They are quick to highlight certain situations in certain lessons that have led to them receiving low scores. This shows they are able to reflect on their behaviour and now we have to take them to the next step and help them devise a strategy that will ultimately altar their score. In some cases it may only be a minor thing that they need to do to increase their score. This empowers them to manage their own behaviour and make them understand that there are rewards and consequences for all of our actions however big or small they might be. We sometimes tell students that if they can see a situation brewing that may cause them to react badly and therefore get sent out of their class for bad behaviour, they may be able to ask the teacher if they can go to the ************* to talk over a situation with them in order for them to manage a situation so they can go back into their class and continue with their lesson. This is normally the case with younger students who find it harder to demonstrate self control and some older students that have a low social and emotional ability. I have completed a 10 week 1 hour per session anger replacement course held at *************** by the Cabot Federation to help me support students that are have trouble controlling their aggression. This has given me the tools to talk to students and offer them different options for managing their anger.

STL41 May 2011 ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ K11 ************** and the************* use rewards to recognise positive behaviour. In the main, the Academy offers students the chance to buy back time when they have earned a certain amount of merits. They are able to buy back time from a lesson so they can go to the Cyber Cafe in the school foyer to play games and have free time. The ************* offer a similar reward where the students can go to one of the ************* rooms at the last lesson on a Friday to play games and have free time supported by some of the********** staff. If they build up 5 consecutive rewards lessons the y are able to go on an out of school activity like ten pin bowling or a Cinema trip. There is also an end of year trip for ************* students where we go to a Theme Park for the day. This is another reward that all the ************ students are aware of and they are also conscious that if their behaviour is below a certain level collectively or there has been an incident that is deemed a health and safety issue, they will not be able to go on the trip and will either stay at school at be told to stay home for the day. Although it is a nice feeling to be rewarded with free time, trips out of school etc, we must remind the students to want to do things well for themselves and to savour rewards that are not so big. I make a point of congratulating a studen t for producing a good piece of work or handling a situation well that they may not have done before by shaking their hand and saying well done so that are truly aware of my happiness for them. Students of a teenage age group or very happy to give a high five , I am mindful and remind them that they are entering a grown up world where a high five may be frowned upon in a more serious setting as a work or meeting place. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________ ______________________________________ K12 See STL3, K15 & K17 If I suspected any form of abuse in any of the students that I support I will bring it to the attention of my colleagues in the *************, one of whom is the Academy s deputy Child Protection Officer that a child protection issue should be reported to. There have been times when I have noticed above average bruising on a student; a student s skin tone appearing light blue and patchy and I was aware that he was walking a long distance to school every day in the winter and a student that was complaining of having a stomach ache and when questions said that had not eaten anything that morning and had nothing planned for lunch. All of these instances give me cause for discussing the issues with my team and line manager in order to bring further investigation using the correct procedures. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

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STL41 May 2011 _____________________________________ _______________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________

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K13 If I am involved in a situation of conflict I will remain calm and immediately call for another member of staff by asking another student to go and alert another member of staff that I need their assistance. As soon as they are aware that there is an aggressive situation they will immediately call for the assistance of members of staff that are trained to positively handle students. I will not do anything to cause myself; anybody else around the situation or the student I am dealing with any harm. If there is a fight between a group of students I will not step in and attempt to physically stop the situation as it would probably not help and would be unsuccessful. I have been involved in situations where two students have been fighting at the top of the stairs. My immediate response was to ask the student to stop and make them aware that they should not be fighting and especially at the top of the stairs where there is a risk of somebody falling. I then stepped between the two students and faced the main aggressor and asked him to stop. I then formed a barrier with my arms to stop the student throwing punches. I then saw another member of staff that was alerted of the situation who cleared the other students out of the way so we could usher the student into an empty room. I would not use an aggressive raised voice and would not shout sanctions out to them by the way of a threat as this may only antagonise the situation. The student was still very angry by this time and I continued to hold his ar ms with enough force to stop him throwing punches but not enough to cause him harm. I spoke to him to tell him that I will only let go if he agrees to stay calm and stop struggling. The student soon calmed down and was able to speak to the other member of staff who was his head of year in a calmer situation. The two students concerned are then asked to write a statement about what happened and I also write a witness statement of what happened when I arrived at the scene. The two students will have a restorative justice meeting with another two members of staff but only when they are in the right place emotionally to deal with the situation. K14 Physical restraint should only be used in circumstances where students are likely to cause harm to themselves; myself or others. I would always seek help as soon as possible in this situation, by sending another student for assistance if necessary. If I w ere in a situation with a student on my own I would look to move to an area where there is another adult who would act as a witness to any physical restraint I was forced to use. I have been in the same room as members of staff that has been forced to physically restrain a student and I immediately removed a table and chairs with objects on that could cause harm if fallen on and also cleared the area of other students. The other three members of staff in the ************* have received training to positively handle students if the need arises. I am due to receive my training in July 2011 and will obviously be much more informed of the legal implications of positively handling students whilst carrying out my job at *************** .

STL41 May 2011 ___________________________ _________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _____________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

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K15 In my role as a teacher s assistant I will be involved in many different situations around the academy depending on who I am supporting and I intervene in an incident when I am on my way to a lesson or errand around the academy. In most cases I will normally log all issues and incidents involving ************* students regardless of the level of behaviour or issue involved. However, if a student s behaviour is of a nature that I think it will need to be dealt with by a more senior member of staff, I will either take the student to the ************ office if it is a*********** student or to their head of year and hand over the incident for them to deal with. If this is a case of a student refusing to carry out instructions for myself or another member of staff it will result in a rebuild to clarify the importance of following instructions. This will enforce to the student that they could be a health and safety risk by not following instructions if there was a fire drill. If the student is arguing with a teacher or another student they may also receive a rebuild where the student s head of year will be involved If the incident was to turn aggressive I will need to inform a member of SLT (senior learning team) that could be a vice principal. If I rate the student s behaviour as a health and safety risk I will also inform a member of SLT who will need to consider if the student is able to remain at the academy. In most cases I report all incidents back to my line manager throughout the day and a decision will be made by her as to who will deal with the student further. ___________ _________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________ _____________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ K16 See STL19, K6 In the secondary school setting we are prepared for the diversity of year 7 students that are able to cope with the transition and the stark changes that they are faced with in the transition of entering senior school. Most year 7 students are expected to be able to sit still and listen for longer periods than they used to in primary school year 5 and 6. They will need to adjust to the changes in the routine of their school day in order to cooperate to the level that is expected of them. These changes range from having different teachers for different lessons in different rooms and not having the time to form a close relationshi p with them to the difference in the amount of students and age range of the students around them may affect how they conduct themselves socially. The students that I support with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties find it very difficult contro lling the way they behave and how the deal with certain aspects of their day in secondary school. Aspects of the negative behaviour that they display are the inability to take responsibility for their action such as name calling to other students; running around and playing in the corridors between lessons and treating the building like a playground. They are unable to hold meaningful conversations with the adults that are teaching and supporting them as they lack the social and emotional skills to unders tand the impact of their words.

STL41 May 2011 The transition from primary school to secondary school is the first part of a student s journey that should see them adapt to the new ways of learning and independent study. By the time they get to year 10 and 11 students sh ould be able to take the initiative for their learning with less guidance from adults as they get older. I am aware of the different stages of social development that we expect from the students that we work with and that these stages will be adopted by the students at different times. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _ K17 *************** has students from a range of cultures that live in the local community. This mixture has grown over the years and therefore everybody that attends *************** should be aware of this. However, while it is a second nature as an adult to be able to take people at face value and are able to embrace the different cultures, it may be more difficult for some students if they have been brought up with negative bias views regarding different cultures. They could have homophobic, xenophobic, feminist or chauvinistic attitudes towards others that they do not realise. This will make it very difficult to relate to others and have positive conversations with others without causing offence to them. I will challenge any prejudice that I witness and make sure the student has a better understanding of other cultures. I will encourage their curiosity if they are willing to take on board the differences that other cultures purvey. Some students are very materialistic and form judgements of others due to their apparent wealth. This judgement can be formed on what a student wears i.e. brand cloth clothing, jewellery etc. As students form friendship groups they may decide that they are superior to others and equally others may feel inferior to them. This can affect a student s self- esteem and wellbeing in the academy. Some students at *************** have Special Educational Needs or are disabled. Some students may have no experience of this in their life and find it difficult to relate to others that have these needs. Equally the students with these needs may find it difficult to form friend ships it there are certain things that they are unable to do due their needs or disability. Even something as minor as being Asthmatic may hinder a student being involv ed in certain activities. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ K18 In my role as a teaching assistant in the ************* department at *************** I am familiar with most of the students at ************** that have limited social or interpersonal skills. These are specific strategies used by an individual to perform social tasks effectively. These Skills are essential to perform tasks in an educational setting such as listening and following instructions. Starting and maint aining a conversation, complementing others and resolving conflict. This may result in a student having inability to remain calm and relaxed around others; being particularly shy, introvert or aggressive. Also, not having many friends due to the fact that they can find it difficult to build rapport with others and, in some instances, can find eye contact with other people very daunting. In some cases, staff and students may hold negative generalised views of these students. Because they may be diagnosed with Autism and be a ************ family member there can be a case that assumptions are made by some staff and students. It may be that ************* students are automatically judged if they are involved in an issue that they

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STL41 May 2011 may actually be able to deal with in right way given the chance. This can lead to them being sent out of a lesson sooner than a mainstream student. After all, these students will be able to master these skills with the correct support but may take a little longer than their peers. This needs to be recognised and they should always be given an equal opportunity to manage issues they are involved with in the first instance. Students should all be given the opportunity to get things right and be encouraged to make the effort and praised when they do get it right. I will challenge any negative comments aimed towards these students should I hear them. These comments may come from students based on the reactions of their peers. Opportunities for social integration are important so students are not ignorant about those within their class or peer group who have behaviour, emotional and social development needs. There are also mainstream students that may lack social and interpersonal skills that recognise the support that ************ students receive and have asked to join the *********** because they are envious of the help they receive. I will also urge parents of these students to be patient and to encourage their children to adopt and learn the correct social skills that they need as they get older rather than chastise them at every opportunity. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ K19 Students who have limited social or interpersonal skills may not recognise what behaviour is expected of them or how to read the behaviour of others. These students will need to be supported in how they should respond to others and taught how their own responses will affect how others see them. Other factors that influence student s responses to others are the degree of parental or carer involvement. If parents or carers have not given their children the opportunity to have regular meaningful interactions with others, this will influence the development of their social skills. If parents or carers are engaged with programmes of support with the school and outside agencies to develop these skills, the student is more likely to progress. ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ______________________________ K20 If there are any psychological and psychiatric disorders affecting the students with whom I work with I will have access to this information via the SEN register and the students IEP. I would be well if they were receiving any specialist support by an outside professional agency or school councillor. Such disorders may affect a student s ability to gain social and emotional skills they will need in the senior school setting to relate and empathise with others. The ************ and SENCO team frequently liaise with an educational psychologist to determine if a student has a psychological and psychiatric disorder. This may be because they have parents with similar conditions or if they have been looked after by children thems elves. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

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STL41 May 2011 ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________ _______________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

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K21 When I am supporting a student in the classroom I am in a good place to notice when a student with limited social and emotional development needs is making an improved effort. The student may not be aware that there are doing this but if they are they m ay feel that they are not getting any recognition for this. I will give the student a high five to encourage them and raise their self-esteem. I will remind them of the reason why I did this at a more convenient time and make them aware of the positive effect that their behaviour will have had on the people around them. When I am in a classroom and the teacher is talking to the class I will look at students in the room that are struggling to pay attention and raise my hand to my ear to gesture for them to listen rather than tell them directly and disrupt what the teacher is telling them. I will look at the teacher and model passive listening by focusing on what the teacher is saying so the students are aware of the importance of listening patiently. I may choose to sit near a student if I feel they are in need of my close support during a task. I am mindful that certain students would rather I wasn t sitting so close and agree with them that I will sit somewhere else in the room if I am able to see that they are going to stay on task and work independently without me. I will make visual contact with them and praise their efforts if I can see that they are trying their best. The level of closeness that a student is comfortable with me working to them will var y from student to student and I always remember this when I am working with each student. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ______________ ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ K22 See STL 19, K11 Conflicts are resolved at *************** using restorative justice where students involved are encouraged to deem their own consequence. They may opt for isolation or an after school workshop or to lose their social time if the offence took place at break or lunch time and involved them not managing themselves appropriately. Both parties will have the chance to put their views forward and members of staff facilitating the RJ will encourage the students not to hold anything back as we would like all the evidence of an incident to be aired in order to reach compromise. We will know when to involve a more senior member of staff who may call a parent in to be involved depending on the seriousness of the incident. K23 See K8 & K22 ************* uses Restorative Justice and Rebuild sessions to repair the breakdown of relationships. A Restorative Justice meeting normally takes place between students and their peers and a Rebuild normally takes place between and adult and a student. It is crucial that these meetings take a positive route and if this is not the case another meeting will be

STL41 May 2011 arranged when both parties have had time to reflect and are able to present themselves in a more positive way emotionally. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________ ______________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ __________ K24 See K21 It is important to encourage active listening to students to enable them to pay attention in class better. When I am having a conversation with a student I make sure I show them that I am clearly listening to them when they speak to me. However I am talking student, either general chat; giving instruction or chastising them I may tell them initially to stop talking and listen to me but I always tell them that they can speak and give their opinion but make sure I instruct them to do so politely and constructively. I will listen inventively and give them feedback on what they have said. This will make them fill valued and boost their self -esteem as they may not be given the platform for expression and positive conversation at home or by any of their peers. K25 There are many collective factors that affect the development of self esteem, many of which derive from the home. When a child receives positive attention from their parents and siblings at home their self-esteem is raised. When a child has a positive close relationship with parents or carers and is given opportunities to try new things and develop their self -esteem they are able to build friendships and increase their confidence. A student whose self - esteem has grown will feel able to put them self forward to participate in school activities and push themselves to earn a place in the school football or netball team. Having a positive role model will also encourage a student s self-esteem and promote their curiosity to try new things without feeling shy and inhibited. A student s economic situation may affect their self -esteem as they may feel like they are not fitting in if they have not got the up -to-date shoes; trainers or mobile phone etc. Strained and traumatic family situa tions may also impact the growth of a child s self-esteem. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _______________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ K26 A student s self image revolves around the dynamics of the classroom and the reactions from their peers and the adults around them. A student that is struggling to cope with a relatively simple task will not feel better about themselves if the people around them look down on this and do not encourage the initial effort that the y are making. If a student is encouraged and praised for their small efforts, this will make them feel good about themselves and encourage them to attempt more difficult tasks and in turn build their self -esteem. This good feeling will resonate around the dynamics of the classroom and inspire the whole class to progress. If students hear that they are good or poor at something they will start to believe that it is true. This is often called a self-fulfilling prophecy . E.g. A student is struggling to co mplete a task and they tell me that they can t do it because they can t spell very well and this is the class for thickos , everyone in the class says so .

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STL41 May 2011 ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________ _______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ ______________________ K27 As children become more mature they will be given tasks that will require them to make their own decisions and choices. They will need to be encouraged to make decisions and how to test whether they have made the right decision. They will need an adult to be there for them, should they need guidance how they can think the process through in order to do this. At ************** students are given the opportunity to work independently on a computer in the break out area in the corridors. To be able to do this freely, students will be given the opportunity to become Moon Graduates when they show they are able to work independently and stay on task in order to complete work set. If a student has decided to make the right choices and produce the work expected of them, they are rewarded with the freedom to do this all the more. Initially they may need to talk through the steps of progress they need to make to achieve this or be given information regarding what will happen if they make a particular decision. I will be mindful to make sure that I listen to their ideas and reasons for making their decisions. They must learn to take this information on board and show the self control needed to earn the right to take the next steps towards adulthood and independence. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ K28 See K27 When I am supporting students at ************* there are times when I will initiate a task in order to show a student how to attempt the task and for them to want to copy what I have showed them and make the decision that they are capable of doing it themselves. A student may ask me to scribe for them as they require the work they are doing to be as neat as possible, however, while I will agree with this I will encourage them that they are able to produce a neat piece of work themselves if they take their time and concentrate. Some students may feel confident in carrying out some tasks because they a re given these opportunities and given the confidence to try things at home, whereas others may have had everything done for them and not have the confidence to attempt tasks that others do with ease. At *************** students are given their own mini book laptops to use in their lessons. The expectations given to them regarding the way they use the laptops and the responsibility they need to have in order to use the laptop appropriately. Most students are able to take on the responsibility given to them while others struggle as they are not used to being responsible with a piece of equipment that is supplied to aid their learning and not to be used as a toy. The aim of the students working on laptops is to promote in dependent learning where they have to be resourceful and take control of their study time and investigate topics for what is called PBL (Project Based Learning). Some students excel at this and are very proficient at this and require very little support, w hereas others are not able to even look after their laptops on their own not alone able to use them to study independently. Some students have a greater level of responsibility at home and this will reflect in the way they take on responsibility at school. Some students may not have to take on any responsibility at home because they have everything done for them because their parents may be overprotective, whereas others may be forced to do lots of household chores not

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STL41 May 2011 normally done by someone of their age. This could be due to family circumstances that has seen them become carers for the parents. There is a happy medium in between these two extremes that would be better for senior school students of the same age. This is not the fault of the student but the expectations of the parents may need greater thought to not put undue pressure on a child to do certain things in the home or not expect a child of senior school age to carry out menial tasks around the home. ___________________________________________ _________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _____ ____________________________________________________________________________

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K29 See STL19, K16 I must not make stereotypical assumptions about students self reliance or make sure I challenge students if I hear them speak about other students like this. This may limit student s development. Examples of these can be that girls are more organised than boys; students with special educational needs are less intelligent; or a comment about a student s culture background. Some staff and students may do this without realising because in their upbringing certain comments were spoken about freely giving the impression that these views were the norm. A student with a brother in the same school may tell other students that her brother does not carry out certain tasks at home because their mum does it for him. The student s sister may not realise that it is wrong to say this because she may think that all boys are unable to carry out the tasks as that is what they are used to at home. I would advise the girl that her brother may not appreciate her telling other students about this. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ __________________________ __________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ K30 It is expected that younger students will have more conflicts with their peers than older students. With so many intense changes and experiences, adolescence is also an important time in emotional development. This affects some students more than others due to the range in maturity levels amongst students of the same age. In some cases a mature year 8 will behave better and be more understanding of the expectations upon them than an immature year 10. Mood swings are a characteristic of adolescence. While often attributed to hormones, mood swings can also be understood as a logical reaction to the social, physical, and cognitive changes facing adolescents, and there is often a struggle with issues of self esteem. As individuals search for identity, they confront the challenge of matching who they want to become with what is socially desirable. In this context, adolescents often exhibit bizarre and/or contradictory behaviour. ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ____________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ K31 See K11

STL41 May 2011 It is important for students to receive positive reinforcement for effort. This can be done in a number of ways. At ************** , students are given merits, also special assemblies to present certificates to students. While it is important to praise what students have achieved, their efforts should also be acknowledged. A student that has worked very hard may compare their work to that of other students and feel that they have not done as well. I am in a position to recognise this as a teaching assis tant and pass comment to their teacher of their efforts. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ K32 A student s self-esteem will grow with their confidence when they attempt new things that are set for them by adults. If a student does not have enough confidence they will be unwilling to attempt the task and may show challenging behaviour to avoid a task. A small amount of encouragement may be enough to persuade them to attempt a task. However, they may have a fear of failure and feel that they will be punished for failing a task. When I am supporting a student I am mindful not to say that they are wrong but point out that made a good effort and help them discover the right answer or better way to carry out the task. This will still give them the confidence to attempt the task again without the worry of failure. I will also encourage a student to ask for help and explain that they are not expected to get things right straight away. This will help build self-esteem in the student to enable them to have a go without the fear of getting it wrong. Some students find the thought of putting their hand up and asking for help very daunting. A student with high self -esteem will do this without a worry and it will be insignificant to them and therefore part of the system they have developed to manage their learning. However, a student with low self-esteem will feel that asking for help is massively significant to them and will therefore refrain from doing so and in turn are not managing their learning. It is important that students are given tasks that are achievable for their age and stage of development. It is vital that students gain confidence in their abilities from the people around them to enable them to fulfil their academic potential. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ K33 See STL 26, K16 **************** hold fortnightly Safeguarding Meetings with key members of staff that include heads of year, Every Child Matters Representative, *********** manager, other agencies where they discuss issues surrounding students that are continuing to display unacceptable behaviour. These meetings will discuss possible reasons for this behaviour and strategies to put in place to support the student. __________ __________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

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