Behaviour Support Plan: Good Practice

Educational Psychology Service

Developing Emotional Literacy within the whole School Community. 

Age Range:   Primary and Secondary

The project focussed on one Primary School initially, with the intention of disseminating good practice to other schools and the development of a resource package.

Positive Behaviour Management is not just about setting limits and having a system of rewards and consequences.  Children and adults need time to reflect on their feelings about the educational experience and about what is going well.  They also need time to problem-solve together when things are not going so well.

Emotional Literacy was one element of a broader project which had resulted from a successful Standards Fund Bid, the objectives of which where:

• To raise standards for identified groups of pupils presenting with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.
• To prevent exclusion and/or a referral for statutory assessment.

All of the work carried out during this project was planned and delivered in consultation with the school staff.  The project aimed to be responsive to the needs of the school rather than imposing predetermined models for intervention.  Objectives were pursued in a manner that would compliment existing skills, knowledge and systems within the school. 

The emphasis was on identifying areas for development with the school staff and developing structures that would continue to function beyond the duration of the project.  The project has developed on three levels related to whole school issues, classroom management and individual pupil issues.  Consideration was also given towards areas for maintenance and continued development beyond the life of the project.

Intended Outcome of Standards Fund Project:

To assist schools in developing a positive learning environment where pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties can develop self-management skills.

This was consistent with the area for development identified by staff:

"To teach emotional literacy so that pupils can become responsible members of the whole school community.  To achieve this we will need to foster self-awareness, inter-personal skills and mutual respect" for all.

Elements of the Project related to Emotional Literacy:

Circle Time: This was introduced as a cross curricular tool for the development of Emotional Literacy which could be used with the whole class or with targeted groups but could also be helpful in meeting individual needs.  It could be used as a means of introducing and reinforcing a whole school behaviour policy.  It was a flexible tool because sessions could be planned as part of PSHE or once established, for impromptu group problem-solving, following specific incidents.  Initial training was delivered to all staff with follow-up sessions where the process was modelled in the classroom.  Finally sessions have been co-facilitated with the project Educational Psychologist.  It is hoped that the school will be able to demonstrate good practice to other schools in the area, with a number of teachers already displaying a high degree of skill in the use of this tool.

To use of Circle Time effectively, time needs to be set aside to do it or else it joins the long list of things that teachers would like to do if only there were time.

There has been interest from some Secondary schools who would like to develop Circle Time in their schools and training has been planned.

Mediation:  This element of the project was instigated by the school staff in order to

• develop positive links between older and younger pupils,
• increase the confidence and interpersonal skills of the play leaders,
• improve communication and problem solving skills,
• promote positive and co-operative play, reduce conflict in the playground.

The contribution of Lunch Time Supervisors:  This can be crucial to the development of self-management skills and for meeting the needs of particular groups or individuals.  Regular meetings with Senior Management, following an initial training input, are highly valued as a forum for reflection on the role of the Lunchtime Supervisors and as an opportunity for joint problem solving.

Anger Management:  We considered anger management and how to deal with difficult situations during a staff meeting.  This included consideration of what are "anger', "violence" and "aggression".  Can anger be useful?  Why does anger present problems in schools?  We looked at ways of minimising angry incidents and how to analyse a situation to select the most effective strategy.  We also looked at the importance of timing in using a "staged model" of angry incidents.

Talking to Children and Parents about Behaviour:  We have looked at ways of having conversations with pupils and parents that acknowledge children's "needs", empowering them to find mutually acceptable ways of having their needs met.

Staff/Teacher Support Teams:  Peer support systems should compliment existing systems within a school.  Trained members of a school staff offer a service for colleagues to share, manage and solve problems arising from school individual teachers' concerns.

The Project will be evaluated Summer 2001 but informal observations and discussions with staff indicate positive outcomes in the areas described above.

If you would like to know more contact Morag Quirk, Educational Psychologist, The Glebe Centre.

Morag Quirk

Educational Psychologist

May 2001