What to do about challenging behaviour in Secondary schools?
The UK exclusion figures are now even worse than ever (School exclusion rates in London double the national average, 12 January 2019). The most recent figures from the DfE reveal that 7,720 young people were permanently excluded from schools in 2016-17. Of these, more than half, were in year 9 or above. Children eligible for free school meals were more than four times more likely to be excluded than those not eligible, children with special educational needs more than six times more likely than those not, and there were disproportionate numbers from certain ethnic heritages among those excluded.
‘Although schools are the agents of this phenomenon, the reasons for this scandal lie deeper in the nature of education and the pressures on schools to perform, and are in urgent need of greater understanding and alternative strategies’. Simon Gibbs – Reader in educational psychology, Newcastle University – Guardian January 2019
We at Inclusive Solutions find these figures and individual stories that we regularly hear quite horrifying. The personal cost will be immeasurable for individuals and their families and the cost to society will be high, as already shown in gang numbers, crime, knife crime and mounting drug addiction.
Let us come and work in your school to help transform relationships, to create a more inclusive and restorative culture. Our work is interactive and engaging with even the hardest to reach and we have been working with schools for over 30 years.
Strategies we can offer include:
Area of Input | High Impact Strategies |
1. Problem Solving Tools | Training in Solution Circles, Circles of Adults, Solutions and Insights processes. Sessional advice, assessment and support to students, staff and parents across the school or Academy Trust. Written Psychological reports if needed. Could include facilitation of complex problem solving processes using ‘Circles of Adults’ and ‘Insights and Solutions.’ https://inclusive-solutions.com/problem-solving/ |
2. Supporting individual families and challenging young people to develop their own vision and plans. | Co facilitation, demonstration and direct training with key staff to use PATH/MAP with individuals and families |
3. Use of Person Centred Planning Tools for Transition | Co facilitation, demonstration and direct training with key staff to use PATH/MAP with individuals and families to plan transitions. |
4. Community Circle development | Co – leadership, co – facilitation and training of Community Circle processes and principles. To actively involve intergenerational family members including grandparents plus key staff.
This powerful inclusive process of exchange of wants/needs and offers would be a unique but relevant offering in this context. https://inclusive-solutions.com/circles/community-circles/ |
5. Training the Trainers – developing training skills of staff providing training elsewhere | Provide ‘training the training’ with emphasis on ensuring effective interactive training with graphic, and dramatic elements maximising use of ICT video and music. This would draw on our extensive experience as trainers across the UK. |
6. Joint development of new ‘cutting edge’ training packages for use by schools | Joint working with key staff to develop new ideas and training materials e.g. ‘Crisis and conflict management in schools’ and ‘Making the ordinary school special’ |
7. Hearts and minds training on why inclusion is essential – ‘Keys to Inclusion’ | Training co facilitated. |
8. Support to parents/carers of challenging disabled/SEN children | Training aimed at Parents of disabled children: Likely areas of focus would be: movement differences/understanding autism/challenging behaviour/problem solving/boys needs |
9. Peer Support: Peer mentoring scheme | Anti-bullying training |
10. Peer Support: Creating ‘Circle of Friends’ around high profile students | Support and training to create Circles. Training for wider group of staff and modelling of set up and facilitation processes. Use of Circle of friends as inclusive tool |
11. – Inclusive Educational Psychologist Consultancy re complex situations and students – Support and Supervision | Structured support and supervision sessions – as either group or individual. Sessional advice, assessment and support to students, staff and parents. Written Psychological reports if needed.
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12. Restorative Justice and Interventions | Training and system development work around restorative conversations and conferences. |
13. Behaviour and Relationship
14.Training/Including Children with Autism | https://inclusive-solutions.com/training/behaviour-and-relationships/
https://inclusive-solutions.com/training/autism-understanding-and-including-people-of-all-ages/ |