IN THIS ISSUE

Formerly Social and Emotional Learning Update

ISSUE 88June 2012

1-2 News4 From the editor5-6 Professional updateMaking parents partners in teaching and learning7 School practiceWorking together: notes from a PRU8-9 School practiceReducing exclusions: are devolved budgets the way forward?10-11 Finding solutions Eating disorders – the increasing challenge12 Focus on strategies Reaching out through story

Charlie Taylor provides more answers to educational dilemmas in his document, Improving Attendance at School. In less than 12 pages he summarises what he sees as the issues and makes some controversial recommendations.

Improving Attendance at School establishes quite clearly that there are two sources of blame for truancy: parents and primary schools. Charlie Taylor wants to see a focus on improving the attendance of vulnerable pupils and a clampdown on families where attendance at nursery and reception is erratic.

Primary schools come in for criticism as seeking to maintain their good relationship with parents by authorising term-time holidays: ‘holidays in term time should be the exception rather than the rule’. He criticises the emphasis on unauthorised absence claiming that it leads to investment in extracting excuses rather than getting pupils in to school.

Coming down on the parents Charlie Taylor is critical of the way in which the current system is administered. His commentary includes an attack on sympathetic magistrates, the length of the process and parents who can manipulate the system. He recommends that

sanctions are swifter and firmer beginning with a £60 fine that doubles if it is not paid within 28 days. Most controversially he then goes on to suggest that if it isn’t paid it should be recovered through child benefit.

There is a clear implication that where families are failing to get their children into school, social care should be involved. Academy chains, sponsors and individual schools should be allowed to prosecute parents as well as councils. If this recommendation is put into action it will open up the way for private attendance officers to be involved in prosecutions.

Not surprisingly, Michael Gove likes what Charlie Taylor has to say and pledges to ‘work with my colleagues in the Government to explore ways to make payment by penalty notices swift and certain.’

Improving attendance at school is available from: www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour

In the next issue of Behaviour & Pastoral Update we’ll be looking at truancy from different perspectives and hear from one school that is particularly tough on attendance

Charlie Taylor gets tough on attendance

Now part of the Teaching, Learning & Pastoral Support Service www.optimus-education.com

The recommendations and some reactions to the reportThere are 13 recommendations in Charlie Taylor’s report on attendance. They include:

ll National statistics on attendance being published for the whole year (not just up to the summer term).

ll That rules on term-time holidays should be strengthened. ll That data on attendance in reception should be published. ll That Ofsted set specific, timed targets for improving

attendance in schools. ll That primary schools focus on parents in nursery and

Reception who aren’t getting their children into school.ll That the system of fines should be made simpler to use and

more immediate. ll That social care should be called in to address underlying

difficulties. ll That academy chains, sponsors and individual schools

should be allowed to prosecute their pupils’ parents.

Peter Gibson for the Rathbone youth charity said: ‘Our recent survey of persistent truants showed that for two-thirds of respondents, sanctions against parents would not have made them return to class.’

Barnardo’s chief executive, Anne Marie Currie, said, ‘docking unpaid fines from child-benefit risks punishing the pupils as well as the parents by penalising already deprived families.’

The NASWE (National Association of Social Workers in Education) is largely behind the report, ‘The review echoes NASWE’s belief that primary schools should re-focus their efforts to intervene earlier with troubled families.’

The NAHT identifies a different source of blame for term-time holidays, ‘The real culprit is our holiday arrangements which make the price levels between term-time and holidays so extreme.’

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Research into restaurant culture in schoolsThe school canteen can be much more than just a place to eat. As school food continues to hit the headlines, Nick Lalli and Hilary Burgess are embarking on research to demystify the power of community eating.

The importance of food within a school community is currently under-researched and undervalued in the UK. New research from the University of Leicester hopes to put this right. The three-and-a-half year project is a case study of an academy in the East Midlands which is situated in a low socio-economic and deprived area. The research will be conducted by Professor Hilary Burgess and Nick Lalli and will explore the impact of food on learning, attitudes and behaviour in pupils aged five to 16.

There is little available research in this area. Previous research conducted at Cornell University considered how food insecurity can affect academic performance and impair reading and mathematics development in pupils. However, such research does not consider the broader, and potentially more far-reaching impact of establishing a food-based ethos at the centre of school life.

The research Qualitative research methods such as interviewing and observation will be used to collect the data. The research aims to gain an insight into the social skills of pupils and the learning environment built around what the school terms a ‘restaurant culture’. The key issues to be explored are:

ll the benefits of a food-based ethos at the heart of schooling

ll the impact upon truancy and attendance

ll the use of the restaurant as a social meeting place and for more professional discussions.

The level of impact of the ‘restaurant culture’ is currently anecdotal although there is some evidence to indicate that the previous high truancy rate has gone down and pupil attendance has gone up.

What is ‘restaurant culture’? ‘Restaurant culture’ is a term specifically used by those who work in the school. It indicates the significance that is placed upon food and the dining area to promote a healthy lifestyle and create strong community ties.

The academy currently incorporates a restaurant that is open to parents and pupils. First thing in the morning, over tea and toast, they can chat to each other as well as the teachers. In this low socio-economic area homes are often unheated in winter and some lack tables where they can sit and enjoy a meal.

The restaurant is at the heart of the school and is the first place that visitors see as they enter. The tables are attractively arranged and each has a small vase of flowers which helps to create the atmosphere of a restaurant rather than a school dining hall.

It is much more than just a place to eat. This is the base from which the school champions positive behaviour and where students can learn to gain respect for their peers and others and develop their social skills. How much of an impact this positive ‘restaurant culture’ has upon

pupil learning, truancy and attendance is what the research will investigate.

The restaurant aims to have an impact upon parents by providing them with a place to meet each other and where they can discuss their child’s progress with teachers. For those parents and carers that have negative experiences of education linked to their own schooling, even coming into school can be an effort. The restaurant represents one way in which the school can reach out to its local community.

Aims of the research It is hoped that the findings of this research project will encourage school leaders to consider imaginative ways of implementing a ‘restaurant culture’ of their own. Such initiatives may provide a base for enhancing learning as well as developing closer links with the surrounding community.

Nick Lalli can be contacted at: g194@le.ac.uk

Hilary Burgess can be contacted at: hb144@le.ac.uk

Editor’s comment: food standards and freedoms for schools

Jamie Oliver has once more hit the headlines with his attack on academies and his accusation that they are not following the same food standards that other schools must. Many schools are continuing to prioritise healthy food and nutritious meals. However, for some perhaps there has been a loss of drive to make healthy eating a priority. An increase in independence should not mean a lowering of standards in relation to healthy eating and good dining practices.

The suggestion that schools do not always choose what’s best for students goes further than just healthy eating. The government’s light touch approach to the ECM agenda was based upon the premise that schools will follow it anyway. With some schools demonstrating that lack of compulsion can mean lack of implementation, what are the other implications of giving greater freedom to schools?

Does food need to be legislated? A national study conducted by the School Food Trust found that the school lunches taken by pupils in 2011 were healthier than those of pupils in 2004.

lll Meals eaten in 2011 had at least 30% less saturated fat, sodium and sugars. lll Nearly three-quarters of pupils took some fruit or vegetables as part of their

lunchtime meal.

The authors suggest that the improvements in consumption are down to the introduction of the national school food standards. However, these standards don’t apply to academies. Following their research into food in academy schools 2011-2012 they conclude that many academies are doing little to monitor what they actually provide to their pupils and that there is some shift away from the standards. The School Food Trust recommend that it should be a legal obligation for all schools to comply with the standards including academies and free schools.

To access the full report: go to http://bit.ly/Jqjapo. For the research into food in academy schools go to http://bit.ly/JB9jkM.

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IN THIS ISSUE

Formerly Social and Emotional Learning Update

ISSUE 87May 2012

1-2 News4 From the editor5-6 Focus on strategiesTackling poor attendance through a SEAL approach7-8 School practiceUnravelling the reasons for absence9 School practiceA positive approach to attendance10 Focus on strategies The quest for responsible, philosophical citizens11 Professional update Isolation bullying: exclusion to cause distress

Where should permanently excluded pupils go? Whose responsibility should they be? The government is trialling a new approach that will keep schools accountable for their excluded pupils.

The pilot will run between autumn 2011 and July 2014 with approximately 300 secondary schools in seven local authorities taking part. Responsibility for placing excluded pupils in an alternative setting from the sixth day will transfer from the LA to the excluding school.

The school is responsible for selecting the most appropriate placement, which is commissioned directly from the provider. The placement will be funded from the same budget that the local authority would have used. However, the school will be responsible for the pupil’s attainment and attendance and will be expected to arrange regular reporting on the pupil’s academic and behavioural progress.

Schools participating in the pilot can use additional money allocated to them from the Dedicated

Schools Grant to support behaviour management initiatives, including the commissioning of more early intervention work.

Changes to exclusions guidance There are other indications that schools will become more accountable for excluded pupils. From September 1st 2012, although the new independent review panel will not be able to reinstate a pupil, they will be able to direct the governing body to re-consider the exclusion.

If the governing body does not reinstate, it can be required to make a financial readjustment of £4,000 towards the cost of the pupil’s provision from the school’s budget.

Exclusion from Schools and Pupil Referral Units in England: A Guide for those with Legal Responsibilities in Relation to Exclusion – Draft Document 2011 can be downloaded via http://bit.ly/wuYQG7

Excluded pupils – the school’s responsibility

Trialling the new approach to exclusion in WiltshireWiltshire council are taking part in the DfE pilot scheme from September 2012. The change in responsibility means that the current Young People’s Support Service (YPSS) will no longer be provided by the council and schools will take on the responsibility instead. The YPSS is a PRU with four centres in different geographical areas covering KS3 and KS4. They offer provision to those permanently excluded as well as support to those in danger of being excluded.

Head of Wiltshire’s Local Collaborative Partnerships, Mark Brotherton, says, ‘The responsibility of providing for those permanently excluded will remain with schools not the YPSS. We are applying to Michael Gove to shut our YPSS so that in effect

schools will commission alternative provision themselves using devolved money. We will retain with schools the quality assurance of that provision. The commercial organisations are private alternative providers and we have a register of accredited providers for schools to tap into.’

James Colquhoun, headteacher at St Laurence School and chair of the West Wiltshire Alliance says, ‘At a time of calls for greater autonomy, responsibility and collaboration, provision for the most-hard-to-reach does more naturally sit with the young person’s school rather than a Pupil Referral Unit such as YPSS… there are commercial organisations in Wiltshire who have a strong record in dealing

with disaffected students and to whom a very small minority will be referred. Otherwise, secondary schools will use their skills and imagination to keep on trying new ways of engaging the most challenging of our young people.’

Mike Harrison, NUT secretary for Wiltshire comments: ‘As a matter of principle we would prefer for the service to remain under the control of the LA and to a certain extent it does. However, the changes need to be seen in the context of the government’s privatisation agenda which moves services from the public sector to the private one.’

In our next issue we will be talking to two schools about their involvement in a similar scheme in Cambridgeshire

Now part of the Teaching, Learning & Pastoral Support Service www.optimus-education.com

Editor: Suzanne O’Connell

Behaviour and Pastoral Update is published by Optimus Education, a division of Optimus Professional Publishing Ltd.

Registered office: 33-41 Dallington Street, London EC1V 0BB. Reg. no: 05791519. © 2012 Optimus Professional Publishing Limited ISSN 1759-9474

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Behaviour Pastoral

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Does every lesson count?Charlie Taylor, Sir Michael Wilshaw and Michael Gove might have their differences but, by and large, they seem to be the best of friends. Imagine them on a night out together. Charlie Taylor will take the attendance register and anyone arriving late will be sent home. Sir Michael Wilshaw will be checking the suitability of the venue – anything satisfactory will not be good enough. Michael Gove, as events manager, will be collecting evidence that the enjoyment threshold was attained by all.

I might digress, but it does seem as though these three individuals have got the monopoly on everything and are carving up education in England between them. If it’s not one of them indicating what the future must be it’s the other. And the latest is Charlie Taylor’s advice on attendance (see p1).

It’s a short document and includes some important points. Perhaps it is time to stop focusing on the attendance patterns of 14- and 15-year-olds and catch them when they’re younger. Some primary schools and parents could do more to reinforce the importance of attendance. But I also have my concerns.

It’s not a popular thing to say, but I happen to think that a family holiday is beneficial. Ask adults what they remember about their childhood days and it will often include the holidays they had with their parents. I do have some important supporters of this view. Missing Out, research published by the Children’s Society (http://bit.ly/IXMpya), found that an annual holiday away from home each year was one of the 10 material items that children regarded as

part of a ‘normal kind of life’. For some parents the choice is a term-time holiday or

none at all. OK, there may be parents who can afford to go at other times and choose not to. But there are also those who simply cannot afford the extortionate prices that are demanded at peak times of the year. Should these families not be allowed to go at all? And who am I, who expects to holiday at least once a year, to tell them that they shouldn’t?

The argument is that every lesson counts. But does it? If it does then why are parents able to take the decision to home-educate their children? In fact, the advice might be to any parent who can’t afford a holiday at any other time, take your children out of school, educate them otherwise and you can take holidays all year round if you choose.

I’ve also got misgivings about academies and other ‘independents’ being able to prosecute parents themselves. I am not going to argue about the rights and wrongs of prosecution. However, I do find it a little unnerving that individuals might be employed by a school to chase parents up and then fine them.

What will the checks and controls on these people be? Could this become another way in which schools indirectly control their admissions? All you have to do is get a reputation for being rather heavy-handed on your fines and some parents will find another school for their children.

The attendance report is not, in my view, a clear-cut solution to truancy. Conversely, it could lead to even more families finding themselves on the outside instead of in.

From the editor

In this issue – a focus on attendance ll In our first article Gary Toward and Chris Henley tells us about how parental engagement has been increased at South

Wigston High School.

ll Gary Owen tells us about Penwith Short Stay School, how it works with mainstream schools, about its Ofsted and why inspectors liked it.

ll There has been a lot of discussion about attendance. In ‘Reducing exclusions: are devolved budgets the way forward?’ Behaviour & Pastoral Update interviews two headteachers in Cambridgeshire about an approach that has worked for them.

ll Story Links is one of the strategies advocated as part of YoungMinds in Schools. Trisha Waters explains why it can be so beneficial for pupils at risk of exclusion.

ll In ‘Eating disorders – the increasing challenge’, Zoë Dale gives us another reason why social interaction at mealtimes is important.

Coming up We’ll be looking at the issue of examination stress, the increasing pressure that young people are under and how we can help them. We hear from a high-achieving girls’ school about the measures they’ve introduced.

We’ll also be considering in more detail some of the possible implications of Charlie Taylor’s report on improving attendance. We’ll hear from one school whose attendance has risen from 91% to 97.2% and find out how they did it.

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We recommend it because:

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Making parents partners in teaching and learning At South Wigston High School they are keen to acknowledge that parents are the experts. In this article Gary Toward and Chris Henley explain what their school has done to make parents such active partners

South Wigston High School is a Leicestershire school, serving a significantly deprived area on the southern edge of the city. Given the nature of our catchment area, we decided that if we were to really transform life chances for our pupils, we had to invest a lot of effort into building relationships with the families we serve. This included encouraging engagement.

Engagement Engagement is something that goes beyond supporting the school team your child plays for or even attending parents’ evening. For us, engagement means enabling the parents to become active partners in their child’s learning.

In the early days we began to realise there were some important barriers which were making a number of parents reluctant to come into school and engage with us. Precisely the same parents whom we identified as ‘hard to reach’ said they thought school was ‘hard to reach’ too.

We identified some of the reasons for this:ll their own experience of schoolll the negative experience of being a parent of a

child who is naughty or not very successfulll the professional jargon teachers usell low esteem of parents who think they have

little to offer ll parents who are working, ill, away, or just

finding life tough to cope with.

Who are the experts? When it comes to bringing up children it’s the parents who are the experts, not the teachers. Teachers can provide some specialist input, but it remains a fact that at every stage of a child’s development, it is parents who have the most influence.

While most parents will feel they can make a contribution when their children are little, it is familiar territory for secondary school teachers to meet parents who are willing but lack confidence.

They will say something along the lines of, ‘I don’t know anything about French or electrolysis or Shakespeare, so I can’t help my child.’

It doesn’t have to be so complicated. The delay in the development of language skills is a common factor for many children who underachieve at school. Recent research by the OECD suggests that parents can improve their child’s performance just by talking with them. This might be through reading with them, watching TV together and discussing it, even just sharing family meals. Making them aware of the impact they can have can make a huge difference.

Our strategies We chose to make a conscious effort to establish a relationship with parents. We knew that we could easily be dismissed or ignored as sanctimonious professionals telling them how to live their lives. We always emphasise that they are the experts and that we are their partners in bringing up their children.

We start early with the visits to feeder schools and during these meetings:

ll we try to bust the jargon which many parents find difficult to understand – what is a ‘year head’ or a ‘pastoral assistant’?

ll we establish who the main point of contact is – schools can be large institutions with an impenetrable maze of people, and parents need to know who to get in touch with

ll we encourage parents and children to learn together, and this is a pattern which will be

Engagement is something that goes beyond supporting the school team your child plays for or even attending parents’ evening

Key pointsll South Wigston High School acknowledges that parents are the experts

when it comes to their children. ll Parents sometimes lack confidence and may not be aware of the

impact they can have. ll The school has developed its own training package to help staff

prepare for parents’ evening.

Top ten strategies 1. Making effort the king of attainment and communicating this to parents.2. Texting praise for pupils directly to parents. 3. Texting thanks to parents.4. Designing specific experiences to involve parents in joint learning with their children.5. Parents’ breakfast.6. Christmas cards – hand signed to all families, with individual positive messages to a target group.7. Early links through the primary schools.8. A warm welcome, even if you know it’s a challenging conversation coming.9. Focused parent/teacher meetings with mutual support agendas.10. Targeted parents’ events for specific outcomes, eg Sums for Mums and Dads.

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repeated once they join the school ll parents and children engage in activities

together, eg competing against each other on the rowing machines, cooking biscuits or helping one another conduct a scientific experiment.

Parents’ evenings We’ve worked hard to develop our parents’ evenings. Teachers invest a lot of time and effort in preparing for and conducting parental interviews, and if they don’t move children’s learning on, that investment could be questioned.

We are currently working on a new training package for every member of staff about how to conduct a successful parents’ evening interview. The package includes:

ll advice on basic formalities that establish the relationship we want with our parents – eg how to greet them

ll guidance on preparation for the interview ll what information to communicate – eg levels

and targets ll jargon-busting so that parents understand the

terms we use ll examples of advice they can give to parents

about how to help their child’s learning in different subjects – eg ‘It would really help if you could…’

We are very proactive when inviting parents to come to parents’ evening and contact those we really want to engage by telephone. At the beginning of the school year, we personally invite parents of a targeted group of vulnerable pupils to attend a formal conversation with a member of the SLT. This is followed by a period on report which will require parental involvement on a daily basis.

Texting Perhaps the biggest investment to engage parents we have made in recent years is the introduction of a texting system. We use texting to:

ll remind parents of events ll alert them to an important letter in the child’s

bag ll communicate instant praise – particularly for

effort ll thank parents for coming to parents’ evening

or attending a special event.

Our discourse with the pupils is focused on effort, and consequently it is effort that we seek to praise in an ever-increasing range of ways. When asked whose opinion mattered most to them, our pupils answered unequivocally that it was their parents’, and texting immediately lets them know when we’re pleased.

Special eventsWe have hugely expanded our programme of events to engage parents and pupils in learning together. We run our own version of the Duke of

Edinburgh’s Award with our Key Stage 3 pupils. One of the components is a requirement that children and families engage in activities together.

This might include them going for a country walk or attending an arts-based event. Our family learning day in the summer includes a technology-based activity (last year’s was building rockets), dance, an art and craft session, cooking together or even a fitness class. We organise special evenings in which parents can experience learning as their children would do during the school day. ‘Sums for Mums’ has been particularly popular.

We have recently targeted our pupils with high aspirations in Year 9. They are invited, along with their parents, to attend three formal dinners during the year. These dinners are sponsored by a local company and include an evening meal with a motivational speaker. Motivational speakers sometimes address all our pupils during the school day, with evening events organised as a follow up and parents invited.

Our biggest recent innovation has been our parents’ breakfast. We opened our canteen facilities at 7.30am and served a full English to invited pupils and parents. Such was the popularity that we had to run three mornings, and while they were captive over their bacon and eggs, we circulated among them and engaged them with informal tips and advice as to how they could help their children to learn, all the time emphasising that they are the experts.

Plans for the futureWe never reach El Dorado with these initiatives. In the pipeline we have plans to nominate a member of the senior leadership team to oversee all interaction with parents in a coordinated approach, and we shall be signing up to the Leading Parent Partnership Award (see www.lppa.co.uk).

Research by Dr Jo Lyons of Y2:L shows that once you reach a magic tipping point where 30% of your families are actively engaged in their children’s learning, the quality of learning across the whole school improves. We are passionate about improving the life chances for our young people, and we know that we stand a better chance of doing this if we work with the real experts. The time we have invested has paid off.

We chose to make a conscious effort to establish a relationship with parents. We always emphasise that they are the experts and that we are their partners in bringing up their children

The power of praise We had a boy in Year 9 who had crossed swords with teachers on a regular basis. In one lesson he performed creditably and his teacher sent his mother a text to this effect. She received it in the vicinity of the frozen peas section of her local supermarket.

She contacted us to say that he had been in school since he was four and this was the first time she had ever received any positive communication from any of his teachers. Interestingly, this was the catalyst for change in the boy’s approach. This one moment turned him around. Texting is now increasingly being used to thank parents as well.

Gary Toward and Chris Henley are head and assistant headteacher respectively of South Wigston High School in Leicestershire. Through their company, Decisive Element (www.decisive-element.co.uk) they run a range of training courses to meet a wide variety of needs. Contact: chenley1@southwigston.leics.sch.uk

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Working together: notes from a PRUAt Penwith Short Stay School the emphasis is on working together as staff and sharing experience with mainstream schools, says headteacher Gary Owens

Penwith Short Stay School is a PRU catering for KS2, 3 and 4 pupils from the Penwith area of West Cornwall. All our staff started out in mainstream and are specialists in specific subjects. When a pupil joins us we link them up with a learning mentor and create their own personalised programme. This programme addresses any emotional and behavioural difficulties they have while also building on their interests and strengths.

Ofsted callsPenwith Short Stay School has recently had an Ofsted inspection, a process that is no different for a PRU than for any other school. However, we did feel that the inspectors took our particular circumstances into account.

Like most schools we were a little anxious – you can’t always be sure what kind of behaviour the inspectors might see. However, we knew they were more interested in how we managed the behaviour than the behaviour itself. As it happened the pupils did us proud and we had two very calm days.

We were prepared for the inspection and had analysed our data carefully. We could show that all groups were making progress; in fact our statemented pupils were making more progress than they had in their mainstream schools. The inspectors spent a lot of time looking at the work. Rather than sitting in the office wondering what was happening I chose to observe with them – it meant there were no big surprises for me.

The inspectors didn’t speak much to parents. This is one area that can be tricky to navigate. Parents often have a very negative attitude towards education and schools. Not all engage, even with us. We have an open door policy and we do try, but it doesn’t always work.

Why we were ‘good’We were rated as being good against each key judgement. I think our emphasis on literacy and numeracy was a real strength in this inspection. Every day we offer two slots of 15 minute sessions, short bursts that are in addition to the usual English and maths lessons. As we work so intensely with students we can often pick things up that might have been missed in their mainstream setting.

We emphasise basic skills but we also make sure we have opportunity to relax. On a Friday afternoon we go to the local sports centre for a football match. Music is another subject that is particularly popular and the inspectors commented on how well everyone cooperated in

one of the music lessons. We have a clear code of conduct but we try

to keep it simple. We probably don’t have as many rules as our mainstream colleagues. One example of this is that we expect students to wear a uniform but girls are allowed to wear jewellery and make-up if they wish. The less opportunity for confrontation the better.

At lunchtime we all eat together. Students prepare the food and we consider it to be an important social time that students don’t necessarily experience at home. Sometimes they don’t want to sit with us, but that’s fine – we’re on the next table if they want anything. They need their own space too.

Working with mainstreamI work closely with mainstream colleagues as part of the Penwith Behaviour For Learning Partnership. This is a group who meet every half term to look at pupils who are at risk of exclusion or whose behaviour is causing serious concern. There are six similar groups in Cornwall.

Being involved in this partnership means I’m aware of the ‘pending list’ – those pupils who may end up at our school. It works the other way round as well. I can request reintegration when one of our students is ready to move back into mainstream.

It is a difficult balancing act for us. We want them to return but they also need to feel part of a caring community while they’re here. They can worry about going back and leaving the learning and support behind. When they come here they are part of a small group with lots of attention and additional help. Transfer to another school, without that additional support, can be difficult.

The more opportunities there are for us to share good practice between PRUs and mainstream schools the better. Not only do we benefit from specialist subject teachers but schools would benefit from our learned expertise in supporting challenging students.

In the end the main strength of our school is the staff. The Ofsted inspection was successful because we work together well and that model of cooperation is vitally important for our students too.

Gary Owens has been teaching in mainstream schools and PRUs since 1977. He has been in the role of headteacher since 2002 when he led Restormel PRU. He has always been closely involved in special needs provision. Contact: gowens@cornwall.gov.uk

The more opportunities there are for us to share good practice between PRUs and mainstream schools the better. Not only do we benefit from specialist subject teachers but schools would benefit from our learned expertise in supporting challenging students

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Reducing exclusions: are devolved budgets the way forward? Exclusions have fallen by 20% in Cambridgeshire since the LA devolved responsibility to schools and local partnerships. As the government trials similar schemes, we look at the innovations that brought about success in the county

Something had to change with pupil exclusions in Cambridgeshire. The local authority was spending £5.4m on excluded children each year and its pupil referral units and support and tuition services were overflowing. The local authority took the brave step of deciding to put the issue into the hands of its secondary schools. It announced that it would devolve the money usually spent to schools but they would have to come up with their own methods of working.

A steering group was established with LA officers and lengthy consultations followed. It was no rash, spontaneous decision but a careful calculation of how schools could support challenging children better. Each school was set to receive a sizeable sum with the money for their budgets ranging from £150,000 to £250,000 in some areas.

Cambridgeshire was divided into five sections each with its own behaviour and attendance improvement panel (BAIP). It was up to the individual BAIPs to establish how the money would be devolved to their schools and whether they would keep any money centrally for shared services.

The result was an innovative patchwork of practice around the county. Behaviour & Pastoral Update talked to headteachers from two BAIPs

taking different approaches to find out how it had worked for them.

Gaining control‘We all recognised that something had to be done. Too many youngsters were being excluded with all the implications which this would have for their life chances,’ explains, Howard Gilbert, headteacher of St Ivo school. ‘It was a situation that was way out of control.’

The irony was that all schools were losing money from their budgets in order that Cambridgeshire could provide alternative provision. It was a terrific drain on resources and one that schools had no control over. ‘We didn’t have any decision-making power about what happened to money and how it was spent on the pupils. Money was removed from our budgets before we received it.’

St Ivo’s BAIP (Huntingdonshire) decided that it would devolve nearly all the money out to its seven schools, ‘Although we have shared ideas, approaches and information we have used the money according to our own individual circumstances.’

For example, St Ivo has developed its own provision such as ‘The Bridge’ – an area with online learning facilities if pupils need a short period of time out of the classroom. They have also commissioned some external provision. For example, SkillForce, who come into the school for one day a week in KS4.

Inclusion is vitalOne type of provision that each of the schools in this cluster do have in common is their own inclusion manager. ‘They meet together and swap ideas. This has helped us to introduce an element of quality assurance and has increased the trust and information-sharing between our schools.’

Neighbouring schools can dip into one another’s provision if necessary. For example, one school in the cluster had set up ‘Prospect House’, a facility that is part of the school but also might be classified as alternative provision. ‘We had a Year 8 boy who we were very concerned about. We were able to pay for him to attend Prospect House and it’s made all the difference. In fact I saw him this morning and he said how much better things were.’

The LA isn’t completely removed from the process. St Ivo still uses the services of a behaviour

We all recognised that something had to be done. Too many youngsters were being excluded with all the implications which this would have for their life chances

Key pointsll Cambridgeshire has developed a new system of devolving money and

responsibility for exclusion ll each area has developed its own methods of addressing the issue of

excluded pupils ll the approach has significantly reduced the number of pupils being

placed in county PRU provision

St Ivo School and Swavesey Village College St. Ivo School is an 11-19 comprehensive with 1,809 on roll. It draws students from across St Ives as well as from a wide geographical area beyond the town. In May 2011 Ofsted reported that outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils were outstanding.

Swavesey Village College is an 11-16 comprehensive, with 1,200 on roll, drawing from a rural catchment 8 miles west of Cambridge city. In 2011 Ofsted reported that ‘Swavesey Village College is outstanding in every respect.’

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support teacher who is currently employed by the county rather than the school, ‘The fact that she is not part of the school means that she can draw attention to issues in a way that someone who is totally accountable to us might not.’ The issue is whether this valuable service will be retained as the LA’s resources shrink further.

Howard Gilbert is clear about just how vital inclusion is: ‘Much of what we’re doing is about keeping pupils away from the cliff edge from where they might jump or be pushed.’

Creating what is neededSwavesey Village College is part of one of the other four groups of Cambridgeshire schools. There are eight secondary schools in this group and the headteacher of Swavesey, Martin Bacon, is the current chair of the South Cambridgeshire Inclusion Partnership.

This group perhaps took a more radical approach, by agreeing that there would be no permanent exclusions outside of the partnership and that they wouldn’t buy into PRU places. ‘We agreed to manage all our students between us.’

They split the budget three ways:ll 80% straight to schools for them to allocatell 10% to commission work across the

partnership, for example on additional mental health support

ll 10% for central contingency to support individual schools if an exceptional need arises.

The partnership began in April 2011 and so far this contingency has never been called upon.

The partnership is made up of an inclusion group, a steering group and a third party disagreement group. They have developed all their own services and have created what they need themselves rather than buying into existing provision.

Martin explains, ‘We have eight tutors here who are all qualified teachers who have perhaps retired and can be flexible according to our needs. We can call them in if we are having problems with a pupil and they need to have some home tuition for a period of time. They are on a flexible timetable and can be tutored outside of the school building.

The key thing here is that the school is responsible for what happens to the pupil. If they cannot meet the provision needed themselves then they must find out what alternatives there might be somewhere else – in another school or with an external provider. If they do take up provision elsewhere, they must pay for it.’

The original school remains responsible for paying for any programmes the pupil is involved with and the transport to and from them. Most importantly, they remain accountable for the pupil’s achievement. Martin Bacon claims that the fact that the original school pays for provision means there is also a level of accountability from the host school for delivery of an effective programme. ‘It is a collective responsibility rather

than devolved back to the LA or handed on to another school.’

Martin has a clear understanding of what he wants for his challenging pupils: ‘Inclusion is about access to achievement and not containment’.

Not all plain sailingAlthough the county was instrumental in launching the scheme originally, it has not all been plain sailing. Tom Jefford, head of Youth Support Services in Cambridgeshire explains, ‘The scheme has had its ups and downs particularly in relation to those already working in established provision such as the PRUs. Their jobs were placed at risk and many were subsequently made redundant.’

It can be difficult for schools to predict the number of places they might need in a PRU. The lack of a secure prediction or the back-up of LA funding made planning very difficult: ‘We had to restructure because the number of referrals was actually lower than predicted and then one BAIP decided that they would not be excluding at all. We still have one PRU operating but they have closed their KS3 provision and merged their sites into one three-site PRU to make a County PRU with 120 places.

‘The number of excluded pupils has significantly reduced from 600 to 120. Whether we can retain a PRU or not is dependent on how many schools sign up for places. We have to try and commit to some level of longevity for the staff there. It is not good for staff morale if there is constant uncertainty about their future prospects.’

However, he is positive overall about the direction that the project has taken, ‘It’s been quite a journey for the heads and has led to some creative and innovative practice. The models are based upon trust and require schools to collaborate. We spent a lot of time consulting and could have probably spent even longer.’

Tom suggests that the most powerful incentive for heads to come to a consensus and develop a plan was the substantial amount of money on offer. ‘There was money on the table and it was a lot of money. However, schools sometimes forget that now the money is devolved there is none remaining in the pot. We do get some schools coming back to us, they expect there still to be money available.’

Quality assurance is another issue. The local authority is now trying to provide some means of monitoring provision: ‘We have a role to play in helping schools make the decision about what to buy and how to access the quality support they need.’

What is evident from talking to schools and the LA in Cambridgeshire is that this has been no swift or easy journey. The results are promising but the whole process has been a leap of faith and does rely on trust and respect between schools and colleagues.

‘The element of peer challenge by heads has been particularly beneficial. Schools are accountable to one another. There are still areas to work on and things that might have been done differently in hindsight. It is very much a work in progress.’

The school is responsible for what happens to the pupil. If they cannot meet the provision needed themselves then they must find out what alternatives there might be somewhere else

Tom Jefford can be contacted at Tom.Jefford@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

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Eating disorders – the increasing challenge As stress and anxiety build for many of our young people, we are seeing an increasing trend of eating disorders emerge. In this article, Zoë Dale explores the implications for schools

The number of children, adolescents and young adults experiencing eating disorders is increasing. Staff may not know how best to intervene when confronted by a young pupil who is seriously underweight or a teenager who is making themselves sick at lunchtime.

Schools have an important role to play in prevention and early intervention with children’s emerging mental health needs. In particular, schools should be educating children and young people about emotional distress and the link to eating disorders. Theirs is an increasingly key role in offering initial support and where necessary, access to specialist professionals.

What is an eating disorder? ‘…It can be easier to control the way you eat than to cope with painful feelings. Over time this can become dangerous to emotional and physical health.’ (Young Minds information leaflet for young people)

Restricting, binging or purging may form important ways in which a child or young person is trying to manage their emotional distress. Some children and young people may resist mental health intervention, fearing that the very strategies that help them cope will be removed.

Those who are struggling with eating issues rarely ask for help themselves. Worried friends and parents are often key in alerting staff. It is important to note that these may be high achieving pupils, who place great emphasis on attainment and may fear failing and losing control.

Anorexia Nervosa frequently arises at the onset of puberty and is characterised by persistent restriction of food intake, resulting in a child or young person weighing less than 85% of their ideal body weight.

Bulimia can be harder to recognise, as often body weight will remain within the normal range. Bulimia focuses on a pattern of losing control of eating, resulting in a binge, which is then balanced by purging with vomiting and/or laxatives.

EDNOS Eating Disorder Otherwise Not Specified – is an increasingly common presentation, where there is a combination of restricting, binging and purging.

During childhood and adolescence we expect steady growth so any weight loss should always be taken seriously. We are increasingly aware that the onset of puberty can leave a child or young person fearing that they have no control over their changing body and moods. Though girls are at risk more than boys, young men are increasingly developing serious eating disorders in adolescence.

Why eating disorders?Children and young people might develop eating disorders because of:

ll feeling out of controlll feeling that they aren’t good enough ll abusive/traumatic experiences in childhoodll parents/families who worry about their own

Key pointsll Eating disorders are on the increase. ll It is important to explore pupils’ feelings non-judgmentally. ll Parents should be involved. ll It is important to engage with other agencies.

Case study: Julie aged 10 – Year 6Julie’s Mum is very worried, her daughter seems upset beyond all proportion at recently noticing underarm hair and the beginnings of breasts. She has recently begun to weigh herself like her Mum and wants to diet like her elder sister. Her eating is increasingly picky, with no breakfast, except for a hot drink and a half full lunch box often returning home.

Other friends have stopped eating lunch so they don’t get fat. School have noticed Julie often sharing her lunch and not drinking juice at break. She appears noticeably more tired and irritable in the afternoon. Mum has noticed how loose her daughter’s clothes are and is deeply upset by Julie recently describing how you can make yourself sick. Julie has started to sleep poorly and is preoccupied with worry about forthcoming SATs.

Points to consider: ll A meeting with parents and Julie could explore the current concerns –

what do they think would help?ll Julie might need opportunity to talk – how could she access this? ll The school nurse/GP/CAMHS should be consulted, given Julie’s

reluctance to drink, as well as eat in the school dayll Staff should consider strategies for alleviating anxiety around SATS ll Might there be opportunity for staff to eat together with students at

lunchtime and model healthy eating?ll Does the curriculum focus on positive body image and help pupils

understand puberty? ll A strategy for managing the earlier onset of puberty might be developed

in consultation with the Education Psychologist

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weight and dietll media endorsed beliefs regarding body imagell anxiety about attainment/performancell mental health needs in parents

What can you do?Explore how they feel Children and young people may feel alone, fear being judged, and that adults will not understand them, particularly if their eating habits are impacting on their health. Research highlights the importance of staff taking a non judgemental stance that focuses on feelings and exploring what triggers the eating issues, rather than the specific symptoms of their eating difficulties.

Given the issues of control relating to disorder eating, it is important to explore with a child or young person what would be most helpful for them. For example, agreeing together what should be shared about their difficulties. If you decide to make a referral to a health professional or Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), discuss in an age appropriate way the details with the child/young person and their parents.

Get a general idea of what the child/young person is eating and drinking in school time and explore:

ll How do you feel at the moment?ll Are there any worries that would be helpful to

talk about – at school, home, with friends?ll What happened/what do you feel before things

are difficult with eating?ll What helps you feel better about eating in school?

Talk to parents Involve parents from the outset and identify:

ll How concerned are they? ll Where and when is eating a problem? ll What do they think their child/young person is

currently eating and drinking?ll What have they noticed helps?ll Are they under pressure themselves – do they

have their own mental health problems?ll What other agencies are involved? ll Are there multiple presenting problems?ll Have they involved their General Practitioner/

other health professionals?

Consider the riskAny child displaying signs of disordered eating, no matter how minor the initial presentation may appear, warrants careful consideration.

Fears that drinking fluid may lead to weight gain, can be an important sign that a child or young person is experiencing serious difficulties with their eating and medical advice should be sought either from their GP or in consultation with your local CAMHS.

Ask yourself if the eating issue presents a risk to the child/young person’s physical health. If it does:

ll Consider confidential consultations with CAMHS/School Nursing Service

ll Use the support of your local Common Assessment Framework (CAF) protocols

Strategies that support early intervention and prevention in schools 1. Create time to talk in confidence and ensure pupils know how and when they can access this. Alongside the drive to raise achievement ensure that staff also have time to show they care.2. Support parents in advocating healthy eating and maintaining an expectation that they can change things. Develop links with parents at an early stage; don’t wait until there’s a crisis. 3. Advocate and model healthy eating at your school by encouraging social interaction and integration at mealtimes. It is particularly beneficial if staff eat with students of all ages. 4. Ensure that the curriculum promotes a positive understanding of body image and puberty and school policies and procedures focus on building self-esteem and confidence in preparation for changes ahead. 5. Do not place undue pressure and emphasis on achievement to the exclusion of everything else. 6. Involve other professionals who are available not just to tackle issues as they emerge but in preventative strategies.

Case study: Rob – 16 years old, Year 12Rob is disgusted with himself and his eating and feels out of control. He uses his lunch money to binge on sweets and snacks which he eats alone in a quiet corner of the playground. Rob fears becoming one of the ‘fatties’ that get such a hard time in school and has recently begun to make himself sick at lunchtime. He does this discreetly in the disabled toilet which ensures greater privacy. His friends are worried about him, concerned that he is unhappy, irritable and looking unwell. A close female friend wonders if Rob is making himself sick and tells a learning mentor that she trusts.

Rob is initially furious at being ‘outed’ but then is able to acknowledge that he needs help with his eating. He is adamant that he does not want his parents to know. They are both overweight and struggle to manage their eating. Rob shares that he fears becoming like them, he wants to be successful, slim and achieve well in his AS exams. He is aware that his need to binge worsens when he is most anxious about exams and coursework. Rob discreetly shares that he has confused feelings about his sexuality and would value talking about this.

Points to consider: ll Is Rob ‘Fraser competent’ – can he understand the implications of

accessing support/health intervention without his parent’s knowledge?ll Which would be best – counselling in school or with an outside service? ll Remember that any emerging eating difficulties should be medically

assessed. Rob could access his GP as an individual in confidence, now he is 16 years old.

ll Consider a confidential telephone conversation with the local CAMH services – when would they advise referral?

ll Could a mentor support him attending initial appointments, if he is very anxious?

ll What does Rob think would help him manage his eating in school? ll Would he like support with joining with his friends at lunchtime/

building closer connections with peers?ll Consider strategies for managing study and performance related anxiety.

Zoe Dale is a consultant trainer for Young Minds and Child Mental Health Professional who has delivered child mental health services in education settings for the past 10 years. Contact: zoe@zoedaleconsulting.co.uk

Further information

ll www.youngminds.org.uk – wide range of leaflets for children, young people and their families

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Reaching out through storyStory Links is a therapeutic writing programme that helps reduce exclusion from lessons. Trisha Waters tells us why it works so well

Trisha Waters has a background in education and therapeutic approaches. Her commitment to the therapeutic teaching model led her to apply it to children at risk of exclusion. Therapeutic storywriting uses metaphor to support the emotional needs of children in a way that isn’t threatening.

Trisha explains, ‘when we are talking it is easier and safer for them to talk about a character from a story than to talk about their own feelings and emotions. Talking directly about strong feelings such as anger can be overwhelming.’

The research Trisha completed a two-year research project to demonstrate the impact that Story Links could have on pupils’ behaviour and learning. The researchers found that by using the 10-week parent partnership Story Links programme there was a reduction in the number of times pupils were withdrawn and removed or excluded from lessons. Other benefits for those taking part included:

ll a reduction in overall stress ll increased frequency of pupils reading to a

parent at home ll an improvement in home/school relationships.

How does it work? Storylinks involves pupils aged six to 11, parents and teachers in the co-creation of stories. Metaphors are generated that enable parents to understand and discuss their child’s emotional and social wellbeing.

The parent comes in to school for half an hour each week for 10 weeks and for the first five minutes, time and discussion is focused on them.

The teacher provides the story opening based upon this discussion and a story is created. Trisha provides an example: ‘In one case there had been a problem with relationships in a family between a boy and his step-brother. The story they created was about Dino the dragon who had to share a cave with Bruno, another dragon, who had come to visit. It enabled them to discuss the issues more openly and explore the emotions around the changes at home.’

Each person takes a turn to continue the story as the teacher makes notes. The child then leaves the group and there is another five minutes for reflection focused on the parent. The Story Links teacher types up the story, the teaching assistant uses the text in class with the child and the parent reads the story with the child at home.

Why does it work? There are many aspects of the approach that make it successful including that it helps: build up relationships; link home and school; build parental confidence through the use of a metaphor; and develop literacy skills.

Relationships The programme fosters relationships between the parent and child, home and school and the child and the TA. Trisha emphasises how important this attachment is and how it is improved by the stories themselves: ‘Laughter is important. The stories are often funny and this relaxes the atmosphere and enables participants to bond through sharing an enjoyable educational experience.’

Linking home and school Initially it can be very difficult to get parents into school. ‘There are many occasions when I have had to remind, cajole and insist. You have to use any approach available to you and any method of communication. This might be through texting, ringing or even calling at the house.’ Once the parent is engaged, the links between home and school can flourish. The story is the focal point and acts as an attachment object between the two.

The metaphor The metaphor created within the story is clear to the parent but isn’t evident to the child. This helps create a bond between the teacher, TA and parent, who have a shared understanding and are knowing participants in the significance of the story. This is particularly valuable where the parent is having difficulties asserting his or her authority in the home. Being able to access and understand the metaphor puts the adult back in charge and in a privileged position.

Literacy skills The strategy is about exploring emotional needs but it uses literacy as a lever. Having the story reminds parents about the importance of listening to their child read as well as keeping the discussions and themes explored alive. ‘They want their child to be a good reader and they are pleased to be involved with this. It develops their confidence and commitment to the whole scheme. Quite often their previous encounters with school have been negative. They’ve probably only been contacted when there is a problem. It’s a novelty for them and the school to be on the same side.’

The researchers found that by using the 10-week parent partnership Story Links programme there was a reduction in the number of times pupils were withdrawn and removed or excluded from lessons

Dr Trisha Waters is training consultant for the YoungMinds in Schools project and director of the Centre for Therapeutic Storywriting. Contact: Trishawaters1@gmail.com

For more information

ll Information about Story Links training: http://storylinkstraining.co.uk/

ll To access the Story Links Evaluation Report: http://storylinkstraining.co.uk/?page_id=16

ll To find out more about Story Links as part of YoungMinds in Schools: http://youngmindsinschools.org.uk/wellbeing/story-work