A lot has been said in the news and on social media about restorative approaches in schools. Often poor implementation is used as a measure of its apparent failure. Approaches like these, however, require a great deal of investment throughout an organisation in order to succeed. Without buy in at all levels of an organisation
What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is concerned with making yourself aware of your surroundings and “in the moment”. It can focus on your own internal environment but also that of the world around you. Mindful moments have been used in many disciplines including cognitive behavioural psychology, neuroscience and positive psychology. Mindfulness is offered widely by a
The use of coaching in schools is a method that can be used to support staff to develop their practice through setting goals and working towards them. Goals are more likely to be followed if they are led by the coachee. Coaching should help a staff member to identify their own strengths and areas for
A little humour to get us through this virus!
SEMH schools are schools which focus on the social, emotional and mental health needs of the children and young adults within their care. Many schools will claim to have SEMH as an emphasis within their setting, but what does it take to be an SEMH specialist school and what might other mainstream schools be able to take from that?
If there is one phrase I hear to justify any kind of policy in education, it's "high expectations". Whilst "high expectations" itself is something we can all aspire to maintain, how it is defined is often unclear, ill-fitting and, in some cases, unreasonable. The culture of high expectations is often announced alongside a new initiative
They say you can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Some, transferring this concept into education, may say they feel they are smothering the horse with water, bringing the water as close to the horse as possible. The concept of holding the horses head under the water may seem appealing
If behaviour is a choice, is it truly a free one? "They know what they are doing" "They are doing it on purpose" "They are choosing not to do it" These three common phrases, throwaway yet internalised, are often heard in corridors and classrooms across the country. But what does it really mean to say
No topic generates more debates than approaches to behaviour. It's a part of the teacher's role that is mostly (if not entirely) learned "on-the-job". Every encounter, every word is an experience and lesson in what works and what doesn't. We all find our own way, our own character and our own boundaries to maintain. They
The idea of celebrating failure is a bizarre one, but bear with me. Schools put a lot of work into celebrating excellent practice, sharing great resources and holding high performing colleagues in high esteem, visible examples for the rest of the school to aspire to. This is essential to improving any school. Colleagues getting credit
