Opinion

Exclusion and resourcing

"We can't cope, they've gotta go...""We've tried everything we can""We've thrown everything at it""This just isn't the right place for them". Is exclusion really the result of behaviour, or resourcing? Behaviour starts the engine of the process, but resource decisions define the destination. Would a school with adequate resources to manage a behavioural concern still

By |2020-09-25T15:35:33+00:00September 25th, 2020|Categories: Opinion, SEMH|Tags: , |0 Comments

SEMH Schools – What is an SEMH school? What does good practice look like?

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?

By |2023-10-13T18:48:03+00:00April 20th, 2020|Categories: Opinion, SEMH|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

Uniting The Behaviour Debate – A 2 Factor Model

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

By |2019-03-11T22:57:07+00:00March 11th, 2019|Categories: Opinion, SEMH|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

The Importance of Celebrating Failure

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

By |2018-02-21T13:26:31+00:00February 21st, 2018|Categories: Opinion, SEMH|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Mental Health Green Paper – Importance of Behaviour Support

In December 2017 the Green Paper regarding young people’s Mental Health was released by the government with positive and forward thinking ideas for improving mental health. A designated lead was identified as being required within schools as well as mental health support teams working more closely with schools. Whilst it is definitely a step in

By |2018-01-24T18:20:01+00:00January 24th, 2018|Categories: Opinion, SEMH|Tags: , , |2 Comments

Where do you connect?

In a world that is increasingly better connected and where information can travel across the globe in the blink of an eye, the connections we form in school in passing can seem almost insignificant. However the basis on which we form connections with our young people is incredibly important in understanding their needs. I am

By |2018-01-24T17:20:56+00:00January 24th, 2018|Categories: Opinion, SEMH|0 Comments

The Key Adult – Making a difference

Teachers who are lucky enough to have found the time to become “attachment/trauma aware” will know the incredible power of relationships on children with attachment and trauma issues. (If you do want to read up on this area please see Betsy De Thierry, Margot Sutherland, Dr Tina Rae or the fantastic book on attachment I

By |2021-03-07T21:26:58+00:00January 16th, 2018|Categories: Opinion, SEMH|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Hope as an SEMH Intervention

The Russian philosopher and write Dostoyevsky once said, “To live without hope is to cease to live”. In my experiences within school, the power of hope is widely underestimated as a wellbeing intervention yet has the power to underpin all the good work that is done day to day in a school. As much as

By |2018-01-16T21:54:09+00:00January 16th, 2018|Categories: Opinion, SEMH|0 Comments
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