This document describes Pioneer specific behaviour support approaches and procedures. It is entirely consistency with, and should be read alongside, the Lift Schools Behaviour Policy and the Pioneer Restrictive Physical Interventions Policy.
Further documents can be found here.
In a school which caters for children and young people with severe and complex learning difficulties there will be those who will display behaviours that challenge. It is, therefore, important that those pupils are recognised and embraced within the ethos and philosophy of the school using the Essex Steps approach. Our behaviour strategies seek to create and sustain positive behaviours in a supportive, secure and caring environment. We ensure mutual respect, tolerance and understanding of every member of our school community. We focus on each pupil’s emotional wellbeing and personal development.
The aim of our behaviour policies, approaches and procedures are to:
- foster an environment where everyone will be treated with courtesy and consideration
- manage the development of internal discipline to gradually replace external discipline
- enable everyone to be able to behave in the most conducive way to help them to learn
- promote the values of honesty, fairness and the giving and receiving of respect
- enhance pupils’ self-esteem
- plan interventions based on a therapeutic continuum.
Staff have agreed on common management practices at classroom level and take active responsibility for the care and control of the pupils in their charge. Staff training ensures that a link is established between conduct disorders and mental health and wellbeing. Staff receive annual Essex Steps refresher courses led by the behaviour team (Stuart Munday, Roxanne Francis, Karen Stanley, Helen Moore, Laura Walters, Kelsey Bransfield).
In order to promote and maintain high expectations and standards of good behaviour and effective relationships throughout the school we ensure that the expectations we place upon ourselves and upon the pupils are fulfilled in practice.
We believe that everyone has the right to:
- learn
- be safe and cared for appropriately
- be heard
- be treated fairly and with dignity
It is the responsibility of all members of the school community to help each other to
- be courteous and polite at all times
- pay attention to all the rules of safety and care of equipment
- be cooperative and respectful to all in school and to visitors
We give pupils specific, planned interventions based on their needs. This helps them to become safe learners. For some of our pupils and young people we follow specific individualised behaviour support plans and risk reduction plans (see annexe 4) which outline these interventions. We plan to disempower negative behaviour and train staff to achieve this.
In any staff team, there is likely to be a range of knowledge about pupils’ behaviour support needs. Through induction and ongoing training and support leaders and members of the behaviour support team help staff to broaden and deepen their knowledge. These points are a summary of the key knowledge and approaches that Pioneer staff should apply to promote positive behaviour.
- Staff should read ‘Practical guidance for staff (Annex 1)’ and ask their line manager if they have any questions.
- Staff should read ‘Safe touch (Annexe 3)’, which explains that there are occasions when staff will have cause to have physical contact. Staff should ask their line manager if they have any questions.
- Children who exhibit challenging behaviours may do so as a form of communication, because of a sensory overload or because they are unsure of a situation or what is expected of them. Sometimes a behaviour can be an indication of an emerging medical need.
- High quality relationships between staff and pupils are crucial in promoting positive behaviours. Therefore, staff should prioritise building and sustaining good relationships with pupils. Pen portraits give summary information, such as likes and dislikes, and ways in which pupils communicate. However, broader knowledge and skills about effectively working with pupils is valuable. Staff should seek to share these insights so that ‘what works best’ becomes widely known. This information should be added to documents such as behaviour support plans and risk assessments.
- We help our pupils to exhibit positive behaviours and become safe learners. Our protective consequences may include a withdrawal of some activities; this is never a punishment but an opportunity to help the pupil practice how they can participate safely. There are no pointless punishments as these risk creating negative feelings in pupils which can lead to negative behaviours.
- Staff should be aware of all opportunities to highlight examples of pro social behaviour. We should try to notice, and whenever possible remark upon, positive behaviour patterns from any pupil we meet around the school.
- We need to remind pupils about behaviours that are to be encouraged. We encourage all staff to adopt scripted language using positive phrasing and limited choices. We do not use negative phrases, demands or open choices in situations where it may cause distress. We each have a responsibility towards all pupils, not just those in our class or group.
- Our responses to anti-social behaviour will always include a teaching and learning element. It is an expectation that staff will have structured, reflected, repaired and restored opportunities with pupils after a difficult behaviour, even when this may seem challenging due to pupils’ communication difficulties. Our staff use reparation to explain consequences of behaviours, both protective and educational.
- We differentiate our responses to conscious and subconscious behaviour. Through whole school training we explain the difference and staff are expected to consider these to enable them to respond to each type of behaviour differently.
- Behaviour support strategies are more relevant and effective when they have been discussed, negotiated and agreed with everyone concerned, including the pupil wherever possible.
Level 1 - Response to lower level behaviour: A behaviour plan is completed by the class team and shared more widely as required. At this level, planned interventions may include strategies such as appropriate use of sensory breaks, clear visual instructions, social stories, first and then boards, etc.
Level 2 - Response to recurring challenging and/or physically aggressive behaviours, which are continuing to impact the pupil’s and/or their peers’ learning and wellbeing. Building on the work done at level 1, teachers complete anxiety maps and early prognosis forms. For example, we use anxiety mapping to predict and prevent escalation.This will then form the basis for a more detailed behaviour plan that has been agreed by the class. If after an agreed time there is no improvement or a regression in behaviour the class teacher will request a behaviour surgery with a member of the behaviour team via their corridor behaviour lead. These meetings include a risk reduction calculator and a risk reduction plan being written.
Level 3 - Full Essex Steps toolkit process for our most consistently challenging pupils.
Across all levels, teachers and/or leaders will consult with parents/carers to help share knowledge and insights, and form and implement the most effective behaviour support strategies.
The documents to support staff build and strengthen their behaviour support can be found in Annex 4.
- Recording challenging behaviour helps to identify triggers and trends. Recording also serves to inform leaders' decisions about implementing resources and support. Staff should report all challenging behaviour on Arbor.
- Physical intervention is the process of guiding, supporting and escorting a pupil. Restrictive physical intervention is beyond guiding, supporting and escorting. For example, elbow tucks and complex techniques to respond to wrist, clothing and hair grabs, and bites. Restrictive physical interventions and restraint can include, depending on the circumstances:
- Restrictive physical intervention, also known as restraint, involves direct physical contact where the intervener’s intention is to prevent, restrict, or subdue movement of the body, or part of the body of another person.
- Seclusion: a child or young person is forced to spend time alone against their will (requires a court order except in an emergency).
- Withdrawal: removing a child or young person involuntarily from a situation which is causing anxiety or distress to a location where they can be continually observed and supported until they are ready to resume their normal activities.
- In the event of challenging behaviour which necessitated restrictive physical intervention, staff should report on Arbor and complete and pass this form to Stuart Munday. The Vice Principal must also be informed verbally as soon as possible and no later than the morning or afternoon that the incident occurred. The staff completing the form will upload the completed form to CPOMS.
- In the event of both a behaviour incident and a safeguarding concern about a child, report the behaviour incident on Arbor, stating that it links to a safeguarding concern and how this has been reported. Report the safeguarding concern in line with the Safeguarding reporting procedure. Please note, child-on-child abuse is a both a behaviour incident and a safeguarding concern, therefore it should be reported on Arbor and in line with the Safeguarding reporting procedure.
- In the event of both a behaviour incident and a safeguarding concern about a member of staff, report the behaviour incident on Arbor. Report the safeguarding concern in line with the Safeguarding reporting procedure.
Class teams will be able to manage the vast majority of behaviour incidents. If further behaviour support is required please follow the alarm system.
Annexe 1: Practical guidance for staff
Achieving our expectations
- Diffuse situations with your positive phrasing and behaviour
- Distract in order to be able to diffuse a challenging situation, reduce anxiety and stop escalation
- Negotiate and agree classroom rules at the start of the school year
- Remind pupils of classroom rules at least termly
- Extend and motivate all pupils
- Notice and praise positive behaviour
- Set and maintain a high standard of order and organisation
- Ensure the pupils know your expectations of them and maintain them
- Mean what you say
- Say sorry when it is appropriate
- Give pupils’ responsibilities whenever possible
- Ask for and be ready to give support - a problem shared is a problem halved
- Teach the pupils clear routines for:
- when and how to listen to instructions
- entering and leaving the classroom
- hanging up coats and putting lunch boxes away
- being fully equipped for work
- learning new games and other skills
- regular activities e.g. for snack time, washing-up, register, class pets etc.
- movement around class and school
- conflict resolution strategies
- independence skills e.g. locating and using equipment and resources, asking for help, clearing up the desk and putting work away etc.
Do all you can to:
- use humour - it builds bridges
- keep calm - it reduces tension, try to use the least intrusive style of intervention
- listen - it earns respect
- be positive and build relationships by avoiding unnecessary confrontations
- be consistent. That doesn’t mean doing the same thing for all pupils. A different response may be needed in a different context.
- balance the language of discipline with the language of encouragement
- know the pupils and young people as individuals
- carry out any actions you have to make emphasising that behaviour is a ‘choice’ and that everyone ‘owns’ their behaviour
- follow-up problems to their conclusion
- be firm and fair and establish consequences that are related to the behaviour
Do all you can to avoid:
- humiliation
- shouting
- over-reacting - the problem will grow
- ‘blanket’ sanctions
- sarcasm
Annexe 2: Physical intervention
Pioneer uses Essex Steps strategies which are a therapeutic approach to behaviour management. Essex Steps encourages the process of taking necessary steps to ensure that every pupil is given an equal opportunity to develop socially, to learn and to enjoy community life. The Essex Steps objectives are:
- Shared values and beliefs.
- Shared principles of communication and de-escalation.
- Shared risk management.
- Shared reparation, reflection and restoration.
Good working practices and real efforts to create meaningful relationships will be the most impactful strategies to ensure a well behaved school.
When necessary we may use ‘Step Up’ physical interventions to proactively support pupils. Step Up focuses on the safe and effective use of restrictive physical intervention as a last resort, and must be delivered inline with our Restrictive Interventions Policy
Annexe 3: Safe touch
There are occasions when staff will have cause to have physical contact with pupils, such as:
- to comfort a pupil in distress (so long that actions are appropriate to the purpose, age, cognitive ability, and emotional maturity of the pupil)
- to gently direct a pupil
- for curricular reasons (for example in PE, drama etc)
- in an emergency to avert danger to the pupil or pupils
- In all situations where physical contact between staff and pupils takes place, staff must consider the following
- the pupil’s age and level of understanding
- the pupil’s individual characteristics and history
- the location where the contact takes place (it should not take place in private without others present)
All staff should be aware of the distinction between physical touch (as used appropriately in everyday school situations to support, encourage or comfort a pupil) and physical intervention. It is important that staff read and understand the Restrictive Physical Interventions policy to appreciate the reasons why we may choose to use physical intervention or restrictive physical intervention with pupils and the appropriate ways in which we do so.
Hugging. At Pioneer we encourage staff that are using touch for comfort to use a ‘Side Hug’. This is a sideways-on hug, with the adult putting their hands on the child’s shoulders. This discourages ‘front on’ cuddling and with the adult’s hands on the pupil’s shoulder, it limits the ability of the child to turn themselves into you. School hugs can be used either standing or seated
Hand-Holding. We recognise that children sometimes enjoy being able to hold hands with adults around them. This is perfectly acceptable when the hand holding is compliant. However, if the handholding is being used by an adult as a method of control to move children, this can become a restraint. Therefore, we encourage the use of the ‘offering an arm’. This is done by the adult holding their arm out, and the child is encouraged to wrap their hand around the adult’s lower arm. The adult’s other hand can then be placed over the child’s for a little extra security if it is required.
Lap-Sitting. At Pioneer we actively discourage lap-sitting. Children should be taught to seek comfort/attention through other means, explored within Essex Steps training. If a child attempts to sit on your lap, explain and ask them to sit next to you if it is appropriate.
At times, children may be in such crisis or distress that they hold you in a way which is not described as above (e.g. ‘front on’ hug/lap sitting). If this should happen please ensure that you have informed your line manager. You will be asked to make a note of this, this will be in order to record and monitor the amount of times the pupil is seeking this support from staff and to analyse the child’s unmet need.
Please note that although we have a touch policy and believe that contingent touch can be a positive experience for the children that we care for, this does not mean that you have to use physical interventions with children. Some children may not want to be touched. Please respect this.
If you have any questions or would like a further discussion regarding touch policy, please speak to your line manager at the earliest available opportunity.
Annexe 4: Behaviour support documents
Please make a copy of all documents before editing, then save the pupil’s copy in their pupil records file.
