Supporting students through adverse childhood experiences
Supporting pupils’ behaviour and wellbeing is receiving more attention in education settings, in part, due to Ofsted’s new inspection framework. Amidst this, is a new approach to helping students that reframes blame in a way that looks beyond the school gates and considers why a student may be behaving a certain way. Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, is a prime example of this, and here Dawn Jotham, pastoral care specialist at EduCare, provides foundational knowledge and ways in which teachers and staff can best support students. Understanding ACEs Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, is used to describe highly stressful, and potentially traumatic events that may occur during childhood or adolescence. This can be a single event or prolonged and repeated threats and breaches of a young person’s safety, security, trust or bodily integrity. Additionally, ACEs can be experienced by a young person both directly and indirectly. Direct experiences include physical, sexual and verbal abuse as well as emotional and physical neglect, while indirect experiences can occur in environments where there is domestic abuse, substance misuse, mental illness, parental separation and/or parental imprisonment. That said, as research continues, other contributing factors have also been identified such as bereavement, bullying, poverty and racism. Adverse childhood experiences cover a broad spectrum of events however, an awareness of all triggers empowers staff to be mindful of vulnerable students and prompt the necessary safeguarding protocol. It may seem like an overwhelming list, but not educating teachers and staff of the risk factors can have significant detrimental effects. Many people who experience ACEs go on to live stable lives but providing support increases the likelihood of this outcome with those less fortunate experiencing negative flow-on effects to their education, aspirations and health. Taking action The most effective response to ACEs is multipronged – students need the opportunity to learn the skills that will help them overcome traumas, while teachers and staff should be taught how to best support these students. For example, key factors involved in the development and growth of a child include: • Developing positive relationships with adults • Being encouraged to self-regulate emotions • Developing a positive sense of self and self-esteem. Another key trait is resilience – the ability of a young person to develop and succeed in the face of stress and adversity. It is, in essence, being able to maintain positive wellbeing and when successfully developed it is often the lynchpin of healthy self-esteem, trust, and the ability to act in one’s best interest. Arguably, resilience is often best developed by witnessing it in others so it is important to provide young people with good examples of using support networks – be that family, friends, or teachers; developing strong communication skills; and an understanding that they are valued and respected by their community. Additionally, teachers and staff can provide effective support by listening to the student concerned. Listening – it sounds easy, but many people get it wrong and it is crucial in supporting providing support. With this in mind, teachers and staff are encouraged to: • Create a safe space for sharing • Listen patiently • Be empathic and calm, whilst providing an environment free from judgement. To this end, it’s also important that staff adopt a more holistic approach to supporting students – that is a consideration of the wider issues at play. For example, consider why a student may be behaving a certain way. This approach is not only designed to reveal the causal factors but also ensures the focus remains on effectively supporting the wellbeing of students by reframing blame to position the child as someone who has endured a trauma.
Connecting children to confidence & supporting their mental health
Who am I? Hi, my name is Tara Russo. What do I do? I have a company called Wellbeing for Kids UK. I offer adults training in how to teach children and young people mindfulness and meditation. I also work directly with children and young people, connecting them to confidence via these powerful skills. Mindfulness and meditation help youngsters to feel happier, to manage their behaviour and so to feel empowered, to be more resilient, more focused and to help them cope with the stresses and strains of modern life. So, how can I help schools and organisations? I run Foundation Level Connected Kids™ training courses in Nottingham, and elsewhere by arrangement. This is a one day workshop plus you receive a copy of Calm Kids by Lorraine E. Murray (148 pages), access to extra online resources and an invitation to join the very supportive Facebook group, which has a wealth of experience to share. The course teaches you what mindfulness meditation is, the benefits of meditation for children, what stress is, particularly for children, and how to create unscripted meditations that connect with the children with whom you work and/or those within your family. The standard fee of the one day workshop is £199. I also offer Professional Level Connected Kids™ Training which has more emphasis on special needs, particularly ASD and ADHD. Following on from this three day course you can be insured to teach children professionally, and charge for your services. This course also has a coursework element. Please check the website for more details on course content and dates www.wellbeingforkidsuk.com I am also available for staff INSET, assemblies, working with classes, groups and individual children. Here are some of the benefits of meditation and mindfulness for children and young people. Both meditation and mindfulness: • improve focus and attention • promote a better quality of sleep. • boost physical health • promote self-regulation of • manage impulsivity encourage • build self-esteem • build resilience • help children with special needs e.g. ASD, ADHD to make sense of the world around them and give them tools to make their lives easier. All that remains for me to say for the moment is a huge thank you to you for reading my blog. If you would like to know more about what I do please have a look at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/wellbeingforkidsuk/ and my website www.wellbeingforkidsuk.com. If you would like to get in touch with me I would be delighted to hear from you. My email address is tr@wellbeingforkidsuk.com. Tara
Green Fox Workshops
Gemma will tailor workshops to your topics and have your students producing some stunning outcomes that both the students and staff can be proud of. Previous topics Gemma has produced workshops for have been Queen Elizabeth 1st creating chalk pastel portraits of the Queen, World War 2 creating collages using printing techniques and pastels, ship wrecked pictures using chalk pastels and much more. For more information please get in touch via the website www.greenfoxworkshops.com. Gemma is a trained Art and Photography secondary school teacher and has over 10 years experience working with children of all ages. With Ofsted realising the health benefits of art in the curriculum; there is more need now than ever to allow children the time to engage and focus their minds on doing something creative. Children feel more relaxed and calm after doing some artwork and it has been proven that creating art has the same health benefits as meditation on our minds. Gemma also offers adult workshops so this could be the perfect staff well being workshop for all of your teachers and support staff. Green Fox workshops works with some well established places such as Bishops Palace, Tyntesfield National Trust and Hestercombe Gardens. To book your place today get in touch via the website or call 07532327810.
Children Who Can!
Imagine a Primary curriculum that embraces diversity, encourages curiosity and empowers success. Children Who Can offers just that. Based in Yorkshire but working across England, Children Who Can works with primary schools and educators to support them in designing a bespoke curriculum that allows children to create their own learning experiences. Using the CWC Way — their unique approach to curriculum design — they collaborate with schools to craft tailored curriculum solutions that meet their children’s emotional, social and educational needs. In addition to this, Children Who Can provide unique classroom workshops and off grid experiences. Going “Off-Grid” is exciting and enriching for children, especially when the experience involves preparing food, crafting treasures or exploring wonderful woodland scenery. Their popular outdoor learning activities provide opportunities for children to think creatively, work collaboratively and develop essential life skills. Outdoor learning boosts children’s long-term physical and emotional development and wellbeing, promoting a healthy, happy body and mind. Children Who Can actively promotes outdoor learning and works with schools to incorporate woodland and outdoor exploration, creative outdoor crafting, group gardening and exciting food preparation activities. Learning, using the CWC Way, helps children to learn how to manage and understand their emotions. Children learn together, collaborating and negotiating to achieve goals as a team. This enables the development of stronger communication and social skills, an essential part of children’s development. Enjoying outdoor learning experiences not only helps children to develop essential skills, but it also has a naturally calming and stress-relieving effect that lessens anxiety so that children can stay in control of their emotions. Learning outside the classroom helps children to develop healthy, active lifestyles and explore their environment, deepening their connection with nature. Children who enjoy active lifestyles are generally less prone to obesity and gain vital skills under a creative outdoor learning curriculum, improving their problem-solving skills, nurturing their creativity and developing their imagination. With highly positive Ofsted feedback, the CWC Way is considered to be something special that is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning outcomes. The problem-solving-based approach to teaching and learning is unlike any other — the teacher provides imaginative opportunities in the form of missions, challenges and problems, and the children lead their own learning experiences. Children develop ownership of their work through collaborative planning, designed to investigate and solve the set mission, while the teacher facilitates work on real-life situations and enterprise. The CWC Way: • Has purpose • Engages children in problem solving and enterprise • Is child-led • Ensures collaboration and teamwork • Develops oracy skills • Integrates the whole curriculum • Develops life skills The bespoke curriculum consultancy service, provided by Children Who Can, includes a range of curriculum training opportunities for primary schools and educators such as: in school training (staff meetings, twilights and INSET), curriculum planning support and curriculum evaluation and health check services. Services Offered by Children Who Can: • Bespoke curriculum design consultancy for primary schools • Curriculum development training for primary teachers and educators • CWC Curriculum taster days and school visits • Children’s learning experiences and “Off-Grid” workshops designed to develop social and emotional skills • Intervention for specific groups of children • Meaningful, relevant and memorable teacher cover solutions • After school workshops. That’s the CWC Way; a unique, child-led, problem solving approach to learning Contact Us Rosie Driver and Dr Julie Snead Managing Directors www.childrenwhocan.co.uk enquiries@childrenwhocan.co.uk
The Wish Centre
Self harm is a growing concern in the UK with rates of 1 in 9 teenagers self harming (National Inquiry 2006) and possibly as many as 1 in 5 (Affinity/NHS 2008). Black British and mixed race girls have high rates of self harm, which has been linked to domestic violence, family breakdown, socio-economic deprivation and gang related sexual violence and teenage pregnancy. Rates of domestic violence and incidents of teenage sexual violence and risks of honour based violence are rising nationally. Young people in these situations are impacted in the short term through mental health issues and risky coping behaviours, and in the longer term through a cycle of disadvantage which includes poor educational achievement and life chances and higher rates of mental health life issues and suicide ideation. Cuts in services and support have resulted in critical effects. The WISH Centre was founded around 15 years ago to support young people who were self-harming and has developed into a community-based service to support young people on a path to recovery. The WISH Centre provide a range of services to keep children and young people safe and supported. This includes therapy – in school, after school at our centres and online. We run award winning Self Harm Peer Support groups where young people can get extra support, safeguarding measures and wrap around services. We completed a two year pilot replicating our offer in the London Borough of Harrow in the London Borough Merton. This was evaluated by Government think-tank the Centre for Mental Health. The results of the evaluation demonstrate the success rates of 90% recovery from self harm that has been previously demonstrated and continues in Harrow, which has been replicated in Merton. Attendance of A&E for self-harm was markedly reduced and statistically significant positives outcomes were demonstrated for young people in both Harrow and Merton across a range of outcomes (i.e. self-harm, suicidal ideation, abuse, trauma, anxiety/stress, depression/ sadness, coping mechanisms & emotional resilience). Centre for Mental Health concludes that the approach offered by The WISH Centre is both successful and replicable. The evaluation report recommends that services using the WISH approach should be made available across the country, drawing on the benefits of peer support networks and evidence-based psychological therapies, which were both found to have a positive impact on young people at WISH. The children we work with are incredible. Despite many suffering from domestic or sexual violence and abuse, exploitation and being at risk of serious harm from themselves or others, they will find a resilience and determination to keep going, even if this means self harming as a means of coping. Children and young people we meet may have undergone trauma and may have been exploited, abused or neglected. Some have suffered physical harm and have mental health issues or are living in poverty or in fear of their safety. The work of our dedicated team of psychotherapists, outreach and youth workers is vital to ensure that the young people are supported and empowered, and that they not only achieve positive outcomes to overcome the impact of their experiences but also that their voices are heard in terms of shaping the services and help they get from WISH and others. We believe that we are all effective together. From working with partners in social care, education, health and the community to improve aspects of support for young people, to improving awareness of issues and skills through training, together we are making a real difference to children’s futures. The visibility of our impact is seen in “A Space to Talk: An Evaluation of The WISH Centre’s Self harm services to young people “by the Centre for Mental Health 2018. A key recommendation of the report is that our methodologies are adopted nationwide, and our aim is to deliver this through capacity building and training. thewishcentre.org.uk
Kalmer Counselling – A school-based counselling service
Schools are experiencing more pressure than ever to meet the Mental health and emotional wellbeing of both pupils and staff. Teachers and support staff naturally become attached to, protective of, and concerned for the children/young people they educate. Today’s classrooms are filled with pupils who’ve experienced trauma through carrying the weight of poverty, abuse, violence, neglect, illness, divorce, death, loss and more. After a period of time daily reminders of the struggles they face, and the human desire to support and relieve them, teaching staff begin to suffer the symptoms of compassion fatigue (Secondary Trauma). By offering a therapeutic service within school creates a dedicated time and space for your pupils and staff to reflect providing them with the opportunities to develop the strengths and coping skills that underpin resilience enhancing their mental health and emotional wellbeing. Kalmer Counselling is an accredited member of the BACP and was formed to meet the need for a therapeutic service designed specifically for schools across the North East. Our background and experience demonstrate that we understand the school system and how it functions allowing our service to compliment and enrich current wellbeing strategies. We create a dedicated time and confidential space to help meet the Mental health and emotional wellbeing of pupils, parents and staff. We offer: • One-one or group work counselling sessions • Individual sessions – Spot purchased • Half day or full day -Termly or full Academic year • Staff development/training • Parent Workshops • Clinical Consultation & staff supervision • Experienced in working with Adopted & Looked After Children Our service is complimented by the fact our clinical management team, who are qualified accredited Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists, are also Thrive Practitioners, School Governors, Primary School Teachers and University of Northumbria lecturers If you’d like to know more about Kalmer Counselling please contact us on 0191 2416731 http://kalmer-counselling.co.uk
Raising child self-esteem takes patience
Andrea Chatten, the founder of mental health service Unravel, is the Lead Children’s Emotional & Behavioural Psychologist and author of The Blinks novels. Here, she discusses raising child self-esteem and its effect on behaviour… I have always been fascinated in children’s emotional and behavioural difficulties. Starting out as a teacher, I recognised that, although it was my role to educate them in maths, English and the ten plus subjects that they needed to be taught, but these children needed more. I felt passionate and committed to help these children understand some of the difficult and complex feelings that they were experiencing, and which hugely affected their well-being. No matter how clever they had the potential to be, unless they received lots of emotional understanding and different ways of doing things, these kids could miss out on the most important thing we want for children – happiness. When I became a parent I found myself challenged with the level of responsibility and pressure to ensure that my children did not become as emotionally vulnerable as some of the children who I had worked with for many years. Parenting was by far the most difficult job that I had done as it was the most important. Don’t get me wrong the love and commitment I had for my class really wasn’t much different to what I felt for my own children but this role was about me helping my children evolve from the blank canvas that they were born as. As parents, carers and teachers, we are fundamental in how our child’s canvas develops. How much colour is present? How much grey? How the colours are dispersed, how bright those colours are and more importantly how appealing the final product is within our culture. Raising children with good self-esteem takes patience, huge, regular bundles of patience, as children translate patience into love. Patience means being gentle. Patience makes us listen more actively. Patience means we find time in this crazy fast world to stop and just be in the moment with our children. This love then becomes locked away inside of children and activates a core message that runs through them like a stick of rock. In order for children to develop a good level of self-esteem the message needs to be positive – “I am ok. I’m not perfect, I have faults but I am ok. I am worthy of love.” Reading this may make you feel pressured as it is your job and you, like every champion of the children in your care has made mistakes. You too just need to be ok, not perfect, you have flaws and bad days too. I had to have a serious word with myself when both my children were small. Coping day to day with sleep deprivation, a hungry breastfeeding baby and a toddler was tough. Some days I was not the best Mum. As I had only ever worked with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, it seemed so easy to mess up children and damage their self-esteem. Please let me reassure you now it isn’t that easy. Long term damage to self-esteem develops over time. Not from a bad day here and there, though how we re-engage with our child afterwards is essential. Apologies and explanations mean we take responsibility for negative actions and don’t leave them with the child. It also means that we model real emotions and make mistakes a normal part of being human. If we don’t re-connect emotionally afterwards, that can make children feel like it is their fault and they aren’t good enough. It is this internal dialogue that can begin the spiral of low self-esteem. Children’s self-esteem starts with us. We have to find as many ways to show children that we not only love them but like them. Also, it is essential that if our children have pushed us into going off them, that this stage is only ever temporary and we the adults get back on them as soon as possible. Children are highly sensitive to this emotional withdrawal and that too fosters low self-esteem. Raising children with good self-esteem is not difficult if we practise positive interactions and keep reflecting throughout the process. None us are perfect but with love, patience, and emotional warmth our children’s canvases can be bright, colourful and most of all happy. Top tips to help support your child’s emotional well-being 1. Get in sync – emotional connection is key. It is normal to disconnect with our children, life is demanding. However, when children don’t feel positively connected to us, it impacts on their well-being which is often communicated by negative behaviours 2. Communicate as much as possible from as early as possible. Talking with each other is how we learn, and problem solve, and it starts younger than we once thought. If you want to be having meaningful conversations with your teenager’s start being open and honest when they are two or three. 3. Listen to what your children tell you – they will teach us. It can be difficult hearing hurtful things from our children, but they are telling us what they need. Don’t hear what they say actively listen. 4. Avoid general praise – be specific. Avoid using words like good and bad with kids. This can negatively impact on identity and well-being. Instead reward and praise the action, progress or value. They are less likely to reject this kind of praise and it fosters healthier self-esteem 5. Keep reflecting. The only difference between a positive parent and a negative parent is reflection. It certainly won’t stop us making mistakes, but we might make fewer mistakes and certainly not keep making the same ones! 6. Help children to name and claim emotions. Our emotions are designed to keep us alive. We must acknowledge them otherwise the brain will turn the volume up on them meaning we feel emotions much more intensely. Once we name them our brain relaxes in the hope, we will then do something about it. 7. Help your child challenge their
Exam stress in students – how to plan for success
Revision expert and founder of the Tassomai learning program, Murray Morrison has helped thousands of students to prepare for exams. Here he explains how managing stress is the key to success. If you can spot the signs early, then there’s time to make the difference… The underlying theme of nearly every revision session I taught was to emphasise the importance of knowledge. But it wasn’t knowledge of all the facts on the syllabus – it was knowledge of self. Where are your gaps? Where are your strongest topics? Which ones are the priority to fix? When – and how – are we going to tackle them? Seeing stress in students was something I was very used to: many of my students were referred to me by psychotherapists specialising in teen anxiety. My job as I saw it was not to spoon-feed them with lessons and tutoring, rather it was to show them how to self-regulate, put together a plan that was manageable, attainable and sustainable and help them to execute it by themselves. Among the myriad troubles a teenager faces, exams or the preparation for them is a big one. At the crux of it is the issue of not knowing what they don’t know: this builds a nebulous dread, recognising that there’s work to do but not knowing where to start. Conversely, students also not knowing what they do know is a problem: they often know more than they think, and are missing out on giving themselves a little confidence-building credit. This is the foundation of the software I built, Tassomai – by using adaptive quizzing with immediate feedback, students can build a practice routine that helps them quickly find gaps and fill them – and do so without relying too much on outside help. But that’s just one part of what’s needed for a truly healthy revision program. If schools are trying to support parents in helping their children’s revision, I’d advise they give the following advice: recognise the signs, open up communications, go through the textbooks and syllabuses together to map out where the problems are, and help them to put together a plan for success. First, can parents recognise the signs of revision stress in amongst the normal behaviours of a teenager? Avoidance Students who, when exams or revision are mentioned, bury their heads in the sand are displaying classic avoidance behaviour. They might change the subject completely, or they might find a subtle excuse to get out of the room and stop the conversation. Do not waste time in confronting this behaviour. Revision-avoiders need to make a plan and they will need a bit of help to do it. Avoiding the problem means that revision work will pile up and stress will increase. Confronting it, though mildly traumatic at first, will defuse the situation and they can start to feel like their work will genuinely bear fruit. Aggression With similar motivations to the avoidance tactics, but dealing with the stress a little more aggressively, acting spikily, shouting or slamming doors and storming out. The approach must be similar – conversation, a bit of analysis together and putting a plan of work together – but proceed with caution to avoid damaging the chances of progress. Have faith however, that by doing the initial work, the underlying issues that caused the aggressive behaviour will dissolve a little, and life for all will be much more agreeable. Overworking Seeing this behaviour you might initially count yourself lucky or feel there’s no problem. Students who keep themselves busy, who are motivated and diligent and who stay up late revising with extra practice papers may seem to be on top of it all. However, this behaviour may indicate a lack of confidence and a tendency to worry. Take time to make sure that they’re addressing everything they need to focus on. Overworkers have been known to keep revising their best subjects and hide the problem areas out of mind. Make sure also that they’re keeping things in perspective – they might benefit from limited or regulated revision times and a bit more time for R&R. Passivity A problem among higher-achievers – some students seem to have it all under control, but whenever you look at them, they’re lying around not doing much. It can be hard, if you’ve never struggled in school to know how to ask for help – or from whom. Talk to them to find out whether they are truly feeling positive. Acknowledge that they’ve been doing very well so far, but ask if there aren’t just one or two things they’d like to get help with. If nothing else, a couple of practice papers to get them fit and ready for the big day might be positive. It could justify the confidence or reveal one or two topics for final polish. Distraction Finally, that student who spends much of their revision time on seemingly highly-productive but not-terribly-useful work. In exam stress terms, this is the student who is always very busy with superficial tasks like colouring in notes or organising files and revision plans. This feels like a combination of overworking and avoidance – but students with this profile are in a sense well ahead of the curve, because their notes will be brilliantly organised and ready. Nevertheless, they would benefit enormously from some outside help: work constructively to set a goal for each revision session, and check in regularly to track what has been achieved and how valuable the session was, and find a way to chart that information so that they can see how far they’ve come. All students, whether they conform to these examples or not, are likely to improve their psychological preparedness for exams with a few straightforward actions, and these are done most healthily if parents or friends are able to support. The single best thing to be done in dealing with exam stress is to work out quickly where the strengths and the weaknesses lie in each subject, make a plan around that analysis and constantly check and
Stress reduction and cognitive development through Quiet Time ®
The Quiet Time programme® provides students with two 15-minute periods each day to help balance their lives and improve their readiness to learn. This programme complements existing educational strategies by helping to improve the physiological underpinnings of learning and behaviour. Over one million students worldwide have taken part in Quiet Time programmes with Transcendental Meditation®. Groundbreaking research on Schools with Quiet Time programme Supported by an extensive body of independent research undertaken in the USA to verify benefits of the Quiet Time programme, have shown: 10% improvement in test scores—and a narrowing of the achievement gap Highly effective for increasing creativity Improved teacher retention and reduced teacher burnout Greater happiness, focus and self-confidence Reduced ADHD symptoms and symptoms of other learning disorders 86% reduction in suspensions over two years 40% reduction in psychological distress, including stress, anxiety and depression 65% decrease in violent conflict over two years Transcendental Meditation Transcendental Meditation, the core of the Quiet Time programme, is a simple, easily learned technique, practised by students and teachers while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. It does not involve any religion, philosophy, or change in lifestyle. Over 340 published scientific studies document its effectiveness for improving health and learning. This approach has been adopted by hundreds of public, private and charter schools worldwide—with strong support from students, parents and educators. Transcendental Meditation is taught in the Quiet Time programme by highly trained teachers with many years of experience. Initial courses in the UK have replicated the results in the USA, with improved behavioural outcomes amongst students, and relief from stress amongst school staff. Transcendental Meditation is taught as a standardised course throughout the world, which guarantees similarly effective results amongst participating schools. Quiet Time with Transcendental Meditation is taught through the David Lynch Foundation, established in the USA in 2005 as a 501(c)(3) organisation. In 2012 the Foundation was established as a registered UK charity. The David Lynch Foundation UK works with government agencies, local and national charities, to deliver individual and group programmes to overcome stress-related disorders. For more information on the Quiet Time Programme, contact the David Lynch Foundation UK: info@DavidLynchFoundation.org.uk 0845 605 8660 www.davidlynchfoundtion.org.uk