Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester An Introduction to Primary Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Objectives To provide an overview of the Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester To develop a shared understanding of what we mean by the social and emotional aspects of learning and its links to improved outcomes for children To provide opportunities to explore the SEAL materials

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services The Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services What are social, emotional and behavioural skills? The skills of making relationships with other people, of understanding and managing ourselves and our emotions, thoughts and behaviours. Also the understanding and responding to the emotions and behaviour of others, in ways that are in the best long term interest of ourselves and others.

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Social emotional and behavioural skills: early bonding Responding lovingly and appropriately to needs in early childhood enables the basic impulses we are born with to develop into an understanding of our emotions that help us to deal with a variety of life situations in a balanced manner.

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Developing connections between emotions and thinking We now know that the linkages from the emotion centre (amygdala) to the thinking part of the brain (prefrontal cortex) are stronger than linkages the other way. As human beings age they can, (but not always), learn better emotional control techniques, but for children the prospect of being taken over by their emotions is a very real one especially if connections between the amygdala and the thinking brain are less developed.

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity: What do we want children to learn? Fold a piece of paper in half On the left-hand side, write down any words that describe any behaviours that you are concerned about in school – particularly those that are a barrier to learning On the right-hand side, write down a word to describe an opposite, alternative but positive behaviour – what you would like the children to achieve Now fold the page so that you can only see the right-hand side Look at the words describing what you want children to achieve Feedback to main group

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services We want children who: “… learn how to communicate their feelings, set themselves goals and work towards them, interact successfully with others, resolve conflicts peaceably, control their anger and negotiate their way through the many complex relationships in their lives today and tomorrow.” Adapted from Reva Klein, Defying Disaffection

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning Self-awareness Managing feelings Motivation Empathy Social skills

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning Reasoning Evaluation Creativity Enquiry Problem solving Information processing Communication Self-awareness Managing feelings Motivation Empathy Social skills

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity: Why are social and emotional aspects of learning skills important? In groups: Take each card in turn and read the statement to other members of the group Discuss Place in category Agree or Disagree Select one or two cards that have provoked the most discussion Feedback to main group - select a different topic area if it has already been discussed

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services What are the benefits? Greater educational and work success –Emotional and social competences have been shown to be more influential than cognitive abilities for personal, social and scholastic success, so they need to be central to schools and learning to increase school effectiveness. Working in this area can improve educational and life chances (Goleman,1996) Improvements in behaviour –A review of programmes designed to promote mental health in schools which included behaviour problems concluded that the programmes which had clear and positive effects on behaviour taught emotional and social competences and focused on the whole-school environment, not just on behaviour alone (Wells, 2001)

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services What are the benefits? Increased inclusion –Teaching of social and emotional competences has itself been shown to play an active part in making the inclusion of difficult children easier. For example, two projects which taught ‘difficult’ pupils the kind of skills they need to fit into classrooms more easily and control their own behaviour, while helping their classmates both tolerate their behaviour more easily and positively support their efforts to become part of the mainstream, were shown to be very effective in helping the difficult pupils stay in the classroom, and without detriment to the learning of other pupils (Rogers, 1994; Epstein & Elias, 1996) Greater social inclusion, increase in social capital –There is an increasing acceptance of emotion as an important part of private and public life, so we all need to become more skilled in this area if we are to be effective in our communities and workplaces (Antidote, 1998)

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services What are the benefits? Improvements to mental health –Longitudinal studies are showing that children with emotional and behavioural problems are prone to mental illness problems in later life, and have increased likelihood of school exclusion, offending, antisocial behaviour, marital breakdown, drug misuse, alcoholism and mental illness in adolescence and adulthood. Conversely, those with high levels of emotional and social competence do better in school, at work and in their personal life. The development of emotional and social competence and well-being can reduce mental health problems of young people and their teachers, e.g. depression, anxiety, suicide, eating disorders, stress Improved learning –Emotions are essential for rationality: we need them to think clearly, prioritise and plan, so we need to help people manage their emotions to learn more effectively. There is evidence that cognitive processes need input from emotions to be effective (Weissberg &Elias, 1993)

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Improving learning outcomes

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services The ‘Waves’ Model Quality first teaching of social, emotional and behavioural skills to all children; effective whole- school policies and frameworks for promoting emotional health and well-being Small group intervention for children who need additional help in developing skills, and for their families Additional highly personalised interventions

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Social, emotional and behavioural skills: taught or caught? Taught? Teaching social, emotional and behavioural skills to children makes a difference to their learning, behaviour and life outcomes.

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Social, emotional and behavioural skills: taught or caught? Caught? Children need: practice in real-life situations a supportive organisational environment (where it is safe to try new things and take a risk) an emotionally positive environment where social, emotional and behavioural skills are modelled and coached routinely and consistently

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services The materials 1. Getting started guide and Guidance booklet 2. Seven sets of booklets, each set around a ‘theme’: Theme overview booklet, with an assembly Colour-coded booklets giving ideas for learning opportunities Red set (Foundation Stage) Blue set (Years 1 and 2) Yellow set (Years 3 and 4) Green set (Years 5 and 6) Silver set (small-group activities) Purple set (staffroom activities) Gold set (family activities ) Further resources are being developed and will be added

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Themes Theme 1 – New beginnings Theme 2 – Getting on and falling out Theme 3 – Say no to bullying (one or two weeks of learning opportunities across the curriculum) Theme 4 – Going for goals! Theme 5 – Good to be me Theme 6 – Relationships Theme 7 – Changes

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services How is it used?  Theme for half term that involves the whole school community  Theme and materials introduced in staff meeting  Initial assembly from theme overview  Curriculum work at different levels  Silver set groups take place to support pupils who would benefit  Gold set (homework activities) are sent home  Family SEAL workshops take place  Celebration assembly  Follow up staff meeting review and sharing of practice

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Questions ? ? ? ? ?

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services