1. Parent Council Liaison Meeting 18 February 2014
Promoting Positive Relationships in Renfrewshire Education Establishments
Susan Bell – Education Manager (GIRFEC)
Louise McCrory – ASN Manager
Parent Council Liaison Meeting 18 February 2014

2. Promoting Positive Relationships Policy
Included, Engaged and Involved (Part 2) – Standard Circular 8 on school exclusion
Parent Conferences

3. Duty of education authority in providing school education
(1) Where school education is provided to a child or young person by, or by virtue of arrangements made, or entered into, by, an education authority it shall be the duty of the authority to secure that the education is directed to the development of the personality, talents and mental and physical abilities of the child or young person to their fullest potential.

4. Better Behaviour, Better Learning
Discipline Task Group
BBBL (2001)
36 Recommendations
Connect Report – good practice
Government funding for implementation of BBBL and supporting pilot projects
Discipline Stakeholder Group (2004)

5. Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research 2009
Cycle of policy into practice informing new policy
Intelligence gathering
National networks
ADES
LA meetings
2009 BiSSR
Policy Guidance: Building Curriculum for Excellence through Positive Relationships and Behaviour 2010
Language,tone,focus on implementation
Discipline Stakeholder Group re-named Scottish Advisory Group on Behaviour in Schools (SAGBiS)
2009
Cycle of policy into practice informing new policy
Intelligence gathering
National networks
ADES
LA meetings
2009 BiSSR
Policy Guidance...Building Curriculum for Excellence through Positive Relationships and Behaviour 2010
Language,tone,focus on implementation
Discipline Stakeholder Group re-named Scottish Advisory Group on Behaviour in Schools (SAGBiS)

6. Policy Context – Response to Research
“Curriculum for Excellence cannot be delivered without good relationships and positive behaviour”
“Health and wellbeing across learning is a responsibility for all”
“Underpinning this is the emotional health and wellbeing of staff.”
Building Curriculum for Excellence Through Positive Relationships and Behaviour (2010)
This interactive programme has been designed specifically as a support resource for adults working within schools, learning establishments and Children’s Services. It encourages all adults to consider their own emotional wellbeing….how this is promoted and how this in turn helps influence the emotional wellbeing of the children and young people we work with.
The programme clarifies the significance of emotional wellbeing within Scotland’s policy and guidance framework including The Early Years Framework, Curriculum for Excellence and GIRFEC and makes clear the significance of the national approaches, including Restorative and Solution Oriented Approaches, in developing skills and attitudes which help promote an environment which encourages the emotional wellbeing of everyone within the community.

7. Confident Individuals Effective Contributors
CfE / Pre-birth to 3
Successful Learners
Confident Individuals
IDL
Food & Health
Physical Ed & Act
Planning for C&C
Curricular Areas
Wider Achievement
Involved
Included
Substance Misuse
SRE & Parenthood
MESP
Outline to participants that it is appropriate to quickly review 2 of the most significant developments in Scottish education at this point:
1. CfE has a vision of allowing all children to reach their potential. This can be viewed as follows:
4 capacities: what we want for all our children and young people in education (cf. best interests; non-discrimination)
Arrows: these represent the 2 dynamics which realise the four capacities: the CfE entitlements, and the principles of curriculum design (e.g. relevance, personalisation & choice etc);
4 contexts for learning (cf. right to an education – which develops personality, talents, mental and physical abilities to a child’s potential)
Health and Wellbeing (cf. right to an education – which develops personality, talents, mental and physical abilities to a child’s potential)
Child at the centre (cf. participation, partnership and the right to be heard)
Responsible Citizens
Ethos
Effective Contributors

8. @rswhome

9. Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research 2012
Findings:
4,898 surveys completed
Quantitative, qualitative, case study
Low-level disruption (e.g. talking out of turn; running in corridors; mobile phone use (sec))
Serious disruption: not common
Positive trend
Challenges:
Perceptions of support staff less positive
Peer-peer aggression
Increasing numbers of complex difficulties and specific disorders
Use of mobile devices
2012
Cycle of policy into practice informing new policy
Intelligence gathering
National networks
ADES
LA meetings
2009 BiSSR
Policy Guidance..Building Curriculum for Excellence through Positive Relationships and Behaviour 2010
Language,tone,focus on implementation
Discipline Stakeholder Group re-named Scottish Advisory Group on Behaviour in Schools (SAGBiS)

10. Better Relationships Better Learning Better Behaviour (http://bit
“Research demonstrates that investing time and resources into improving relationships and behaviour in establishments leads to positive outcomes around inclusion, engagement and achievement in the short term, and community safety and cohesion in the longer term.”

11. ? SELF ESTEEM SELF ESTEEM SAFETY & SECURITY
Developing Children: Maslow (adapted)
SELF ACTUALISATION
SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE
SELF ESTEEM
LOVE & BELONGING
SELF ACTUALISATION
SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE
SELF ESTEEM
LOVE & BELONGING ?
SAFETY & SECURITY
Link to GIRFEC: this is what every child needs
This is fundamental to our understanding of children’s (and adults!!!!) needs.
EWB developments confirm what we know:
- learning cannot happen unless the more basic needs for physical and emotional nurturing are met first and then the opportunities are created to develop emotionally literate skills & attitudes and the habits of sound emotional wellbeing.
PHYSIOLOGY: food, water, shelter, clothing 11

12. Renfrewshire Policy
Promoting Positive Relationships – previously Improving Relationships and Promoting Positive Behaviour
Policy current being reviewed – all sector representation
Gathering of good practice from all sectors
Draft Education Policy Board – May
Consultation following Board
- Schools
- Parents
- Pupils

13. Policy areas Background Purpose Ethos, relationships and leadership
Understanding behaviour
Positive approaches
Staged intervention
Settings and provision

14. Included, engaged and involved part 2
Revised SC8
Exclusion of pupils from school
National guidance on school exclusions – purpose of which is to summarise legislation and procedures in exclusions, and also outlines policy and practice in exclusion in the context of national policy for children and young people including the national outcomes. CfE and GIRFEC.
Replaces previous guidance circular 8/03

15. Exclusion Guidelines
National guidance on Exclusion…Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2 steering group and draft policy 2010
Consultation and final publication
Focus on prevention

16. Key principles Promotion of inclusion
Exclusion on its own does not address the underlying reasons for exclusion
This strategy sits with in the department’s policies for inclusion and promoting positive behaviour. We want to support the development of strategies to promote inclusion such as in school support bases, the use of de-escalation techniques and restorative approaches.
Exclusion can be a legitimate and proportionate response to a serious situation. However in many cases the exclusion will have no impact on addressing the underlying causes of the behaviour. Exclusion should not be used as a punishment. The purpose of exclusion is to give schools a chance to address the behaviour giving rise to the exclusion and ensure that the young person returns to learning as soon as possible. It should be a last resort and robust evidence is needed to justify such action, particularly in relation to looked after children or children with additional support needs.

17. Legal basis for exclusion
Regulation 4 of the Schools General (Scotland) Regulations 1975, as amended
An education authority (or a school, if operating under devolved responsibility) shall not exclude a learner from school unless the authority (or school)
Are of the opinion that the parent of the pupil refuses or fails to comply, or to allow the pupil to comply, with the rules, regulations or disciplinary requirements of the school
Consider that in all the circumstances to allow the pupil to continue attendance at the school would be likely to be seriously detrimental to order and discipline in the school or the educational well-being of the pupils there
There is no legal basis for exclusion from school of a learner other than in compliance with this Regulation. This includes any kind of period of informal exclusion or sending home. Parents have a right to appeal an exclusion and there is a presumtion that a child of 12 years old or older has an independent right to appeal his or her own exclusion

18. Key changes
In Renfrewshire the power to exclude is devolved to heads of establishment to a maximum of 4 days
Where incidents occur involving Looked After Children or children in primary 1 that may merit consideration of exclusion from school it is expected that the school will engage with the Children’s Services Support team, prior to any decision, to discuss an appropriate course of action and review support plans
It is expected that children and young people will not be excluded from alternative provision, however where this requires to be considered, any decision must be made in conjunction with the Children’s Services Support Team
The length of an exclusion is not defined in the legislation and should be for as short a period as possible. Previously our guidance allowed schools to exclude for a period of up to 10 days before engaging with the centre for discussion. In the revised SC this period is reduced to 4 days. This allows time to put plans into place to support the learner and return them to education within a week wherever possible. There may be circumstances where a longer period is required and this can be agreed in discussion with the Education manager.
For LAC children who are vulnerable and for P1 children who are in their first year of formal education, we want to ensure that any decision to exclude is taken in conjunction with a member of the children’s services support team. We need to ensure that exclusion is not going to impact adversely on children who are already vulnerable. We also want to make sure that we have an overview of children whose behaviour has given rise to consideration of exclusion so that we can best support need.
These changes have been made to reflect the national guidance and to ensure that we are taking account of the needs of the most vulnerable children and families in Renfrewshire.

19. Decision to exclude Factors determining decision to exclude:
Is the level of indiscipline such that effective education in the mainstream setting is impossible at this time?
Does serious action require to be taken to prevent the level of disruption to the education of other learners?
Is the behaviour of the child or young person a danger to other children and young people and/or staff?
Is the parent/carer unwilling to co-operate with the school?

20. Decision to exclude – the process
The head teacher must have taken account of:
The particular situation giving rise to exclusion
The individual’s circumstances and needs; and
Any risk factors, particularly where the learner is a looked after child or vulnerable in another way
However…the decision to exclude a learner who is Looked After should be taken in consultation with the child’s social worker/ lead professional
What will the impact be on a foster, kinship or residential placement? What impact will the exclusion have on the well-being of a child who has already experienced discontinuity of nurture and support in their lives? Similarly for a child on the Cp register – what risks will the child be exposed to if they are sent home to a an unpredictable situation? Have to ensure that we are not sending any child home if we cannot conact parent. Make sure paperwork is issued immediately. On return from exclusion, changed the re-admission form in line with national guidance to make it more solution focussed, so that it does not seek guarantees or contracts of behaviour in order for a learner to be re-admitted to school but allows for a discussion to take place about an understanding of future behaviour, responsibilities and support strategies.

21. Parent Conferences
Informal opportunities to engage with parents on a range of topics of interest
Half day (Saturday) with activities for children
Suggested topics – CfE; tackling bullying; promoting positive relationships; health and well-being; homework
Questionnaire for parents to follow