building emotional resilience in denny schools
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Building Emotional Resilience in Denny Schools (BERDS): A Pilot Intervention
Evaluation Report
JANUARY 2009
The Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health
The Scottish Development Centre (SDC) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that aims to achieve better mental health and wellbeing for people in Scotland. We believe that everyone’s mental health is important and that good mental health is everyone’s business.
We work all over Scotland for and with all kinds of organisations. We also have good networks outside Scotland. Our clients and partners include voluntary organisations, businesses, health boards, local authorities, national bodies and networks. This breadth and scope means that SDC is ideally placed to bring a vision of the ‘bigger picture’ of mental health to inform everything we do.
We have an excellent record in seeking people’s views about mental health and what affects mental health. We have experience in working with the general public, including children and young people as well as with those who have experience of mental health problems, to help people’s voices be heard clearly and promote their participation in decision-making. Research team: Joanne McLean, Kristina Moodie, Ruth Stevenson Contact Details: Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health 17a Graham Street, Edinburgh EH6 5QN T. 0131 555 5959 F. 0131 555 0285 E. [email protected] W. www.sdcmh.org.uk Charity number: SC 030204 YoungMinds
YoungMinds aims to improve life chances for children and young people experiencing or at risk of mental health problems or well being difficulties at any point in their lives. The charity’s work is grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The views of those with direct experience of mental health difficulties are at the heart of our vision.
We work in partnership with local authorities, health, education, social services, voluntary organisations and the private sector to raise standards and pursue innovation. Through our consultancy services we provide essential information on policy, research and best practice and support service development in all four countries of the UK. We are the UK’s leading provider of training on children’s mental health and wellbeing, offering training at YoungMinds and bespoke training delivered locally.
Project team: Sally Wills, Ph.D - Project Manager Roger Catchpole - Principal Consultant Contact Details: YoungMinds 48-50 St John Street, London, ED1M 4DG T. 020 7336 8445 W. www.youngminds.org.uk
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Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary …………………………………………………….. Page 4 2. Background .……………………………………………………………….. Page 6 3. Intervention: Approach and Method …………………………….. Page 12 4. Intervention: Implementation of Initiatives ..………………… Page 17 5. Evaluation Methodology .……………………………………………… Page 28 6. Outcomes: Working with Pupils ……………………………………. Page 36 7. Outcomes: Working with Staff ..…………………………………… Page 46 8. Outcomes: Working with Parents and Carers ………………… Page 56 9. Outcomes: Working with Head Teachers ………………………. Page 58 10. Summary & Discussion .……………………………………………….. Page 65 Appendix 1 .……………………………………………………………….. Page 77 Appendix 2 .……………………………………………………………….. Page 79
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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2006, funding was received from the Scottish Government, Falkirk Council and HeadsUpScotland to pilot a systemic approach for developing emotional resilience in a school cluster within the Falkirk Local Authority.
Led by YoungMinds in partnership with the Denny school cluster (comprising seven primary schools and one secondary school), the overall aim of the pilot was to develop an integrated, holistic approach to building emotional resilience and wellbeing within the cluster, with a specific focus on supporting the transition from primary to secondary school.
The Building Emotional Resilience in Denny Schools (BERDS) pilot commenced at the start of the 2007/2008 school year and was run over an 18-month period. It comprised four core initiatives targeting: (1) Primary 7 (P7) pupils; (2) teaching and other agency staff working with P7 pupils; (3) parents and carers of P7 pupils; and (4) Head Teachers (and where feasible, members of each school’s Senior Management Team).
Initiative 1: The goal was to enhance the ability of pupils to cope with challenges and improve their confidence and self-esteem. This initiative involved the implementation of: the Creating Confident Kids (CCK) programme, designed to develop primary school pupils’ emotional and social competence; the Aiming for High programme, designed to increase resilience in young people during transition; a formalised peer support programme and revised induction days for P7 pupils, both of which were designed to provide better support for transitioning pupils.
Initiative 2: This initiative aimed to promote confidence and enhanced understanding of resilience and emotional wellbeing in teaching and other agency staff. A series of multi-disciplinary training workshops were held to address some of the fundamental building blocks underpinning resilience, and more broadly, mental health and wellbeing.
Initiative 3: The goal of this initiative was to raise parents and carers awareness of resilience and emotional well being through the provision of a series of workshops, designed to support the transition process and introduce the concept of resilience.
Initiative 4: In recognising the crucial role of leaders in developing and supporting culture change, Head Teachers were provided with opportunities to enhance their leadership skills in the area of resilience and emotional wellbeing through the provision of group workshops, individual coaching sessions, and management team emotional literacy profiling.
As a result if these initiatives, the evaluation revealed the following key findings: • Pupils self-esteem and resilient attitudes were enhanced over time, and
worries were reduced ahead of transition;
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• Staff confidence in their ability to promote and facilitate discussion about resilience and emotional wellbeing increased over time;
• Parents felt more confident in their ability to support their child, with the learning for some having a significant impact on the parent/child relationship;
• Awareness of resilience and emotional wellbeing in the cluster was heightened;
• Schools reported a greater focus on, and prioritisation of, resilience and emotional wellbeing, including consolidation of current practices.
The following points highlight those activities which appeared to make a difference to pupils, staff, school management, parents and carers, or the wider cluster: • Adoption of CCK to support development of emotional literacy and resilience,
which addresses the Health & Wellbeing area of A Curriculum for Excellence; • Enhanced engagement between primary and secondary staff and school
Heads, enabling stronger relationships, sharing of good practice and coordination of activity;
• Incorporating universal adoption of Aiming for High programme (enabling consistency throughout cluster), adapted induction days promoting key aspects of resilience (i.e., school, teacher and peer connectedness), and introduction of formalised Peer Support ‘Buddy’ programme;
• Provision of quality training to staff on key aspects of resilience and emotional wellbeing – ‘teen brain’ development was key for secondary staff;
• Provision of quality training and leadership support (via coaching) for Head Teachers, provided by School of Emotional Literacy and YoungMinds;
• Provision of workshops about resilience, transition, and key developmental influences (i.e., ‘teen brain’) to parents ahead of transition.
Key elements considered important to the successful implementation of this approach, include: the enthusiasm and commitment of teaching staff, school management teams and Head Teachers; pupil participation in aspects of evaluation, enabling their transition experiences and recommendations to be heard and acted upon; access to, and utilisation of, experienced trainers, coaches and experts in the field; strong governance as demonstrated by a highly committed Education Service and supportive Steering Group; committed partner agencies (i.e., Educational Psychology Services, Locality Support Team, Social Work); and an external project manager (as provided by YoungMinds).
While challenges were encountered over the course of this pilot, these in themselves have offered up important learning for future development in this area. Overall this approach is considered to have been feasible, and has had a positive and beneficial impact for those involved.
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2. BACKGROUND
2.1 Policy Context
2.1.1 National
Good mental health is important for a stable, secure and thriving society. There is evidence that mental and emotional wellbeing underpins successful learning and enables children, young people and adults working with them to realise their potential – positive emotions are recognised to enhance learning.
The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP)1 report on Child and Adolescent Mental Health made ten broad recommendations, which have subsequently been translated into action by the document The Mental Health of Children and Young People: A Framework for Promotion, Prevention and Care (FPPC)2. Within this Framework, the important role of schools in promoting mental health amongst children and young people is highlighted, with much of this being about creating the right environment for them to learn and thrive.
Documents such as Mental Health Improvement: What Works?3 highlight the importance of approaches that combine changes to school culture, staff morale, pupil, family and community involvement – a whole school approach. The need for this approach is further supported by the Health Promoting Schools legislation which promotes the physical, social, spiritual, mental and emotional wellbeing of all pupils and staff, beyond that of the curriculum.
More recently, A Curriculum for Excellence has set out the aims to enable all young people to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. The experiences and outcomes for health and wellbeing have been grouped together as a curricula area that includes personal and social development, and strives amongst other priorities, to enable children and young people to learn ways of dealing with the many new and challenging situations they will experience throughout their lives. This area stresses that a healthy lifestyle supports physical, social and emotional wellbeing, and underpins successful learning.
2.1.2 Local - Falkirk
Falkirk has established the Falkirk Children’s Commission as a vehicle which brings together the work of key agencies involved in the planning and delivery of
1 NHS Scotland (2003). Needs Assessment Report on Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Edinburgh: Public Health Institute for Scotland. 2 Scottish Executive (2005). Mental Health of Children and Young People: A Framework for Promotion, Prevention and Care. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive. 3 Mentality (2003). Mental Health Improvement – What Works? A Briefing for the Scottish Executive. London: Mentality
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services to children and young people. The Commission has been responsible for producing the Integrated Children’s Service Plan for the local area – For Falkirk’s Bairns – which combines a number of documents into one single plan.
While the pilot aligns with three of the improvement priorities detailed in this document, it most closely links with the first, which is to reduce health inequalities and promote wellbeing. Also of relevance to the BERDS pilot is the document that details the vision of Falkirk Education Services - Learning to Achieve. The aim of this document is to provide learning experiences which will enable all young people to achieve their potential and participate in the development of a fair and caring society. It has been developed with a number of contexts in mind, including: the development of the Integrated Learning Community (ILC), and addressing the needs of the ‘whole’ child i.e., physical, mental, spiritual and social.
2.2 Research Literature
2.2.1 Resilience
In the area of mental health and wellbeing, many risk factors have been known for some time to lead to a variety of poor life outcomes. For example, low socioeconomic status is strongly linked to poor psychosocial outcomes. Likewise, substance abuse or specific psychiatric illnesses have well-studied natural histories and devastating effects. However, what emerged unexpectedly from longitudinal studies of ‘at-risk’ children was the finding that in the face of these life stressors, some children survived and even thrived4. These survivors of risk are labelled ‘resilient’ children. Resilience is conceived as ‘the capacity of a person to cope with times of adversity and hardship’5, or more simply put - to ‘overcome odds’ or ‘bounce-back’.
In studying resilient children and their families, researchers have identified protective processes and resources that make some young people more stress-resistant and help them to develop strength, courage and positive mental health (McGrath & Noble, 2003). These so-called ‘protective factors’ protect no matter what the child’s diagnosis, disability or experiential risks. They comprise the environmental conditions and personal skills than can alter or even reverse predictions of negative outcomes for young people who encounter hard times or ongoing difficult circumstances (McGrath & Noble, 2003). The table below
4 Werner, E and Smith, R. (1993). Overcoming the Odds: High Risk Children from Birth to Adulthood. New York: Cornell University Press. 5 McGrath, H., and Noble, T. (2003). Bounce Back! A Classroom Resiliency Program. Australia: Pearson Education
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provides a summary of factors that research has identified as leading to resilience6 The Child The Family The Environment Temperament (active, good-natured)
Warm supportive parents Supportive extended family
Female prior to and male during adolescence
Good parent-child relationships
Successful school experiences
Age (being younger) Parental harmony Friendship networks Higher Intelligence Valued social role (e.g.
care of siblings) Valued social role (e.g. a job, volunteering, helping neighbours)
Social skills Close relationship with one parent
Close relationship with unrelated mentor
Personal awareness Member of religious or faith community
Internal locus of control A sense of humour Attractiveness to others Ability to empathise Sense of mastery
As study after study recognizes these same risks and protective factors, researchers are calling for clinicians and service systems to shift from traditional approaches to establish new intervention efforts to prevent risks and promote protective factors7. All those working with children and young people are able to have an impact by finding ways of helping children and young people to avoid potential future mental health problems and lead successful, fulfilled lives. One difficulty is that frontline staff in many agencies are all too often not aware of the impact they have on children’s emotional wellbeing and the significant benefits to young people of focusing on this issue.
Schools can make a major contribution to the development of resilience. Next to families, schools are the most effective places in which resilience can be developed (McGrath & Noble, 2003). They offer a wide range of opportunities to boost resilience, including acting as a complementary secure base, providing many possibilities for developing self-esteem and efficacy and opportunities for
6 Newman, T., and Blackburn, S. (2004). Transitions in the Lives of Children and Young People: Resilience: A Report for Scottish Executive Education and Young People Research Unit. Scotland: Barnardos 7 Rutter, M. (1987). Psychosocial resilience and protective mechanisms. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 57 (3), 316-331
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constructive contact with peers and supportive adults8. A pupil’s connectedness to their school, their teachers and their peers, in addition to the presence of positive family-school links, are all significant factors in the development of resilience.
According to McGrath and Noble (2003), a number of studies have indicated that students today do not feel closely connected to many of their teachers – a feeling more commonly held in those attending secondary school. However, the quality of teaching and the teacher-student relationship, above all else, makes the most significant difference to student learning outcomes9, and crucially, also helps pupils to become more resilient and less likely to drop out (McGrath & Noble, 2003).
While the role of the teacher in developing resilience and emotional well being is acknowledged as critical, ensuring the provision of an environment which promotes and enables opportunities for this relationship to develop, which facilitates positive relationships amongst all staff, and provides support for staff, parents and carers, is a responsibility which rests with the schools’ senior managers – in particular the Head Teacher (Weare, 2004; McGrath & Noble, 2003). There is a strong consensus, both in the literature and in the field, that leadership by the Head Teacher is essential in the development of an emotionally literate and resilient school, as it ensures that concern for the importance of this issue, permeates every aspect of school life and learning (Weare, 2004).
The importance of adopting a whole-school approach to effectively tackle social and emotional issues and promote emotional wellbeing, has also been widely documented in international literature10. While meanings may vary as to what constitutes a whole-school approach, Weare (2004) emphasises the importance of a positive approach which emphasises strengths, capacities and competences as the overall framework, and importantly focuses on all students (i.e., is universal), not just those considered more vulnerable or ‘at-risk’. Morris and Scott (2002)11 suggest that there are two models of implementing such an approach into schools – the first is driven from the top, recruiting allies who will help implement the leader’s vision; the second, starts with one year group (or a target group) to establish a baseline, and then implement initiatives to enhance
8 Garbriano et al., (1992); Gilligan (1998), cited in Daniel B., & Wassell, S. (2004). The School Years: Assessing and Promoting Resilience in Vulnerable Children 2. United Kingdom: Jessica Kingsley Publishers 9 Rowe (2001), cited in McGrath, H., and Noble, T. (2003). Bounce Back! A Classroom Resiliency Program. Australia: Pearson Education 10Weare, K., & Gray, G. What Works in Developing Children’s Emotional and Social Competence and Wellbeing? University of Southampton, United Kingdom: The Health Education Unit 11 Morris, E., & Scott, C. (2002). Whole School Emotional Literacy Indicator. United Kingdom: School of Emotional Literacy Publishing
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emotional literacy and resilience, ensuring outcomes are evaluated to enable refinement and further roll-out.
Transition
Studies have found that very often students report being both excited and concerned about the impending transition from primary to secondary school12. They look forward to greater freedom, more choice, the opportunity to participate in more extracurricular activities and the opportunity to develop friendships. However, they also admit to anxiety about teasing or bullying, getting lost in their larger, unfamiliar school, and getting bad exam results. They also often express concern that secondary school teachers will be stricter and that teachers will give a greater volume and more difficult work than they have been exposed to previously.
Children who progress happily at primary school often experience setbacks when they enter the ‘very different world of secondary school’13. The negative effects of transition have been widely documented - it has been identified as a time for young people when stress can become severe14, impacting negatively on a pupil’s self-esteem. While many may experience a degree of anxiety and/or depression associated with the impending move15, for the majority these emotions will dissipate within the first 2-3 months of moving to secondary school (Mizelle & Irvin, 2000). However, for others this move will have more long-lasting effects, with some withdrawing and becoming ‘invisible’ in secondary school, while others start to ‘act out’ to survive and be noticed (Weare, 2004).
In addition to the negative emotional or psychological impacts, it is also not uncommon for pupils to experience an initial drop in attainment upon moving to secondary school. According to studies in the United States, some students may also drop out often shortly after they enter high school, or they fall behind academically and fail to graduate on time (Mizelle & Irvin, 2000). An individual’s ability to cope (i.e., their capacity for resilience) will determine whether any potentially negative impact (i.e., a decrease in results) associated with this transition phase will lead to eventual disengagement from school (in a person with poor coping skills) or alternatively, result in heightened academic motivation 12 Mizelle, N., & Irvin, J. (2000). Transition from Middle School into High School. Middle School Journal, 31 (5). 13 Weare, K. (2004). Developing the emotionally literate school. London: Sage Hill Publications 14 Vincent, S., Warden, S., & Duffy, M. (2006). Raising awareness and promoting positive mental health and well being among young people: the role of peer support. Scotland: Barnardo’s 15 Qualter, P., Whitley, H., Htuchinson, J., & Pope, D. (2007). Supporting the development of emotional intelligence competencies to ease the transition from Primary to High School. Educational Psychology in Practice, 23 (1), 79-95
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(in a person with greater personal and cognitive resources) (Qualter et al., 2007).
There are numerous strategies and practices recommended for schools which may help support a student’s ability to cope during this transition period. McGrath and Noble (2003) highlight the importance of programmes that help to promote peer and teacher connectedness and a sense of belonging to the school. Amongst others, these may include: ensuring a strong relationship exists between primary and secondary schools; implementation of primary through to secondary school projects for pupils; primary pupils becoming regular visitors to secondary school; specialist secondary teachers giving lessons to primary pupils; secondary school pupils spending time in primary schools; and establishing a peer support ‘buddy’ programme16. With respect to the latter, the evidence that is available suggests that peer support initiatives can promote emotional wellbeing, however ‘hard’ evidence is limited (Vincent et al., 2006).
2.3 The Link to Policy and Research
The BERDS pilot was designed to support what was already being done well within the cluster and to build on current practice as and where appropriate. Where gaps were identified, interventions were designed to reflect good practice, and align with relevant national policy – in particular with A Curriculum for Excellence. This pilot fits with the Health and Wellbeing curricular area of A Curriculum for Excellence, and through the promotion of resilience in young people, equipping pupils with the skills and knowledge to overcome barriers to achieving, this project impacts on the capacities of developing ‘successful learners’ and ‘confident individuals’. Furthermore, the BERDS pilot aligns with the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensure the development of health promoting schools, as its partnership approach (i.e. linking schools, parents, pupils, the local authority, and the ILC team17 and other health and welfare agencies) will promote effective working together.
The notion of resilience emphasises that we can help pupils to identify, develop and access protective resources to minimise the potential damage of stressors and help them ‘bounce back’. This pilot looked to establish how part of the wider network existing around children and young people might be supported to focus on building resilience. By understanding the concepts, developing skills, and being provided with materials, competence and confidence in building resilience can potentially be increased.
16 Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (2008). Primary to secondary school: easing the transition. Online www.specialistschools.org.u/article.aspa?PageId=1533&Node 17 During the course of this pilot the ILC team was renamed the Locality Support Team
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3. INTERVENTION: APPROACH AND METHOD 3.1 Aims
The overall aim of the BERDS pilot was to develop an integrated, holistic approach to building emotional wellbeing in the Denny school cluster, with a specific focus on supporting the transition from primary to secondary school.
The project concentrated on building emotional literacy and resilience in P7 pupils, enhancing emotional literacy in P7 and Secondary 1 (S1) teachers and other agency staff engaged with schools, and raising awareness of resilience and emotional wellbeing for parents and carers of P7 pupils.
Since the outset, this pilot has been considered to be developmental, providing schools with an opportunity to identify elements of their current practice that may be able to be enhanced or adapted to support the building of emotional resilience, and ensure the early stages of longer-term change to make these practices / processes sustainable. The pilot sought to adopt a multi-agency approach by involving school staff (teaching and non-teaching) other local authority staff (social workers, family support workers, health workers, etc.) and parents.
3.2 Target Population
The project took place in the Denny Integrated Learning Community in Falkirk. Denny is situated in an industrial area within the Falkirk Local Authority. It is characterised by high unemployment and high levels of deprivation.
The cluster was selected in part due to the high exclusion figures evidenced in the secondary school at the time, with a significant proportion of these being multiple exclusions of individual pupils. It was considered that many of these exclusions involved pupils finding it difficult to adapt to, and cope with, the complexities and challenges of secondary school.
Denny High School and its seven feeder primary schools participated in the project. The primary schools involved were Antonine, Bankier, Bonnybridge, Denny, Dunipace, Head of Muir and Nethermains.
3.3 Management and Governance
The pilot was devised by the Principal Educational Psychologist in Falkirk at the time, Graeme King, and the Director of Education in Falkirk, Julia Swan. The contract to undertake the implementation of this approach was awarded to YoungMinds, who appointed a Project Manager, Sally Wills, in June 2007.
Governance of the BERDS pilot was provided at two levels - the first being a Steering Group, providing a more strategic overview of this work; and the second being a Working Group, which provided a more operational function. The
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Steering Group comprised representatives from Scottish Government, Falkirk Education Services, Educational Psychology Service, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), primary and secondary schools, HeadsUpScotland (subsequently replaced by Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health) and YoungMinds. This group met on a quarterly basis over the duration of the BERDS pilot.
The Working Group comprised a nominated Project Lead from each school (to ensure a consistent point of contact – typically a member of the Senior Management Team [SMT] or the Head Teacher themselves), and representation from other agencies within the Denny Cluster which included: an Educational Psychologist, the Social Work Team Leader, and the ILC Team Leader. While a representative from Health had been invited to attend the Working Group they were unable to take up this opportunity. The purpose of this group was to provide support for and make contributions to more detailed aspects of the project delivery, and to be a forum for resolution and discussion of day-to-day concerns of the project strands of work. It also ensured linkages between the project and other activities within the Denny community which impact on children and young people’s mental health. This group met on a monthly basis from October 2007 to May 2008.
3.4 Project Initiatives
The overall aim of the project was to be achieved through undertaking four core streams of work targeting: (1) P7 pupils; (2) teaching and other agency staff working with P7 pupils; (3) parents/carers of P7 pupils; and (4) Head Teachers (and where feasible members of the Senior Management Team). The following sections provide details of each of these initiatives, focusing predominantly on what had originally been intended at the outset of this pilot. A description of what was actually undertaken in relation to each initiative is addressed in the following chapter.
3.4.1 Initiative 1: Primary 7 Pupils (through to S1)
Goal = to enhance the ability of pupils to cope with challenges and to improve their confidence and self-esteem
At the outset of the project, it was established that teaching resources needed to be developed/obtained, that served to enhance the resilience and more broadly, the social and emotional wellbeing of the targeted pupil cohort. The preference was to utilise resources that had already been developed and had demonstrable effectiveness, and importantly, were appropriate for a Scottish context. Further it was deemed important from a best practice perspective to ensure the resources selected were appropriate not only for universal adoption, but also included options for use with targeted groups. At the commencement of the pilot, only one of the three resources ultimately adopted for this work had been identified for use and had been endorsed by the Steering Group – the Creating
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Confident Kids Curriculum18. The two remaining resources – Aiming for High19 and FRIENDS for Life20 – were identified later in the project as appropriate after further exploration of options later, and were subsequently endorsed by both the Working Group and Steering Group.
• Implementation of the Creating Confident Kids (CCK) programme:
The Creating Confident Kids (CCK) curriculum has been designed and developed by a group of Scottish teachers and emotional literacy experts in collaboration with the City of Edinburgh Council to be used by schools both within, and outwith, Edinburgh. It has also been incorporated as part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s ‘Growing Confidence’21 project.
The CCK is a wide-ranging resource for developing nursery and primary school pupils’ emotional and social competence. It is divided into eight themes which are designed to help children build emotional literacy (and resilience) through developing self-awareness, self-management, empathy and social skills. The curriculum has been designed to fit into 3-5 Emotional, Personal & Social Development and Communication & Language, and also into 5-14 Personal & Social Development, Health Education, and Religious & Moral Education. In a Curriculum for Excellence its focus is to develop Confident Individuals, although it impacts on all four capacities within the Health and Wellbeing curricular area.
The CCK programme was to be introduced to the P7 pupils by their teachers as part of the Personal & Social Education (PSE) Curriculum during the 2007/08 school year.
• Implementation of a Barnardo’s Aiming for High transition programme:
Aiming for High is a 6-week programme designed to increase resilience in young people during a critical time in their development. Focusing on the
18 Edinburgh City Council (2006). Creating Confident Kids: Developing Emotional Wellbeing and Self-esteem. Edinburgh: The City of Edinburgh Council 19 Barnardo’s (2007). Aiming for High. Scotland: Barnardo’s 20 Barrett, P. (2006). FRIENDS for Life. Australia: Australian Academic Press
21 The City of Edinburgh Council’s Growing Confidence Project aims to increase awareness, confidence and understanding about the importance of positive mental health and emotional well-being. This is to be achieved through developing a range of programmes, training and events for children, young people, families and staff that work with them. www.growingconfidence.org
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transition from primary to secondary school, this resource pack has been developed through listening to the views of young people and attempting to marry these with evidence-based practice. The resource pack aims to develop young people’s emotional, cognitive and behavioural skills, increasing resilience, promoting self-esteem and enabling young people to avoid risk and attain / maintain health-promoting behaviour.
The resource comprises a variety of activities that can be run by the classroom teacher, along with other support staff as required, during PSE sessions. The programme was to be implemented in the last few weeks of the 2007/08 school year, prior to P7 pupils’ transition into S1.
• Implementation of a targeted programme
While Aiming for High was a universally applicable programme, in accordance with best practice, the need to provide additional support to those pupils who would be more vulnerable22 ahead of their transition was clear. The programme selected for use with this group of pupils was FRIENDS for Life - a ten session Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) based intervention for anxious and depressed children. FRIENDS is a clinically proven preventative approach for children and adolescents which: (1) reduces anxiety and low mood; (2) develops coping skills and positive thinking strategies; and (3) promotes resilience, self esteem and emotional wellbeing.
It was intended that this programme be adopted by the ILC Family Support Workers who were to run sessions with pre-selected vulnerable pupils both prior- and post-transition. It was also hoped that Pupil Support Staff at Denny High School would adopt this resource to work with other pupils identified post-transition.
In addition to the implementation of these resources, additional activities to improve the transition process were identified with the secondary school as the pilot progressed. Details of these activities are provided in Chapter 4.
3.4.2 Initiative 2: Teaching Staff and Other Agency Staff
Goal = to promote confidence and enhanced understanding of resilience and emotional wellbeing for teaching and other agency staff.
Given the extensive research highlighting the crucial role teachers play in fostering pupil resilience, not only through teaching relevant skills, but more
22 Vulnerable pupils for the purposes of this pilot were those who teaching staff felt exhibited signs of anxiety and / or low mood, perhaps had poor social skills and / or limited social support networks, and were thought to be at significant risk of potentially having difficulties adjusting to a new school environment. In addition, these were pupils who were not receiving additional support from other services.
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importantly through modelling their own resilience, it was agreed that training would be provided to support staff in achieving this.
The training sessions were intended to address some of the fundamental building blocks underpinning resilience, and more broadly, mental health and wellbeing. The majority of the sessions were to be facilitated by YoungMinds Principal Consultant/Trainer with support from the Project Manager. Where appropriate, other trainers were to be utilised. At the outset of the pilot, eight twilight sessions were planned with P7 teachers, interested Primary SMT, secondary staff and other agency staff. These sessions were to be held on a monthly basis commencing in October 2007.
In addition to the twilight sessions, a workshop was planned to introduce the CCK curriculum to P7 teachers, run by one of the writers of the CCK curriculum. After commencement of the pilot additional training was arranged and undertaken with secondary staff at their request (details of this, and the multidisciplinary training undertaken, are addressed in Chapter 4).
3.4.3 Initiative 3: Parents and Carers
Goal = to raise awareness of resilience and emotional wellbeing for parents and carers
An initial information session on the content and purpose of the project was planned for parents of P7 pupils soon after the commencement of the pilot. As well as providing information about the purpose of this work, it was considered important for this pilot to raise parents and carers awareness of the importance of resilience and emotional wellbeing, particularly given their critical role in this area. It was decided that this information would best be provided through the delivery of workshops designed to support the transition process. It was originally proposed that 3-4 workshops would be run for parents over the course of the pilot to help meet this goal.
3.4.4 Initiative 4: The Whole School via Head Teachers
Goal = to support the development of a whole school approach for the promotion of resilience and wellbeing (i.e., working towards developing sustainable change).
To achieve this goal, activities in this area focused predominantly on the importance of leadership in developing and supporting cultural change. In recognising their crucial role in shaping the overall direction of the school, and their ability to prioritise emotional resilience, it was intended that Head Teachers be offered opportunities to enhance their leadership skills in this area through the provision of group workshops, individual coaching sessions, and management team emotional literacy profiling. In addition, it was arranged that a Head Teachers or SMT representative from each school would attend the School of Emotional Literacy Conference in 2007.
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4. INTERVENTION: IMPLEMENTATION OF INITIATIVES
This section provides details of the actual activity undertaken in relation to each of the four intervention initiatives. Where feasible, it also incorporates the rationale for particular activities undertaken and where aspects of the intervention have deviated from that originally proposed, this is also highlighted and explained.
4.1 Initiative 1: Working with Pupils
4.1.1 Universal Emotional and Social Competency Curriculum - CCK
In the early planning stages of this project the City of Edinburgh Council gave permission for the BERDS pilot to utilise the CCK resource, which at the time was still under development. The 8-themed curriculum was to be published one theme at a time at various stages over the 2007/08 school year, with the publication timeframe enabling Denny P7 teachers the opportunity to familiarise themselves with each theme before implementing it.
Pre-empting the publication of this resource, and its implementation by the cluster, all P7 teachers, interested Project Leads (including Head Teachers) and a representative from the secondary school were invited to attend a workshop in September 2007 introducing staff to the CCK curriculum. This session included an overview of the BERDS pilot (provided by the Project Manager), followed by an introduction to emotional literacy and the CCK programme led by Sheila Laing (a contributing writer of the resource, and Head Teacher at an Edinburgh-based Primary School where this programme had already been trialled for 2-3 years).
While the first of the themes was published on time, publication of subsequent themes fell significantly behind their deadline dates. As a consequence of this only three of the eight themes were published before the end of the 2007/08 school year. While the final published versions were significantly delayed, the Project Manager had been able to obtain from the City of Edinburgh Council unpublished draft versions of these themes. Each school was provided with complete final drafts of three themes before the end of January 2008. While far from ideal, this enabled schools to implement up to four of the eight themes during the 2007/08 year.
As a consequence of these unanticipated publication delays, the goodwill of staff was severely compromised, with teaching staff considering withdrawal of their involvement four months into the pilot, prompting one or two Head Teachers to request that an alternative resource be found. Furthermore, while only two themes (one published and one in final draft format) had been provided to this point, some felt that the content was no better than that of existing resources. These concerns were communicated to the Steering Group at the December 2007 meeting, where those in attendance felt it was important to continue with
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the use of the resource given that staff had yet to view the entire curriculum, and consequently, the potential value of this resource (that had application merit beyond that of P7) could not realistically be established at this early stage. Fortunately, many of the teaching staff recognised the potential opportunities presented by both the curriculum and the BERDS pilot more generally, and agreed to persevere.
By the end of the 2007/08 school year, and whilst having implemented only half of the CCK themes, reports from P7 teachers and members of the SMT’s were increasingly positive, with some of the schools expressing the desire for wider adoption of this curriculum. It was at this time that a workshop was arranged for Head Teachers with Sheila Laing, to address issues and considerations ahead of wider roll-out. The general consensus amongst Head Teachers at this meeting was that the CCK would be adopted for whole school use by the Denny cluster.
4.1.2 Universal and Targeted Transition Programmes.
Universal Transition Programme
It was acknowledged at the outset of this pilot that there were a number of good and well-established activities/processes already in place within each school to support the transition from primary to secondary. Pupil Support staff and ILC Family Support Workers (sometimes accompanied by S1 pupils) routinely undertook visits to P7 classes to address any questions or worries that pupils had. However, with this exception there was an absence of a consistent, universal practice adopted by all the primary schools within the cluster to promote resilience actively during this critical phase.
After reviewing a number of transition programmes used within the United Kingdom, a selection of viable options were presented to the Working Group at the January 2008 meeting. Of these options, it was agreed that the Aiming for High resource would be adopted for use by all P7 classes within the cluster. Training in the use of this programme was arranged to be undertaken by Barnardos Levenmouth Links staff, who had developed this resource and successfully piloted it in a number of primary school settings within the local authority of Fife. After training in this programme was undertaken with staff in March 2008, each of the P7 teachers implemented Aiming for High with their class during May 2008, coordinating completion of the programme ahead of the High School Induction days.
A small number of secondary staff (in addition to the ILC Family Support Workers) had also attended the Barnardo’s-led workshops, with the intention of utilising certain activities from the Aiming for High programme during the induction days (to provide a sense of familiarity and consistency for pupils), and where feasible, in the S1 form classes once the pupils had transitioned.
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Targeted Transition Programme
At the January 2008 Working Group meeting, it was also decided that the FRIENDS for Life programme would be a viable option to support identified vulnerable pupils. The ILC Team Leader reported that their team had already been referred 9-10 pupils from schools to their newly formed ‘transition group’23. Given that pupils in this group appeared to meet similar criteria to that considered appropriate for the FRIENDS programme, it was agreed that this programme be run with this group. While the number of pupils participating in this targeted initiative were considered small, it was considered reasonable to progress with this pre-selected group, given the pilot nature of this approach coupled with resourcing issues within the ILC team. It was also hoped that Pupil Support staff at the High School would consider this programme for use with pupils identified as vulnerable post-transition, and that Social Workers within the Denny community may be able to undertake individual or group work with referred pupils meeting similar criteria. As such, three members of the ILC team, five Pupil Support staff (including a Behavioural Support staff member) and three Social Workers attended a one-day FRIENDS training session run by the Stirling Council Psychological Service.
Subsequent to this training, the Project Manager arranged to meet with the ILC staff, and where required, other attendees, to discuss how this programme might be best implemented within their setting. It was evident early on that the ILC staff found aspects of the programme valuable, but were challenged by the limited time they had with the transition group (less than 1 hour per session), and found the perceived prescriptive nature of the FRIENDS programme unable to accommodate this timeframe, nor the more practical aspects of support the team wanted to provide the group. As such, the FRIENDS programme was not adopted in the manner originally intended for this group.
Furthermore, while Pupil Support staff (who underwent their training in September 2008), have indicated a desire to adopt this programme with post-transition pupils, at the time of writing, a meeting had not been able to be arranged with this team.
4.1.3 Additional Transition-Related Activities
After the commencement of the project, meetings were held with the Depute Head and Head of PSE at the secondary school to identify existing universal and targeted activities to support the transition process. Emerging from these discussions were a number of opportunities for further development, of which three were elected to be focused on over the course of this pilot: (1) the adoption of a formalised Peer Support ‘Buddy’ programme for S1 pupils; (2) a
23 The ‘transition group’ was to receive additional support from the ILC team across the transition period, including practical support and orientation to the school, and activities to enhance social skills and build confidence.
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review of the P7 induction days; and (3) additional resilience and emotional wellbeing training for all S1 Form teachers (addressed in Section 4.2).
Peer Support Programme
Prompted by the BERDS pilot, a Behaviour/Learning Support Teacher at the secondary school elected to implement a formalised Peer Support programme (to fulfil her Standard for Chartered Teacher). This initiative was endorsed by the secondary SMT, with an Action Enquiry Group (AEG), comprising eight volunteer secondary staff, formed to provide operational support.
To further support this initiative, the BERDS Project Manager helped the secondary school explore viable Peer Support models. A potentially feasible option emerged from within the local authority, having been used for a number of years by a neighbouring secondary school. Following a meeting between key parties to discuss use of the ‘buddy’ training24 employed by this model, the secondary school decided to progress with this option. The training was run with Denny High S5 pupils ahead of their transition to S6 (in June 2008), and addressed active-listening, open-ended questions, problem-solving, confidentiality and child protection. Completion of this training provided S5 pupils with an opportunity to decide whether they wished to pursue a buddy role in S6, of which a large proportion of pupils did. While still in the early stages of implementation, the programme is considered a significant improvement to the more informal peer support provided in preceding years.
Revised Induction Days
Recognising the importance of the two-day Induction for P7 pupils, members of the SMT explored opportunities to enhance these days. Guided by feedback from previous S1 pupils (via focus groups) and resilience research (which emphasised the importance of school, teacher and peer connectedness), the school attempted to accommodate these recommendations. Unlike the previous year, pupils spent more time with their form class (helping to promote connectedness to peers) and with their form teacher who utilised icebreaker activities from the Aiming for High programme (building connectedness with their teacher). They also spent time in their school house groups, earning points for their house by participating in a sporting event – this activity provided both opportunities for greater social interaction and increasing connectedness to the school.
Recognising the importance of enhancing opportunities pupils to familiarise themselves with the school and importantly, with each other, the secondary Depute Head invited all P7 pupils to attend a dance performance and have lunch together ahead of the induction days. This provided an opportunity for
24 The training programme had been adopted by Grangemouth High School and was based on a programme developed by Bannockburn High School, located within the nearby authority of Stirling.
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enhanced social interaction over the lunch break (pupils were instructed to introduce themselves to 3-4 other pupils before the end of break) – an experience positively received by P7 pupils (according to anecdotal feedback from P7 teachers).
4.2 Initiative 2: Working with Staff
In the early planning stages of the BERDS pilot, the opportunity to utilise the staff training resources being developed by the City of Edinburgh Council - Creating Confidence Staff (CCS) - as part of the Growing Confidence Project, had been explored. However, this training programme was not due to be completed until half-way through the BERDS intervention, so the decision was made to base the staff twilight training sessions on the two-day Child and Adolescent Mental Health Training content developed and routinely delivered by YoungMinds into multidisciplinary settings.
Reassuringly (in terms of future comparability), the content of the YoungMinds training programme encompassed a number of similar themes to that of the newly developed CCS programme, albeit approached at times from different theoretical perspectives. Each twilight workshop delivered by YoungMinds was designed to feature essential theory and up-to-date research findings, and to provide the opportunity (through peer discussion and group work) for reflection on individual and wider school practices.
While it was originally proposed that eight twilight sessions would be undertaken with staff, only six were actually delivered. Four sessions were delivered by YoungMinds on the following topics - An Introduction to Mental Health, Attachment and Brain Development, Resilience: An Introduction and Understanding Thoughts, Feelings and Behaviours – and two sessions were delivered by Barnardo’s to introduce the Aiming for High programme. A brief overview of each of these sessions, including the additional sessions incorporated for secondary school staff, is detailed below.
Twilight sessions were held in venues within each of the participating schools on a rotating basis – the benefits of this being that it enabled staff to familiarise themselves with other schools, and schools taking some ownership in the organisation of the session; the disadvantage was that not all venues were conducive to undertaking group work within the training sessions.
Twilight 1: An Introduction to Emotional Health and Wellbeing – The first workshop was held in October 2007, and provided an opportunity for staff to meet those from other schools, and to meet the YoungMinds Principal Consultant, Roger Catchpole. The session explored the concepts of mental health and wellbeing, and helped to build a foundation for the sessions to follow. This workshop also involved a group exercise to explore the elements that make up an emotionally healthy school (to highlight importance of ethos, culture and systems).
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Secondary Staff Workshop: Introduction to Emotional Literacy & Resilience - In November 2007, the local authority closure day presented an opportunity to run a morning session for secondary staff, and hold the second twilight session in the afternoon. In response to requests from the secondary school, a 2-hour introductory session for all secondary staff was held on resilience and emotional literacy, led by Elizabeth Morris, Principal of the School of Emotional Literacy. The session introduced the constructs of emotional literacy and resilience and discussed the latest findings from neuroscience, with a particular focus on the ‘teen brain’ and the implications of these developmental changes for those working with adolescents. This session was very well received by staff and was considered by members of the SMT to have helped raise awareness and prompt some interesting discussions.
Twilight 2: Risk, Attachment and Brain Development - The second twilight session addressed some of the fundamental building blocks to good mental health and emotional wellbeing. The workshop commenced with a brief overview of the factors that may predispose an individual to mental health problems. This was followed by a more in-depth discussion of attachment theory and the development, and characteristics, of secure and insecure attachments. The latest findings from neuroscience were also introduced, followed by a group discussion of the implications of these topics/issues for individual practice and school ethos. Given the nature of this session, it was very content-rich with a large amount of theory and research-evidence presented. This information was considered to provide an essential foundation for subsequent learning in this area, and while there was some opportunity built into the session for reflection, it was the intention that the content of this session would be further ‘unpacked’ in the following workshops.
However, some staff later expressed their dissatisfaction with this workshop, criticising the ‘heavy’ content and the limited opportunity to discuss practical implications emerging from this. Fuelled further by the absence of a formal audit, some staff and many of the Head Teachers felt that the training needs of staff weren’t being met. In response to the concerns expressed, the decision was made to postpone the scheduled December twilight session (the first of two Resilience sessions), in favour of a meeting with all Head Teachers to talk through these issues, along with the implications of the CCK publication delays (mentioned above).
Twilight 3: An Introduction to Resilience - In January of 2008, the third workshop was undertaken, and following the cancellation of the earlier session, it was positioned as an introductory session to resilience. Staff in attendance were advised that there was an opportunity to undertake further work in this area later in the training schedule if they felt this would be beneficial. This session introduced the concept of resilience, and involved group work around the identification of protective factors for the individual (reflecting on their own resilience), exploring the learnable skills of resilience, the three building blocks
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underpinning resilience, and undertaking group work identifying ways of building resilience in relation to Daniel and Wassell’s (2004) domains of resilience. Different strategies and approaches to building a resilient schools and classrooms were also discussed.
Secondary Staff Workshop: Building Resilience & Emotional Wellbeing: Considerations for Secondary Schools - In February a half-day workshop was facilitated by YoungMinds for S1 form teachers, Pupil Support staff and other secondary staff with key roles in working with S1 pupils. The purpose of this session was to build on the learnings from Elizabeth Morris’ presentation, addressing brain development, mental health and resilience in greater depth, and providing opportunities for reflection through group work. Time was spent in this session considering the implications of the changing adolescent brain on their teaching practice, identifying individual and school practices they felt contributed to the domains of resilience, and ways of teaching emotional literacy through different subject areas. The session concluded with staff asked to generate ways that emotional literacy and resilience could be enhanced within the school, concentrating on particular areas of need identified by the SMT. Feedback from the secondary school in response to this session was very positive.
Twilight’s 4 & 5: Aiming for High - Two twilight sessions were held in March 2008, a fortnight apart. These sessions were led by Banardo’s trainers who introduced to staff the Aiming for High resource. The first of these two sessions provided the opportunity for staff to participate in the activities within the programme – this was a high energy session which all staff enjoyed. The second session included some of the remaining activities associated with this programme, and then provided an opportunity for staff to consider how this programme might be adopted within their schools, including potential barriers to uptake and how these might be resolved, and how this programme might be used by secondary staff with newly transitioned pupils.
No session had been scheduled for April (given Easter and mid-term holidays), however an optional session had been scheduled for the first week of May. It had been the intention that the content of this session could be determined by staff based on their learning needs. However, as there was no indication from staff as to how they felt this session might best be used, this session was also cancelled.
Twilight 6: Understanding Thoughts, Feelings and Behaviours - The final twilight was undertaken at the end of May 2008 and was facilitated by the YoungMinds Project Manager and one of the Educational Psychologists in the local authority who had expressed a particular interest in the workshop topic. This session was based on CBT and introduced the principles underlying this approach, including: the relationship between thoughts, feelings, behaviour; conscious and unconscious thoughts; and core beliefs. The session also focused on identifying
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‘thinking traps’ and how these might be changed, with techniques applicable for themselves and for their pupils.
4.3 Initiative 3: Working with Parents and Carers
At the outset, the priority for this initiative was to provide parents and carers of the P7 pupils targeted by the BERDS pilot with an information session on the content and purpose of this work. This session was held in late September 2007, and had been advertised by the primary schools through a newsletter sent home to parents. This session was led by the BERDS Project Manager at Denny High School, and was attended by a small number of parents (approximately 20) and some of the Project Leads from the Primary Schools involved. The session provided an overview of the BERDS pilot and its accompanying evaluation, in addition to providing more specific details about the CCK programme.
As previously stated, it intended that 3 – 4 workshops would be run for parents and carers of P7 pupils, with the content of these sessions designed to mirror (with relevant adaptations) that of the multidisciplinary staff training. While the series was scheduled to commence before the end of November 2007, given the busy nature of the first few months of the pilot, the proposed start date was rescheduled for January 2008. It had been intended that these workshops be facilitated either by YoungMinds, or preferably (from a sustainability perspective), another training provider operating in Falkirk.
Having established the BERDS Working Group (WG), the intentions for this initiative were discussed at the first meeting in November 2007, and again over the course of the next few meetings. In general, WG members stressed the importance of: (1) keeping the number of sessions to a minimum given historically low parent attendance rates at similar events; (2) ensuring the content was not ‘too heavy’; and (3) where feasible, linking the workshops to an event that would typically draw parents into the school (ideally being invited by their child).
Based on these recommendations, the workshops were rescheduled to take place near the end of the 2007/08 school year to coincide with the impending transition of P7 pupils (a time when parents and carers were perceived to be more responsive to engagement with the schools), and fewer workshops (1–2 sessions) were planned.
In the interim, the Project Manager had met with and recruited to the pilot, Jacqueline Thomson – a Coordinator with Positive Parenting who was working for Falkirk Council. The involvement of Jacqueline was considered of significant benefit to the pilot given her extensive experience in working with parents, and that this expertise could be drawn on from within the community – a benefit from a sustainability perspective. It was arranged that the Parenting Coordinator and the Project Manager would jointly facilitate the pilot workshops.
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At the suggestion of the WG, a survey was circulated to parents and carers of P7 pupils in March 2007 to identify possible content for the proposed workshops, and parents’ preference for the time that these were held (i.e., morning, afternoon, evening). Based on the feedback obtained, two workshops were compiled, which featured the following content:
• Workshop 1 – This workshop focused on key developmental changes in adolescence (specifically brain development), and explored issues around friendships such as fitting in and making new friends, peer pressure and managing bullying, and introduced the concept of resilience.
• Workshop 2 – This workshop explored why transition is a ‘critical’ time, the reality for young people, how the secondary school supports transition, and what parents can do to help support this change. It also included problem solving and negotiation techniques, and discussed characteristics of resilient families.
In an attempt to make these workshops more accessible, each workshop was to be run twice, with one session taking place in the morning and the other in the evening. Having established the content, dates and venue, flyers circulated by the schools to parents and carers of P7 pupils in May 2007, with parents/carers asked to complete a booking form which was returned to the school.
The workshops were held during the first and second week of June, ahead of the secondary school’s Parents Evening (held during the final week of term). Parents and carers who attended the pilot workshops, were advised of the opportunity to undertake a more in-depth course with the Positive Parenting Coordinator during the next school term. Interested parents commenced this programme in October 2008.
4.4 Initiative 4: Working with Head Teachers
Given the important role of the Head Teacher in the development of a resilient school culture, it was considered imperative that their personal / professional development in this area was supported, in much the same way as with staff, but with a particular emphasis on their role as leaders.
At the outset, a minimum of two full-day workshops for Head Teachers was proposed, with the opportunity for additional training to be provided as required. It had also been arranged that the Project Lead from each of the schools was to be funded to attend the School of Emotional Literacy Annual Conference in November 2007 - in some schools the Head Teacher occupied this role, while in others, another member of the SMT.
Before commencing the work with staff and pupils, the Project Manager met with each of the Head Teachers on a one-to-one basis in August 2007 to introduce herself and discuss the activities proposed by the pilot. This meeting also
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presented an opportunity for Head Teachers to raise any questions they had about the pilot’s initiatives.
The first one-day workshop for Heads was held in early October 2007 (ahead of the staff multidisciplinary workshops). This session was facilitated by Jane Pooley – an Associate with YoungMinds with extensive experience in working with leaders in both the public and private sector. In addition to introducing the concepts of mental health, resilience and attachment theory, the workshop focused on leadership styles and the impact of these on relationships both within and outwith the school, acknowledging that effective leadership requires high levels of emotional literacy, which in turn helps create a more resilient and emotionally literate environment. Unfortunately, this session was not well received by some of the attendees, as they felt that the workshop content had not met with their expectations – some had believed the session would have addressed practical steps for building an emotionally resilient school.
In-line with recommendations from experts in the field of emotional literacy and resilience, Head Teachers were also offered the opportunity to undertake up to three individual Leadership Coaching sessions. Four of the eight Heads undertook an initial 90-minute session coaching session with Jane Pooley in December 2007. Of these, three Head Teachers opted to have a further two sessions (held in February and May 2008), with the coaching experience reported by all to be very valuable.
At the conclusion of the meeting held with Head Teachers in December 2007 to discuss some of their concerns about certain aspects of the pilot (referred to earlier in this chapter), the Project Manager introduced information about the Whole School Emotional Literacy Indicator (WSELI) – a tool developed by the School of Emotional Literacy. Heads were advised that this measure could be made available for schools to use if desired, with support for its administration able to be provided by the Educational Psychologists. In addition, in response to a request from one Head Teacher, a recommended reading list relevant to the area of resilience and emotional literacy was also circulated.
In May 2008, a meeting was held by the Director of Education with the cluster Heads to discuss progress to-date and feasible next steps (through to the pilot’s conclusion, and beyond). At this meeting opportunities for further personal / professional development were presented by the Project Manager, which included:
(1) CCK workshop with Sheila Laing - designed to provide an overview of the CCK curriculum, and discuss the practicalities and considerations for wider roll-out;
(2) ½-day workshops with Elizabeth Morris – a choice of two workshops which included: (i) ‘Implementing and Embedding Emotional Wellbeing in Schools’ - identifying five key strategies considered necessary to achieve this; and (ii) ‘Building Emotionally Literate Staff’;
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(3) School Visits - opportunities existed for Primary Heads25 to visit schools in Scotland & Northern England recommended by the Scottish Government as ‘good practice’ examples of schools adopting a holistic approach to emotional wellbeing;
(4) Audits/Profiling of Emotional Literacy for Schools – mention was again made of the Whole School Emotional Literacy Indicator (WSELI), administration of which could be supported by the Educational Psychologists. In addition, an opportunity was presented for the SMT of each school to undertake emotional literacy profiling (through the School of Emotional Literacy).
In response to the options presented at this meeting, the CCK Workshop with Sheila Laing was arranged, and undertaken in June 2008. Both half-day workshops were booked with Elizabeth Morris and held early November (her earliest availability), receiving very high praise from all Heads in attendance.
The usefulness of the WSELI was raised again by Sheila Laing at the CCK workshop run in June 2008, prompting Heads to request copies of this resource. A small number were purchased to be shared within the cluster; with one Head electing to use this tool as part of an INSET session she had organised to introduce emotional resilience and wellbeing to the whole school.
A small number of Head Teachers (3 of the 8) also confirmed their desire to undertake the SMT profiling. The profiling involved up to five members of the SMT to complete an online profile, followed by a 90-minute feedback session (addressing the analysis of these profiles) with Elizabeth Morris which took place mid-November. The SMT’s who participated found this a valuable exercise; in particular they felt they benefited from assurances they were ‘on the right track’ given the activities undertaken by the school to promote emotional literacy and resilience to date.
25 The secondary Head had already taken the opportunity to visit a ‘good practice’ secondary school in Kent in November 2007, funded by the pilot. This experience was considered to be highly valuable by the Head Teacher.
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5. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY The evaluation of the BERDS pilot began in September 2007 and ran in parallel with the implementation phase, concluding in December 2008. The evaluation was designed not only to establish whether there had been any measurable change to the emotional wellbeing of those involved in the work (outcome), but more importantly (and realistically, given the project timeframe) to capture critical process elements to indicate the feasibility of this approach. These included: factors contributing to, and considered indicative of, success; potential challenges; key learnings; and recommendations for future development of this approach. Where appropriate, certain elements of the evaluation were also used to inform decision making relating to particular aspects of the project.
The evaluation methodology reflected the multi-faceted nature of the intervention, incorporating different methods of data collection to assess the different project initiatives. Frequently, more than one method of data collection was utilised to capture information relevant to a particular work stream. The table below summarises the evaluation methods utilised in relation to the four initiatives detailed earlier in this report. Table 1: Summary of methodologies employed to evaluate different aspects of the BERDS project
Initiative Evaluation Method Aspects of Initiative Assessed
Primary 7 pupils Pupil Questionnaire Aiming for High worry sheets and evaluation forms S1 Focus groups Qualitative feedback from staff administering FRIENDS programme
Cumulative impact of CCK, Aiming for High, and enhanced transition process Aiming for High transition programme Enhanced transition process Targeted work with vulnerable pupils – FRIENDS programme
Teaching staff and other agency staff
Teachers Questionnaire Focus group
Provision of multi-disciplinary training and training associated with teaching resources
Parents Evaluation sheets Focus group
Parent workshops
Whole school/Head Teachers
Head Teacher interviews Activity data
Head Teacher workshops and Individual coaching sessions
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5.1 Evaluation with P7 Pupils
5.1.1 Pupil Questionnaire
In order to monitor any change in pupils’ emotional wellbeing over the duration of this intervention (capturing any potential impact of the CCK programme, the Aiming for High programme or the enhanced transition programme), a self-report measure was designed. This Pupil Questionnaire employed both validated self-report instruments, in addition to a series of other questions used to assess: (1) the emotional wellbeing status of pupils; (2) the factors that influence pupils’ emotional wellbeing and support systems and resources they can access; and (3) pupils' hopes and expectations for their transition to secondary school.
In the absence of a validated tool to assess the construct of resilience specifically, two validated self-report instruments were utilised to capture key aspects of resilience - self-esteem as measured by Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale26, and optimism as measured by the Life Orientation Test – Revised27. In addition to these measures, the Protective Resilient Attitudes and Skills Evaluation (PRASE) 28 – designed to tap into patterns of thought indicative of resilience – was employed.
The pilot questionnaire also incorporated questions recommended to help establish evidence of a ‘secure base’29 – another key element of resilience – including: “do you have a best friend”; “do you have someone in your home life who cares about and loves you”; do you have an adult you can talk to”, etc. The Pupil Questionnaire also explored coping strategies employed by students, and identified their willingness to talk about their worries.
Lastly, the questionnaire administered at baseline tapped into feelings relating to pupils impending transition to secondary school, with the follow-up questionnaire exploring their experience of new secondary school initiatives introduced to support this move (i.e., Peer Support programme, revised Induction days).
26 Rosenberg, M. (1989). Society and the Adolescent Self-Image. Revised edition. Middletown CT: Wesleyan University Press 27 Schierer, M., Carver, C., & Bridges M. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery and self-esteem): A re-evaluation of the Life Orientation Test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 1063-1078. It is important to note that the LOT-R was utilized in this pilot only in the baseline assessment of pupils. This tool had previously been utilized with children as young as 14 years of age, and discussion with a Scottish researcher familiar with this revised measure had indicated that an attempt with a younger age group was warranted. However, it was removed from the questionnaire for the follow-up assessment given the comprehension difficulties some of the questions posed to pupils in this age-group. 28 McGrath, H., and Noble, T. (2003). Bounce Back! A Classroom Resiliency Program. Australia: Pearson Education 29 Daniel, B., & Wassell, S. (2004) The School Years: Assessing and Promoting Resilience in Vulnerable Children 2. Great Britain: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
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Questionnaire Administration
The administration of the Pupil Questionnaire was overseen by the BERDS Project Manager at both baseline and follow-up assessments. The procedure for obtaining parental consent was the same for both administrations – a letter was sent out by the school to parents advising them of the project and the purposes of the questionnaire. Parents were invited to contact the school if they didn’t wish their child to be involved in the evaluation process. In addition to obtaining parental consent, pupils were also asked to provide their informed consent ahead of completing the questionnaire. Where parental or pupil consent was not obtained, alternative activities were arranged for these individuals whilst the questionnaire was being administered.
For the baseline administration, the BERDS Project Manager arranged a suitable time with each primary school to administer the questionnaire to the pupils. In some instances where there were two P7 classes, or pupils requiring additional assistance to complete the questionnaire, the P7 teacher (or additional support needs assistant) was utilised to help administer the questionnaire. The protocol for administration was the same across all situations, and involved the questionnaire being completed in exam conditions to ensure confidentiality, and being read out to the pupils, to ensure that no questions were missed and further explanation could be given if required.
For the follow-up administration of the Pupil Questionnaire, each of the twelve S1 Form teachers at Denny High School were supplied with a protocol for administering the questionnaire. The completion of this questionnaire took place during one school period over two days (given the large number of pupils), enabling the Project Manager and the secondary school’s Behaviour Support Teacher to move between classes to ensure consistency in administration, and provide support as required.
For all administrations, support was available from Pastoral Care staff within the schools (with access to educational psychologist support available as needed) in the event any pupils wished to discuss issues arising as a result of their participation in the evaluation.
Respondents
The questionnaire at baseline was completed by 229 P7 pupils from each primary school within the cluster. In total, 57% (n= 131) of the respondents were male and 43% (n = 98) were female. Of these, approximately twenty eight children received additional support in the completion of the questionnaire.
Twelve months later the targeted pupil cohort completed the follow-up questionnaire. In total, 216 completed this questionnaire of which 57% (n= 123) of the respondents were male and 43% (n= 93) were female.
A breakdown by school of the numbers of questionnaires completed by pupils at baseline (October 2007) and follow-up (October 2008) can be seen in Table 2.
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Table 2: Pupil Questionnaires Completed by School (Baseline & Follow-up). Primary School Baseline (P7) Follow up (S1) No. % No. % Antonine 32 14 28 13 Bonnybridge 45 20 37 17 Denny 36 16 31 14 Bankier 26 11 26 12 Dunipace 15 7 17 8 Head of Muir 53 23 54 25 Nethermains 22 10 23 11 Total 229 100 216 100 5.1.2 Aiming for High ‘Worry Sheets’
Whilst not part of the original evaluation methodology, data was made available through the evaluation which comes as part of the Aiming for High transition pack. The Worry Sheets provided two additional interim opportunities (pre- and post- Aiming for High programme) to obtain information about pupils’ feelings ahead of the transition exploring the things they looked forward to, and the things they were worried about.
Respondents
Worry Sheets were completed by nine of the ten P7 classes prior to the completion of the Aiming for High programme and eight classes post-programme. Details of the numbers of pupils completing these forms from each school can be seen in the table below. Table 3: Number of ‘Worry Sheets’ Completed by Primary Schools Pre- & Post- Aiming for High Programme. School Number Pre
Programme Number Post Programme
Antonine 30 30 Bankier 26 27 Bonnybridge 20 16 Denny* 34 32 Dunipace 18 17 Head of Muir* 56 55 Nethermains 24 DNC** Total 208 177 * Completed by two P7 classes ** DNC = did not complete
5.1.3 Focus Groups with S1 Pupils
To establish how pupils were feeling after their transition to secondary school, and to help inform future development in this area, the BERDS Project Manager
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conducted a focus group with S1 pupils in March 2008. A total of twenty pupils – ten males and ten females – participated in these focus groups. Pupils were selected at random by the Head of each of the four school houses (five pupils from each house). Each focus group comprised five pupils of the same gender, and was conducted during a fifty minute period. Questions explored pupils’ concerns and expectations about their transition, what was realised, what helped, and what could be undertaken to provide further support.
A second focus group was held with the pupil cohort targeted by the pilot, after they had moved to secondary school. The same number and composition of pupils was randomly selected by teaching staff from the four school house teams. The questions asked in the focus group sessions were largely the same as used previously, although they incorporated questions about the new initiatives implemented to support the transition process (i.e., Aiming for High, the Peer Support programme, and revised Induction days).
5.1.4 Feedback on Targeted Resilience Work (i.e., FRIENDS)
At the outset, it was anticipated that pupils targeted for additional support over the transition period would be given evaluation forms to allow them to provide feedback on their experience and their perceptions of the impact the programme (i.e., FRIENDS) on their emotional well being and capacity for resilience. For reasons addressed earlier in this report, this information was not obtained.
5.2 Working with Teachers and Other Agency Staff
5.2.1 Teachers Questionnaire
In order to explore the perceived confidence of teachers to promote / address emotional health and wellbeing with pupils and assess the potential impact of the pilot on their own emotional wellbeing and capacity for resilience, a self-report questionnaire was developed.
As with the Pupils Questionnaire, the Teachers Questionnaire comprised Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale and the Life Orientation Test-Revised. This questionnaire also explored coping strategies employed and the level of ease associated with expressing their feelings and worries.
The baseline questionnaire was administered to all P7 and S1 teachers involved in the project in October 2007, and then re-administered in late October 2008. The follow-up Teachers Questionnaire also asked P7 staff to comment on the feasibility of CCK and Aiming for High programmes, while secondary staff were asked for feedback on the Peer Support programme and enhanced Induction days30.
30 The information on the Peer Support programme and Induction days was gathered from staff specifically for the High School (at their request), and was not analysed for the purposes of this evaluation.
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Respondents
Eighteen teachers completed the baseline questionnaire, of whom fourteen were female and four were male. The length of time each had worked as a qualified teacher ranged from 1 – 32 years.
Seventeen teachers completed the follow up-questionnaire, of which fifteen were female and two were male. All except one had attended some or all of the workshops or training provided by the pilot in the past year, and twelve of the seventeen had previously completed the baseline questionnaire.
5.2.2 Focus Group
In September 2008, a focus group was held with Working Group members, teaching staff and other agency staff to explore their understanding of aspects of the pilot that they identified as successful, and where they felt improvements could have been made. The focus group also considered whether the overall BERDS approach was feasible and what learnings had emerged as a result of this approach.
This session was led by the Project Manager with details of this meeting captured by the SDC Evaluation Team Lead.
5.3 Working with Parents and Carers
5.3.1 Evaluation Forms
To gather feedback from parents about their experience of the two workshops held for them during the first two weeks of June 2008, attendees were asked to complete an evaluation form at the conclusion of each workshop. These forms asked parents to provide feedback about how much they enjoyed the workshop and how useful they found the session in general, and more specifically in relation to the topics addressed. Parents were also asked to indicate whether they felt there were things learnt in the workshop that they would use to support their child, and whether they felt this knowledge made them more confident to do so. Attendees were also given the opportunity to suggest how the workshop could have been improved, and how it could have been better advertised to parents.
Respondents
In total, 19 parents attended Workshop 1 and 18 parents attended Workshop 2.
5.3.2 Focus Group
This session comprised only five parents who had enrolled to complete a more comprehensive parenting course with the Positive Parenting Coordinator. Parents were asked a small number of questions which included: what aspects of the workshops they found most memorable; what they found most useful for their own confidence, and/or in their relationship with their child(ren); and
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whether they felt these workshops would be of value to others, and how they might suggest ways to increase the uptake of parents to such workshops.
5.4 Working with Head Teachers (Whole School Approach)
5.4.1 Interviews
Interviews were conducted with the eight Head Teachers (one secondary and seven primary) in December 2007 to identify:
• the factors they identify as essential to developing a whole school approach to emotional wellbeing;
• the associated challenges; • their expectations of how BERDS will support this process; • their personal attitudes to emotional wellbeing and resilience amongst
school pupils and staff and their ability to promote and influence this; • their perspective on what will indicate success for their school and the
project as a whole.
In November 2008, the Head Teachers were interviewed again. Interviews at this time were conducted with the eight Head Teachers and two Depute Heads (given their significant involvement in this work), and addressed the following:
• what processes had been set in place or steps taken to integrate emotional wellbeing within a whole school approach;
• the perceived successes for their school and for the cluster and the factors that contributed to this;
• views on the value of BERDS in terms of improving the emotional wellbeing and capacity for resilience of pupils;
• perceived impact on their own attitudes to emotional wellbeing and resilience and that of their staff (and their ability to promote and influence this);
• whether the overall BERDS approach was considered feasible; • the challenges for the approach both with their school, and with the
cluster; • key learning points and development issues arising from these,
including future priorities for action and recommendations to others adopting a similar approach.
5.4.2 Activity Data
Information was hoped to be obtained from activity data which could be seen to have potential links to improved emotional wellbeing and as such, indicative of the BERDS pilot’s success. Potential indicators identified for school pupils included school attendance and attainment, while potential indicators of improvements for school and other agency staff included stress / sick leave. This information was intended to be drawn from data routinely captured by Falkirk Council’s Education Service.
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It was envisaged that, if feasible, data pertaining to the above would be obtained for the target cohort across their P6 and P7 year (to enable comparison with themselves), and also for the previous P7 year group (to enable comparison with another similar sample). If possible, data for school staff was to be collated for previous years as well as for the year encompassed by the pilot.
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6. OUTCOMES: WORKING WITH PUPILS
Initiative 1 involved supporting P7 pupils through to S1 with an aim to enhance their ability to cope with challenges and to improve their confidence and self esteem.
This chapter incorporates data obtained from the three different sources: (1) the Pupil Questionnaire (administered at baseline and post-transition); (2) the Aiming for High evaluation (administered in P7 prior to and on completion of this programme); and (3) focus groups with S1 pupils (held in February 2008 and November 2008, respectively).
The Pupils Questionnaire has informed the Sections 5.1 – 5.5 of this chapter, which attempt to capture any changes in indicators of resilience. Section 5.6 addresses the transition from primary to secondary school which is a key focus for this project, and as such draws on data from each of the three methodologies detailed earlier.
6.1 Secure Base and Friendships
Resilience is associated with the presence of secure attachment relationships (with an adult) and positive peer relationships, specifically good friendships31. As such, the Pupils Questionnaire attempted to assess these aspects by asking pupils to respond ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the following statements:
• “I usually have other children to play with at school.” At both baseline and follow-up, the majority of young people agreed with this statement (98% and 94%, respectively)
• “I have someone I think of as my best friend.” At baseline, 91% of P7 pupils agreed with statement, with a similar proportion (90%) agreeing when they were in S1.
• “I have at least one adult in my home life who cares about and loves me.” 99% of pupils at both baseline and follow-up indicated agreement with this statement.
• “I have someone I could go to if I had a problem or needed help.” At baseline 98% of pupils agreed with this statement, with agreement dropping only slightly (95%) at follow-up.
Whilst none of the questions above demonstrated any significant variation over time, there was a significant drop in agreement identified over time in response to the statement “I have at least one adult in school that I can trust and talk to.” In P7, 91% of pupils agreed with this statement as compared to 80% of pupils once they reached S1 (X=10.802, p<0.01). 31 Werner 1990, cited in Daniel, B., & Wassell, S. (2004). The School Years: Assessing and Promoting Resilience in Vulnerable Children 2. Great Britain: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
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6.2 Self-esteem
Self-esteem is one of the fundamental building blocks of resilience32, and as such, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale was used to assess the level of self-esteem of those participating in this pilot study. The higher the score, the higher the level of self-esteem - a total score of 30 is the highest possible score. While there are no readily accepted discrete cut-off points to delineate high and low self-esteem, some have recommended that scores between 15-25 are within normal range, with scores below 15 are suggestive of low self-esteem.
As demonstrated in Table 4, 6% of pupils at baseline, and 5% at follow-up had scores on the Rosenberg Scale suggestive of low self-esteem. Analysis of the data obtained at baseline and again at follow-up showed there was a significant difference in scores over time (X=7.45, p<.05) with higher self-esteem scores (indicated by a score of 26 or more) recorded at the follow-up assessment. Table 4: Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale Scores (rated low, midrange and high) at Baseline and Follow-up. Self esteem Score Baseline Follow up No. % No. % Low (1-14) 14 6 10 5 Midrange (15-25) 163 73 129 63 High (26-30) 46 21 66 32 Total 223 100 205 100 While no significant gender differences were found when comparing total scores obtained on this measure, analysis of gender differences in response to individual questions on the Rosenberg Scale, found that girls were likely to agree more strongly with the statement “I like myself” than boys (p<0.5).
6.3 Optimism
The Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) was used to assess differences in generalised optimism versus pessimism, given that optimism (or optimistic thinking) has been strongly linked to resilience33. A score for each child was calculated for this measure only in the baseline questionnaire. This instrument was not incorporated into the follow-up questionnaire, for reasons addressed in the methodology section.
Examination of the LOT-R total score obtained at baseline showed a significant gender difference (t=2.07, p<0.05) with males showing higher levels of 32 Daniel, B., & Wassell, S. (2004) The School Years: Assessing and Promoting Resilience in Vulnerable Children 2. Great Britain: Jessica Kingsley Publishers 33 McGrath, H., and Noble, T. (2003). Bounce Back! A Classroom Resiliency Program. Australia: Pearson Education
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optimism (mean= 15.14) than females (mean = 13.84). This finding was independent of the school the pupils attended, and was not skewed by any individual question on the LOT-R.
6.4 Resilient Attitudes
PRASE is a self-report measure which assesses pupils’ resilient attitudes, their confidence about coping in certain situations and their perceptions of their coping skills. The higher the score (towards a top score of 20, in the shortened version used for this pilot34) the more resilient attitudes and skills a pupil has.
As individual pupils responses could not be matched, an independent samples t-test was used to compare the mean scores calculated from their responses to a set of ten statements. This test showed there was a significant increase (t=-4.323, p<0.000) in resilient attitudes in the pupils from the baseline responses during P7 (mean = 13.78) to follow-up (mean = 15.40).
As seen in Table 5, while both males and females began P7 with comparable scores on this measure, significant increases in scores occurred over time for both genders - suggestive of greater confidence in their ability to cope – with females showing the most significant increase. Table 5: Showing Average Scores by Gender on PRASE Measure
Gender Baseline Follow-Up Male 13.76 14.84 Female 13.82 16.16
In analysing individual statements within this measure, three statements that showed significant differences in response over time were:
• “When a bad thing happens to me, it's impossible to find anything funny or good about it”. At baseline, 47% of the pupils agreed with this statement, with only 32% agreeing with this at follow-up (X=16.210, p<0.000).
• “When things go wrong for me, it's always my fault”. At baseline, 33% of pupils agreed with the statement, which reduced to 26% at follow-up (X=7.895, p<0.05)
34 The original version of PRASE for middle school pupils comprises 20-items which reflect the ten statements in the BOUNCE BACK acronym. For each of the coping statements there is one item in a positive direction and one item in a negative direction. For the purposes of this evaluation, only one item was used to reflect each statement (i.e., a core coping statement is reflected by either a positively or negatively framed statement – not both). However, equal numbers of positively and negatively framed statements featured in this shortened version.
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• “If one thing goes wrong for me, then everything else always goes wrong”. 30% of pupils agreed at baseline with this statement, which dropped to 21% at follow-up (X=8.642, p<0.05)
6.5 Emotional Literacy
Identified as a protective factor for resilience, the ability to recognise, name and accurately manage one’s own emotions is an important aspect of emotional literacy35. This was attempted to be assessed in some way by identifying how easily pupils were able to share their feelings and worries, and the coping strategies they employed to deal with these.
No significant difference was found over time to the degree of ease pupils felt they could talk to others ‘about their feelings in general’. However, when pupils were asked how they found ‘talking about their worries’ a significant decrease was found over time, with 20% of pupils at follow-up stating they found it ‘very difficult’ or impossible’ to talk about their worries as compared to 28% at baseline (X=4.63, p<.05).
When asked about the three things they would most likely do when stressed or worried, large variations emerged between responses given in P7 as compared to S1, and between female and male responses (refer Table 6). Table 6: Coping Strategies Reported by Pupils (by gender and over time)
Coping Strategy Male Female Baseline
(%) Follow-up
(%) Baseline
(%) Follow-up
(%) Talk to mum 68 65 70 70 Talk to another adult 44 6 33 2 Talk to friends 27 19 8 46 Get cross/angry/moody 27 15 39 17 Talk to dad 18 49 20 38 Stay in my room 21 17 16 13 Go out with friends 21 22 15 25 Cry 20 3 24 22 Fight with someone 14 12 4 2 Play sport/do activity 12 28 7 9 Talk to a teacher 9 7 30 8 Do something relaxing 7 25 15 24 Think positively 5 13 5 9 In comparing responses over time (from baseline to follow-up), “talking to mum” remained consistently popular with the pupils, irrespective of gender, whilst
35 McGrath, H., and Noble, T. (2003). Bounce Back! A Classroom Resiliency Program. Australia: Pearson Education
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“talking to dad” significantly increased in popularity as a coping strategy from P7 to S1 for both males (X=28.657, p<0.00) and females (X=6.906, p<0.01). However, whilst talking to parents increased as a strategy, both genders were significantly less likely to “talk to another adult” in S1 than in P7 (males: X=49.140, p<0.00; females X=30.341, p<0.00). Females were also less likely to “talk to a teacher” in S1 than P7 (p<0.00, X=15.188).
In S1, males were more likely to “play a sport or do an activity” of some sort than previously indicated (X=10.653, p<0.01), and they were also less likely “To get angry” (X=6.095, p<0.05) and more likely to “think positively” about the situation (X=5.795, p<0.05) than in P7.
Significant variations in responses emerged between the genders in relation to the following coping strategies: “Talk to friends” was strongly affected by gender at the baseline assessment, with males in P7 using this strategy when stressed significantly more than females (X= 13.47, p<.001), however this trend shifted in S1, with female pupils significantly more likely to discuss their worries with their friends as compared to the previous year (p<0.00, X= 35.342). Not unexpectedly, males reported using the strategy “fight with someone” more frequently than females, which was significantly different at both baseline (X=6.02, p<.05) and follow-up (X=7.45, p<.01)
‘Talk[ing] to a teacher’” was a strategy that females reported significantly more than boys whilst in P7 (X=15.92, p<.001). However, this was adopted less by both males and females once they reached S1. Choosing to “do something relaxing” was again something that girls reported doing significantly more than boys in P7 (X=4.25, p<.05), although this difference was not evident after moving to S1.
6.6 Transition
6.6.1 Pupil Questionnaire
At baseline, pupils were asked how they felt about their impending move to secondary school. At this point, 30% of pupils said they were ‘very happy’ about it, 27% were ‘a bit happy’, 30% indicated being ‘a bit worried’, whilst the remaining 13% were ‘very worried’.
Irrespective of gender, the things pupils were most looking forward to about moving to secondary school were the opportunities to make new friends and meet new people, experience new classes and subjects, and enjoy the freedoms and new opportunities (i.e., travel, sports clubs, etc) presented by secondary school.
These things also remained the aspects of secondary school that pupils reported enjoying at follow-up, although slightly more pupils appeared to enjoy the practical benefits afforded by secondary school (i.e., greater freedom at lunch, not being in the same class all day). Only 9% of the children at baseline and a
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further 9% at follow-up did not give any reason to be excited about the move to secondary school.
The targeted cohort was also asked to identify what their main worries about going to secondary school were (a question replicated in the Worry Sheets and Focus Groups). Their responses were grouped together into themes (Note: many young people gave more than one worry), and are presented in the table below.
As seen in Table 7, getting bullied or having fights was the main concern for the pupils, irrespective of gender. In addition to these concerns, pupils also reported being worried about getting lost and not doing well in their work. Only 19% of the young people did not give a reason for being worried about going to secondary school and the majority of those that did give a reason expressed more than one concern. Table 7: Worries about Moving to Secondary School (over time and by gender)
Baseline Post-transition Main Worry Male Female Total Male Female Total Bullying / fighting 63 41 104 24 17 41 Harder lessons/exams/ homework
11 15 26 9 9 23
Practical issues e.g. getting lost
10 13 23 8 10 18
Other people and older pupils
6 8 14 9 12 21
Emotional issues 5 1 6 2 5 7 The teachers 3 3 6 3 2 5 People and work 1 4 5 1 0 1 Nothing specified 1 1 2 0 0 0 Pupils were asked what they were still worried about once they reached secondary school (refer Table 7), with far fewer worries being mentioned by pupils in general. Almost half of the pupils (46%) who completed the follow-up questionnaire not record any worry or concern, as compared with to the 19% at baseline. At follow-up, the most common worry for pupils related again to bullying/fighting, followed by concerns about their school work, and a heightened worry about older students.
6.6.2 Aiming for High Worry Sheets
Of the 208 pupils who completed a Worry Sheet at the start of this programme, 142 (68%) rated ‘making new friends’ as one of the things they were most looking forward to about attending Secondary school. Having ‘new teachers’ (n=107, 51%) and ‘attending new classes’ (n=102, 49%) were the next highest rated experiences for the young people. Following these experiences, 48% of
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pupils were looking forward to ‘swimming’ and the same percentage to ‘PE class’. Approximately one third of pupils were looking forward to ‘joining clubs’, 22% to ‘keeping their old friends’, and 10% to ‘following a timetable’.
At the end of the Aiming for High programme, the experiences rated most highly by pupils did not vary greatly from those rated at the outset. Of the 177 young people who completed a Worry Sheet post-programme, the vast majority, (n=136, 77%) chose ‘making new friends’ as one of the things they were most looking forward to. The next most rated experiences were ‘learning new subjects’ (62%), having ‘new teachers’ (46%), ‘going to PE’ (40%) and swimming (32%). Approximately one third of pupils said they were looking forward to ‘attending clubs’, 22% to ‘following a timetable’, 19% to ‘maintaining their current friendships’ and 15% to ‘lunch breaks’.
8
5
3
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14
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39
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37
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0 20 40 60 80 1
Others
Travel arrangements
Making new friends
Subjects / classes
Lunch / breaktimes
Showers
Rules
Maintaining friendships
Older pupils
Teachers
Timetable
Being bullied
Homework
Getting lost
00
Before the courseAfter the course
%
Base: Before the course (208), After the course (177)
Mean number of worries:Before the course: 3.33After the course: 2.42
Figure 1: Worries expressed by young people before and after the course. As shown in Figure 1, ‘getting lost’ and ‘homework’ were the main concerns that young people expressed both pre- and post-completion of the Aiming for High programme. Ahead of completing the programme, approximately a third of pupils were worried about, ‘being bullied / picked on’, whilst a quarter were worried about ‘following a timetable’ and ‘having new teachers’. ‘Being around older pupils, ‘keeping old friends, learning new ‘school rules’ and ‘having showers’, were also worries shared by a number of pupils. ‘Being late’, and ‘travelling to the school’ (perhaps by bus) was an anxiety for some young people, as was experiencing ‘peer pressure’ or ‘people taking drugs or smoking’. For
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some young people there were specific anxieties such as ‘going swimming’ - some reported having heard ‘scary’ stories about both the swimming pool and the showers at the secondary school.
After completing the Aiming for High programme, the percentage of young people expressing anxieties decreased across the vast majority of issues (the exception being a very slight increase in concern about new subjects / classes) as seen in Figure 1. Also evident is the significant reduction of concerns captured by the ‘Other’ category which includes worries such as ‘being small’, ‘the teacher not helping’, ‘remembering people’s names’ and ‘failing’.
6.6.3 S1 Focus Groups
Further data pertaining to the transition experience was obtained via two focus groups run in March 2008 with the current years S1 pupils, and again after the transition of the targeted cohort, in November 2008. In general, it would appear that the first few weeks in S1 are the most challenging for the majority of pupils, with reports of worries both ahead and during the initial stages of their transition identified by all groups.
The most significant worry for pupils (which persists for some), is in relation to bullying. Whilst bullying was ‘not as bad’ as the pupils had anticipated, all participants indicated that it did occur (in a variety of forms) and many had developed strategies in attempts to manage this (i.e. avoidance, keeping a low profile). Other key worries expressed by pupils related to getting lost; retaining existing and forming new friendships; homework and exams; and adjusting to new teachers. For pupils from the newly transitioned target cohort, fighting and factors relating to ‘The Crush’ 36 (i.e., movement in corridors, pushing from older pupils) emerged as prominent issues of concern, more so once they reached the high school.
With respect to the things pupils both looked forward to and enjoyed upon starting secondary school, these consistently included the opportunity to make new friends; the variety of both curricular and extra-curricular activities available to them; greater freedoms; and positive experiences with the majority of teachers they encounter.
Focus group participants from both the targeted cohort and the previous year’s S1 pupils all appeared to have coped well with the transition from primary to high school. However, while the main worries reported by the targeted cohort ahead of the move to secondary school, were similar to that of their earlier counterparts, on the whole, the number of issues/concerns raised were fewer.
36 A term used by pupils in reference to an incident occurring in the corridors of the Denny High School during the previous school year which involved minor injuries to a group of pupils, and received some media coverage.
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When asked how the transition process could be improved, those in the March 2008 focus groups identified a number of opportunities, which included:
• Ensuring pupils are informed of their teachers ahead of their move; • Ensuring at least one of their nominated peers is in their form class; • Having an identified ‘support person’ (ideally an adult and a buddy); • Increasing opportunities for P7 pupils to actively mix with other primary
schools ahead of their transition (and perhaps opportunities to engage with secondary pupils and teachers i.e. joint project work);
• Having a longer period of induction to enable the opportunity to meet other pupils and their teachers, and to get familiar with the school layout;
• Getting a map of the school, with location of key classes or areas.
Many of these suggestions were adopted by the secondary school ahead of the targeted cohort’s transition. The focus groups held with the recently transitioned P7 pupils in November 2008 indicated that presence of the new ‘buddies’ was helpful, particularly during the first week. When asked what they saw the role of their buddy to be, two key roles emerged – the first being in relation to general orientation to the school i.e., helping pupils “fit in”, which included showing them around, giving them directions, talking to pupils about school activities and teaching staff. The second role was a more social one, with buddies expected to “talk to everyone”, and to “be friendly, and help people if they see they need it”. When asked if pupils would go their buddy if they had a problem, feedback was mixed, with many pupils feeling they would need more time with their buddies to build the relationship, before they felt comfortable using them in this manner.
Mixed feedback was obtained from those pupils in the targeted cohort about the perceived benefit of the Aiming for High programme, with some pupils reporting that they found the activities really helpful, while others were less convinced of the benefit. Some pupils appeared to have difficulty recalling the programme, and only remembered certain activities when prompted – a situation which may reflect the newness of the programme for teachers, and consequently, its purpose may have not have been introduced or positioned well with pupils.
When asked how the transition process could be improved those in the November focus groups made the following suggestions:
• Having longer induction days – 3 days instead of two – to enable chance to meet other pupils on the first day, have some exposure to classes on the second, building to attending a full day of classes on the final day.
• Getting a map of the school and ensuring better signs in school ‘to tell you what to do or where to go’.
• Ask teachers to be more understanding given newness of everything for pupils – ‘teachers shouldn’t shout, as we’re just learning’.
• Ensuring that the places/areas pupils are introduced to on the Induction days are areas where they are actually allowed in once they start secondary.
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6.7 Chapter Summary
Quantitative indicators of self-esteem, optimism and resilient attitudes revealed some interesting findings. Both males and females showed similar levels of self esteem at the start of the pilot, and a significant increase in higher levels of self-esteem were noted over the course of the intervention period. In general, resilient attitudes were found to be similar across both genders at baseline, with significant increases noted at follow-up for males and females, with this increase being greatest for females. Some caution must also be taken in relation to the interpretation of the findings from this data given that the evaluation tool was not used in its entirety. This aside, the significant changes found in relation to individual statements within the measure are noteworthy.
There was also evidence of a significant reduction in the number of pupils expressing difficulty talking about their worries, however no such change was observed in relation to talking about their feelings in general.
There was a reduction in young people reporting they had a trusted adult to talk to in school when they moved from P7 to S1 and this was again reflected in the coping strategies most utilised by young people with males and females reporting that they were less likely to talk to either a teacher or another adult in S1 than they had in P7. However, both genders were more likely to talk to their father in S1 than P7. Although males were more likely to talk to their friends in P7 by S1 it was a strategy more popular with females.
With respect to the things pupils both looked forward to and enjoyed upon starting secondary school, these consistently included the opportunity to make new friends; the variety of both curricular and extra-curricular activities available to them (including new and varied subjects, sporting teams and events, school trips etc), and greater freedoms, including feeling more like an adult than a child.
The majority of young people had concerns about going to secondary school. While at the outset of the project, data showed the top three worries for pupils were: (1) bullying and/or fighting; (2) harder lessons/exams/homework; and (3) getting lost, immediately prior to transition pupils identified the same top three concerns, but in reverse order. By the time pupils had reached secondary school, worries about bullying and/or fighting had again become paramount, followed by harder lessons/exams/homework. The worry about getting lost was replaced by a worry of other people/pupils (presumably older). Importantly, while some pupils continued to have worries once they reached secondary school, almost half of the young people no longer voiced any concerns.
Encouragingly, while no analysis of statistical significance could be undertaken in relation to the findings (given samples pre-and post-evaluation were not matched), what is clearly evident is the general reduction in worry ahead of the transition to secondary school expressed by pupils after completing the Aiming for High programme.
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7. OUTCOMES: WORKING WITH STAFF
Initiative 2 involved training teaching staff and other agency staff in the promotion of confidence and understanding of resilience and emotional wellbeing in themselves and others.
This chapter incorporates data obtained from two different sources – the first being the Teachers Questionnaire (administered at baseline and follow-up), and the second comprising qualitative feedback gathered via a focus group with teaching and other agency staff nearing the end of the pilot.
The questionnaire captures the extent to which the approach contributed to enhanced resilience and confidence of P7 and S1 teachers, while both data sources informed the process aspect of the evaluation, highlighting obstacles encountered, steps taken to integrate emotional wellbeing into school ethos and values, and establishing the feasibility of the approach including the identification of key learnings and recommendations for future development.
7.1 Self Esteem
As with the pupils, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was used to assess the level of self-esteem of teachers participating in the pilot. As seen in Table 8 below, scores obtained on this measure all fell within, or above, the clinically ‘normal’ range, with no scores suggestive of low self-esteem. While higher scores on this measure are evident at follow-up, unfortunately, numbers were too small to be examined statistically. Table 8: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale Scores (rated midrange and high) Over Time
Self-Esteem Score Baseline Follow-Up N % N % Midrange (15-25) 13 76 8 57 High (26-30) 4 24 6 43 Total 17 100 14 100
While total scores on the Rosenberg Scale fell within expected ranges for this measure, examination of individual statements such as ‘At times I think I am no good at all’, ‘I certainly feel useless at times’ and ‘I wish I could have more respect for myself’ highlighted some evidence of negative self-regard.
7.2 Optimism
Teaching staff also completed the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), an instrument assessing differences in generalised optimism versus pessimism. Here, the higher the score (highest score = 24), the higher the degree of
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optimism. The mean score for respondents was 17.94 at baseline and 17.31 at follow-up – indicating little change over time.
7.3 Emotional Literacy
The capacity to recognise, name and accurately manage one’s emotions is an important aspect of emotional literacy – a protective factor for resilience. As with the pupils, teaching staff were asked to indicate the degree of ease they experienced talking about their feelings and worries, and what strategies they adopted when they felt worried. These questions were only incorporated in the baseline questionnaire, as it was anticipated that there would be little change for staff over time in relation to this capacity given emotional literacy wasn’t specifically targeted for this group (unlike with the pupils).
At the outset of the pilot, seven teachers (39%) indicated that they found “talking about their feelings” ‘a bit difficult’, whilst three (17%) found this ‘very difficult’. These same respondents reported experiencing the same degree of difficulty when “talking about their stresses or worries”.
Respondents were also asked to describe the three things they would do to manage feelings of stress or anxiety. The most frequently mentioned method of managing anxieties was to discuss them; either with loved ones, partners or friends and to a lesser extent with colleagues. This was mentioned by more than two thirds (n=12) of the teachers who completed the baseline questionnaire.
7.4 Understanding of, and Confidence to Promote Resilience
Of the 18 respondents completing the Teachers Questionnaire at baseline, ten teachers (56%) indicated that they had not received any previous training on the topic of mental health and emotional wellbeing. However, when asked to rate the extent of knowledge of mental health and emotional wellbeing, only two of the eighteen respondents rated their current knowledge as ‘low’, whilst equal numbers (n=8, 44%) of the remaining respondents rated their current knowledge as ‘medium’ and ‘high’, respectively. At follow-up this pattern had changed slightly with 35% (n = 6) rating their knowledge of mental health and wellbeing as ‘medium’ and 64% (n=11) as ‘high’.
Teachers were asked a series of questions about the degree of confidence they felt in their ability to promote, facilitate discussion about, and have a positive impact on the emotional wellbeing of their pupils. In addition, they were also asked to rate the degree of confidence they felt that a ‘whole school’ positive mental health culture could exist in their school.
In comparing responses from baseline to follow-up, there was an increase in the level of confidence reported by staff in relation to their ability to promote mental health and wellbeing in their classroom. At baseline 66.7% of staff rated themselves as ‘highly’ to ‘extremely’ confident, with the number at follow-up
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increasing to 82.4%. There was also a similar increase in confidence in staff’s ability to facilitate class discussion about mental health and wellbeing – 50% of staff rated themselves as ‘highly’ to ‘extremely’ confident at baseline, however at follow-up 77.8% of staff rated their confidence in this manner. However, there was little change over time in the confidence of staff regarding their ability to make a difference to the emotional wellbeing on the pupils they engaged with approximately three quarters of staff indicating ‘highly’ or ‘extremely’ confident ratings at both assessment points.
Confidence that a whole school positive mental health and wellbeing culture could exist at their school was not rated quite as highly at baseline, with only 50% of staff indicating they were ‘highly’ to ‘extremely’ confident, however this had increased to 70.6% at follow-up.
7.5 School Culture and Perceived Ability to Influence
At the baseline assessment, all respondents agreed (either ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’) that teachers can play a significant role in developing emotional wellbeing and resilience in young people. All but one respondent felt that the building of emotional wellbeing in pupils was seen as a high priority in the school they worked for, and most staff felt that they were able to have an influence on the decisions made in their school regarding emotional wellbeing of pupils. Only two staff at baseline and at follow-up ‘disagreed a little’ with this statement and three staff at baseline were unsure about their ability to influence decision-making.
In contrast, at baseline five teachers (27.8%) disagreed (either ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’) with the statement ‘the emotional wellbeing of school staff is seen as a high priority in the school I work’. When asked if they felt they were able to influence the decision making relating to their emotional wellbeing (as staff), five staff disagreed (‘a little’ or ‘a lot’), whilst one third (n = 6) were ‘unsure’ about their ability to influence. At the follow-up assessment, only two respondents disagreed that the emotional wellbeing of staff was seen as a priority at the school they worked for. However when asked about their ability to influence decision making in relation to their emotional wellbeing, six staff (35.3%) disagreed with this statement (either ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’), and one respondent was ‘unsure’.
7.6 Perceived Impact on Personal / Professional Development
Respondents were asked at baseline how they felt the BERDS pilot might help with their own personal / professional development. Many staff identified the opportunity to gain a greater awareness and understanding of emotional resilience, along with an increased confidence in teaching, facilitating and dealing with children’s problems. Several staff also suggested that their own emotional wellbeing might be improved by their involvement in this pilot. However other staff indicated that to impact on their personal and/or professional development
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specific resources needed to be made available and strategies identified for use in the classroom.
When asked at follow-up whether they felt the BERDS pilot had assisted with their personal and/or professional development, 88.2% of staff completing the questionnaire felt that it had. The following is a selection of examples of the feedback obtained from staff:
• “It has made me re-evaluate how I approach tasks on a long-term and daily basis in a more positive way”
• “I have a better understanding of mental health and building resilience in children. With a better understanding, I feel more confident to tackle this in my classroom”
• “....I speak openly about it [mental health and emotional wellbeing] in the staffroom and encourage others to address specific issues too. I think more about it, and now take action to improve my own emotional wellbeing”
7.7 Perceived Impact on the School
At baseline, respondents were asked how the BERDS approach might add value to their school. Several respondents hoped that there would be a general positive improvement to the ‘ethos’ or the ‘morale’ of the school. Additionally, it was hoped that pupils would have more positive relationships with staff and be able to better manage their feelings. Improved attainment was mentioned by several teachers, as well as strengthened relationships between other schools and other agencies and an improved transition from primary to secondary schools. One teacher hoped it might help school management to be more aware of staff stress.
When asked at follow-up whether they felt the pilot had added value to their school, 81.3% (n=13) felt that it had done so. Examples of the feedback given by respondents included the following:
• “[The pilot] highlighted the importance of ER [emotional resilience] to a wider staff than previously”
• “We already had a good PSD programme; however the project allowed us to be much more focused with the children. We have put more emphasis on emotional literacy and shared this with the whole staff. Has influenced management decisions”
• “We are now taking CCK forward as a whole school. We have also re-evaluated our core values and behaviour policy as a result”
Feedback from secondary school staff included a comment from one staff member that their S1 class had ‘settled in easily’ and another indicated being aware of a ‘positive feeling coming from current S1s’.
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A small number of teachers did not think the BERDS approach had added value, with each being critical of different aspects of the pilot: one felt the effect was limited as the pilot was solely for Primary 7 rather than the whole school; one was critical of the delay in CCK materials and the perceived similarity to existing resources; and another felt that further embedding was needed before real value could be evidenced.
7.8 Perceived Impact on the Denny Cluster
The chance to network and work with other primary schools teachers, Head Teachers, S1 form teachers and other agency staff was seen as a significant benefit for the cluster
• “[The pilot] has brought the P7 teachers together, building a bond with each other and the high school staff, this link can only be beneficial to all the children”
Raising awareness within the cluster of resilience and emotional wellbeing, and the enhanced opportunity to focus attention on the needs of children during periods of transition, was also highlighted by several teachers as beneficial.
7.9 Feedback Regarding Particular Initiatives
Staff were asked for their feedback about specific elements of the pilot i.e., use of the CCK and Aiming for High programme and the multidisciplinary training, in addition to the perceived feasibility of the overall approach. Some of this data was obtained via the Teachers Questionnaire, although the majority emerged during more in-depth conversation as part of the focus group.
7.9.1 Creating Confident Kids programme
In the follow-up questionnaire, primary teachers were asked to rate the usefulness of the CCK resource. All participants (with the exception of one who did not respond) indicated that the resource was ‘useful’ to varying degrees – 69% (n=9) rated it extremely useful, 23% ‘very useful’ and 8% ‘moderately useful’. All of those who answered said they would like to see the CCK resource used throughout the school.
Further exploration of the perceived usefulness of the CCK was explored in the staff focus group. The primary teachers described the CCK curriculum and associated resources as ‘very good’ and ‘so practical’, and particularly liked the inclusion of forward planners within the resource. The only concern teachers expressed about the resource was in relation to certain aspects of the material (i.e., the assembly stories) becoming ‘old’ - however, they were aware that new stories were in the process of being developed by the CCK writers.
Given the desire of most staff to have the CCK adopted by the whole school, primary teachers were asked (in the focus group) what they felt needed to
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happen to achieve this. Staff felt it was important to communicate the purpose of the programme at the outset, and ensuring ‘clarity around understanding [its intent]’. The provision of ‘training opportunities for staff to go through the [CCK] activities’ by schools was also considered important. While the resource was positively viewed, it was felt ‘a certain amount of enthusiasm’ would be required to ensure wider roll-out. They felt the benefits of this curriculum would need to be ‘sold’ to others who may have existing resources addressing similar aspects to a CCK theme, and therefore be reluctant to try something new. Aspects of the CCK identified as having the potential to encourage uptake included the forward planners, the range of activities, and the associated flexibility in how this programme could be utilised.
7.9.2 Aiming for High
In the follow-up questionnaire, primary teachers were asked to rate the usefulness of the Aiming for High resource. All participants (with the exception of two who did not respond) indicated that the resource was ‘useful’ to varying degrees – 64% (n=7) rated it extremely useful, whilst 36% rated it ‘very useful’. All of those who answered said they would like to see the Aiming for High programme used with all P7 children ahead of their transition.
Further exploration with primary staff (in the focus groups) about the Aiming for High programme, revealed that they liked the resource because of its ease of use, and that it was ‘much more concrete and practical’ than anything that they had previously used. Furthermore some of the activities helped to cover things that the pupils (and some staff) may be more reluctant to talk about. Secondary school staff also found some of the activities (i.e., icebreakers and exercises that primary staff had found less appropriate), useful during the Induction days.
Secondary school staff highlighted the benefit of all pupils having gone through an identical transition programme, enabling a greater consistency in transition practices across the cluster. At the focus group, the secondary school representative said they would like to see this programme maintained, along with continued communication with the primary schools regarding the main worries / issues being experienced by the P7 pupils in advance of the transition. It was felt this was necessary to ensure heightened responsiveness by the secondary school to the needs of new pupils.
Primary staff reported having noticed a difference in how the targeted cohort approached the transition, claiming that pupils spoke in a much more positive way about their impending move to secondary school. It was identified that some of the additional activities run by the secondary school (i.e., dance performance) may have also contributed to this perceived ‘positive experience’. Staff also felt the Aiming for High programme may have helped support pupils who might not have been picked up by the Locality Support Team or Pupil Support staff (for additional support). There was also recognition of the opportunity this programme offered to involve parents and carers ahead of the
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transition, and its potential not only to help parents better support their child, but also to alleviate some of the concerns parents held.
7.9.3 Additional Transition Activities
Staff involved in the enhanced Induction days and integration of the Peer Support programme37 were asked about their views on these changes during the focus group. It was acknowledged that the changes to the Induction days were an improvement on previous years; however more work was required ‘around the orientation of older pupils’ to their roles as buddies on these days.
The Locality Support Team felt that more could be done to enhance the transition process by developing the summer school programme further, incorporating more opportunities for team building, the development of friendship / social skills, and self-esteem work. They felt that not addressing this in the future would be a ‘lost opportunity’ to better equip pupils for their time in secondary school.
7.9.4 Multi-disciplinary Training
The multidisciplinary training provided to staff over the course of the pilot received mixed reviews. Whilst there were positive comments made about the training provided to the secondary school staff, some comments received from primary staff were less complimentary. In particular, the style and structure of some of the workshops were criticised in the focus group, and comments were made that the sessions comprised ‘a lot of theory’. Of interest was feedback from some primary staff who stated they were unclear ‘how the training linked to the curriculum’. It appeared that there may have been an expectation that the multi-disciplinary training would mirror the CCK themes, and enable opportunities for teachers to discuss how they might best implement aspects of the curriculum – something akin to that of the Aiming for High training that was provided.
Despite these criticisms, primary staff did state that they enjoyed Introduction to Emotional Health and Wellbeing and Understanding Thoughts Feelings and Behaviours workshops and the training provided by Barnardo’s, in particular valuing the opportunity to try out the Aiming for High activities themselves. They also welcomed the opportunity to meet on a regular basis with staff from other schools, and in particular, the chance to meet and engage with secondary staff.
Feedback obtained from the secondary school indicated a somewhat different training experience. The whole-school session with Elizabeth Morris was reported to have prompted much discussion amongst staff and was perceived as beneficial. It was felt that this session helped some recognise that processes they had thought were working for pupils may need more attention. The half-day workshop with YoungMinds was also reported to have been very useful,
37 This comprised only one secondary staff member and two Locality Support Team members.
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providing the time to reflect on current practise, but also helping staff identify opportunities for future school development in this area.
7.10 Perceived Feasibility of Approach
In general, most staff in attendance at the focus group felt the approach was a feasible one. However, one or two staff felt that it may have been a better approach to work with the whole school, as opposed to focusing on P7 staff (though the reasons for having done so were understood). It was also felt that as school staff were not all trained at the same time, this acted as a barrier and complicated the ‘sales’ job for the project, particularly for some schools in relation to the uptake of the CCK.
One staff member commented on the value of having someone external to oversee and manage this work, and felt this was something that others adopting a similar approach would need to consider i.e., ensuring sufficient resource – both human and financial.
7.11 Suggested Improvements
At the conclusion of the pilot, staff were given the opportunity to discuss how they felt the BERDS approach could have been improved. Feedback primarily related to the following:
Provision of Resources: The late arrival of the CCK curriculum was specifically criticised by a small number of teachers (n = 3) in the follow-up questionnaire with comments that the erratic arrival of themes made it difficult to implement. This was also raised as an issue in the focus group, with staff stating that not having the CCK in its entirety at the outset was considered a barrier for this pilot.
Multidisciplinary Training: A number of staff felt that the multidisciplinary training needed to focus on practical, class-room based strategies to support children, with the following comments made:
• “...less time on theory and dealing with our resilience”; • “Some sessions seemed irrelevant – time better spent with the resources
and discussing ideas with the staff present”
While some primary teachers felt there were too many twilight sessions, some secondary staff felt that more group sessions and whole school staff training was required. Feedback from the focus group recommended the training should include: more group work; opportunities to discuss lesson plans (in relation to the CCK curriculum); concrete strategies for ‘teaching children to be more resilient’; and greater opportunities to share experiences.
Communication of Vision: Some staff expressed the need for management to have been able to communicate what they wanted to achieve (through participation in the pilot), and what their expectations for staff were – i.e. staff
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felt it was important to know all the elements of the approach, what would be happening, when and why. Staff recommended that schools considering adopting a similar approach should ensure it was well positioned by management in order for staff to feel motivated about it and ultimately embrace it.
Other suggestions for improvement raised in the focus group were: ensuring Head Teachers received the CCK training at the outset (to help provide guidance and support to staff); an audit of current practices and programmes within school; and parents having the opportunity to talk with recently transitioned pupils about their experience (enabling them to better support their children ahead of the transition).
7.12 Priorities for Action
When asked what they felt needed to happen going forward, the majority of respondents (completing the Teachers Questionnaire) identified the need for further staff training, ensuring greater familiarity with the concepts of resilience and emotional wellbeing. It was also suggested that the Council incorporate a session introducing the CCK resource into the current PSD programme.
A few respondents felt that management needed to ensure the provision of ongoing support to staff, including the prioritisation of their resilience and emotional wellbeing. Some staff felt that the approach still needed to be given higher priority on the school agenda, with consideration given to adoption by the whole-school, development over the long-term, and ongoing evaluation.
Emerging from the focus group was the suggestion for one-off workshops once or twice a term, enabling collegial discussion and sharing of good practice between primary and secondary staff. It was also felt that the Aiming for High programme offered up an opportunity for staff to come together to discuss the experience of their pupils ahead of transition, and identify any potential issues / concerns for the secondary school.
7.13 Chapter Summary
Although the number of staff participating in each aspect of the evaluation is small, valuable information relating to both outcome and process has been obtained. The quantitative measures have indicated that staff have good levels of self-esteem and optimism, although evidence of some negative self-regard existed when individual statements were analysed. Staff also demonstrated knowledge of good coping strategies, although approximately half of respondents indicated varying degrees of difficulty (i.e., either ‘a bit’ or ‘very difficult’) talking about their feelings, stresses and worries.
The questionnaires highlighted that few teachers have had any formal training in mental health and wellbeing area, however despite this the majority rated their knowledge as ‘medium’ to ‘high’. Reassuringly, all teachers feel they have a
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significant role in developing resilience and emotional wellbeing in young people and most felt that this was seen as a priority in their school. However, there were fewer respondents who felt that mental health and wellbeing of staff was prioritised to a similar extent. This trend was also reflected in teachers’ beliefs as to the degree of influence they felt they had on decision-making within the school - more teachers felt that they could influence decisions about the emotional wellbeing of pupils, as compared to the emotional wellbeing of staff.
Also noteworthy was the increase in the level of confidence reported by staff over time in relation to: (1) their ability to promote mental health and wellbeing in their classroom; (2) their ability to facilitate class discussion about mental health and wellbeing; and (3) the possibility that a whole school positive mental health and wellbeing culture could exist at their school.
Three key aspects of the pilot were highlighted by staff as potential barriers to the pilot’s perceived success, and hence were identified as areas for improvement, which related to: (1) the provision of the CCK resource; (2) the multidisciplinary training; and (3) communication of the vision for this approach.
However, in spite of this, the approach adopted by the pilot was considered feasible. The vast majority of teaching staff involved in the evaluation, believed the BERDS pilot had a positive impact on their personal/professional development, on their school, and on the wider cluster. The resources provided for use – the CCK and Aiming for High – were widely endorsed, recommended for ongoing use by staff, and where appropriate, adoption by the whole school. It was also acknowledged that the transition process in general, whilst previously considered to be good, had been further enhanced. Staff felt that one of the significant benefits of the pilot was the opportunity to meet regularly and share experiences.
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8. OUTCOMES: WORKING WITH PARENTS & CARERS
Initiative 3 involved working with parents and carers to raise awareness of resilience and emotional wellbeing. It was decided that this information would best be provided through the delivery of workshops designed to support the transition process – the content of these has been discussed previously.
While not part of the formal evaluation, details were captured during the workshops of the primary issues/concerns parents held about the child’s impending transition and what provision the secondary school provided to support this process. Some of the concerns held by parents related to their child’s socialisation in the new environment (i.e., worry about their child ‘fitting in’ and meeting new friends; peer pressure and bullying both inside and outside the school environment), academic pressures (i.e., concern about whether their child will cope with the level of school work, the impact of going from smaller to larger classes) and the availability of support within the school (i.e., how do teachers and the wider school support children with particular/individual needs; and will this support be adequate and ongoing for those who need it).
8.1 Workshop Evaluation Forms
Parents were asked to rate both their enjoyment and perceived usefulness of each workshop on a Likert Scale (rating 1 = ‘Not at all’ through to 5 = ‘Very much’). Both workshops run for parents ahead of the transition received very positive feedback with enjoyment ratings of 4-5 for Workshop 1 and 3-5 for Workshop 2, and usefulness ratings of 3-5 for both workshops.
Parents were asked which topics they found most useful, with the those in Workshop 1 rated as follows: (1)The teenage brain; (2) Bullying and how to manage it; (3) Coping with peer pressure; followed by (4) Resilience – what is it? In Workshop 2, parents rated the usefulness of the topics as follows: (1) Transition - what can parents do?; (2) Transition - what’s the reality?; (3) Negotiation skills; (4) Resilience; followed by (5) Problem solving.
When asked what other topics or activities parents found of value, a small number of parents (n = 5) described how helpful they found the opportunity to talk with other parents and share concerns with them. A large number of parents felt that these workshops would have been beneficial earlier on in the year (i.e., January/February), given that’s when some of the concerns about transition were emerging for them, and to a lesser extent, for their child.
While workshop numbers were small, all of the parents who completed an evaluation form felt that they had learned things from the workshop that they would ‘use to help support’ their child, and importantly, they believed what they had learned would make them ‘more confident’ in supporting their child. Each of
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the parents also said that they would recommend the workshop to other parents whose children were moving to secondary school.
8.2 Focus Group
Some parents were followed-up after their child had transitioned to secondary school to capture their reflections on the workshops provided in June 2008. The opportunity for ‘shared experiences’ was seen as one of the most significant benefits of these workshops, as it served to highlight that many worries or experiences parents were having were also shared by others. They also served to reinforce how people might be dealing with these experiences or provide new ideas about how situations could be managed.
• ‘Hearing other people say the things I was thinking was valuable’ • ‘Having the opportunity to share tips with other parents’ • ‘Talking with others has helped to increase my confidence’
Most of those who had attended the workshops felt that they were able to be more patient with their child, being conscious that their behaviours could potentially be attributed to development changes in the brain, and/or potential anxiety their child may be feeling ahead of this transition.
• “[The workshops] helped me feel more confident about how to handle situations”
• “After the workshops I tried to get ‘connected’ to my son. I shared some of my fears with him, he shared his, we both cried. I feel much more relaxed understanding all that is going on inside him now too”
• “[It was] very beneficial to hear about how I can help with organisational skills” and to know that “exasperation is normal!”
All those in the focus group felt the workshops had been valuable, but were disappointed by the number of parents attending. Most felt the ‘disengagement’ of some parents started during primary school from P2-P3 onwards. Some of the potential barriers identified to the uptake of these types of workshops / parenting programmes included:
• Fear of the unknown [with respect to workshop content and what would be involved for them as parents];
• Previous ‘traumatic’ experiences at school or negative encounters with school;
• Denial of responsibility – i.e., belief that child is the ‘schools problem’, ‘[they] see school as a babysitting service’;
• People may not feel they need any additional information or support.
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9. OUTCOMES: WORKING WITH HEAD TEACHERS
Initiative 4 supported the development of a whole school approach for the promotion of resilience and wellbeing through working with Head Teachers and, where feasible, other members of the SMT. This chapter was informed by data obtained by interviews undertaken at the commencement and conclusion of the pilot.
9.1 Developing an Emotionally Healthy School
It was considered important at the outset of the pilot to identify what Head Teachers believed constituted an emotionally healthy and resilient school, and what factors they believed were essential in the development of a whole school approach to emotional wellbeing.
Heads identified a number of factors which they believed were indicative of an emotionally health school, which included:
• A positive ethos – e.g. “a whole staff approach where social and emotional welfare of children is at the heart”;
• Good staff-pupil relationships – characterised by “genuine empathy”, “communication”, “discipline and consistency”, etc.;
• Understanding and responding to need – “being alert to needs of pupils and staff” “offering a network of support for children”, “allowing children to give opinions” etc.;
• Pupil involvement; • Multi-agency working; • Good internal staff relationships; • Good school / parent relationships.
Factors perceived to be essential to the process of developing an emotionally healthy school included:
• Having a shared vision and commitment to this vision; • Ensure everyone is involved; • Good personal and social development for staff and pupils to help develop
coping skills for school and community life; • Awareness of the interventions that will meet the needs of pupils; • Ensuring access to relevant resources and opportunity for professional
development; • Approachable adults for pupils; • Good partnership working i.e., support from external agencies (e.g.
health, social work); • Support from within the community (i.e., parents and carers) • Monitoring to demonstrate tangible outcomes
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When asked to define their own role in relation to the development of a whole-school approach to emotional wellbeing, Head Teachers acknowledged the importance of leading their staff by championing work in this area, showing enthusiasm, energy and commitment and demonstrating knowledge of the principles involved. Some felt that in order to be successful in this enterprise they needed to further enhance their own professional development through further reading, attending relevant courses, mentoring, and peer support.
9.2 Perceived Ability to Influence
The majority of Head Teachers felt they and their staff have a significant influence on the development of resilience and emotional wellbeing of pupils. Several Heads described the stability that schools can provide for children, and that the school may be the only positive influence a child has.
• “I think if we don’t believe that [we can influence the emotional wellbeing and resilience of pupils] then we shouldn’t be in the job… we’re not here primarily to teach subjects - although subject attainment is sometimes how we are primarily judged - we’re here to develop children and that actually has to be our primary task.”
• “We are influencing hearts and minds, we want children to make informed decisions, to become autonomous and independent and we want them to care for others and give back something to community....that’s what it’s all about.”
Head Teachers also gave examples of ways in which they and other staff members can influence their own emotional wellbeing and resilience including: making it explicit how much people are valued; focusing on the positive and building on that; being aware of staff needs; allowing people to take responsibility and initiative; respite and cooperative teaching; having an open-door policy (and other types of informal supports); giving staff ownership and including them in what’s going on the school.
• “It’s about being a team, everyone being consulted and feeling they have something to offer, raising staffs’ sense of self, self-esteem, self-worth, confidence - that becomes your self-fulfilling prophesy, because people are more enabled, happy to be at work”
• “We do lots to keep ourselves mentally in a good place, staff golden time (making Friday lunchtime special), socialise regularly, staff room is education free, buoy each other up day to day.”
9.3 Existing Activities Promoting Emotional Resilience
Prior to the commencement of the project, an informal audit was undertaken by Falkirk Council Education Services of the schools in the Denny cluster (February 2007), with Head Teachers from five of the seven Primary Schools asked to provide data on the activities taking place in their school to promote the mental
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health and wellbeing of children and young people (refer Appendix 1). In response to concerns (addressed in more detail below) expressed by some Head Teachers that an adequate baseline had not been taken of what schools were already doing in this area, this was further explored with Heads in their baseline interviews. While activities are not detailed here, it was clear from both the interview, and from the data obtained from the earlier audit, that all schools were undertaking a number of activities that may have contributed to enhancing the emotional wellbeing their pupils and staff.
However, while there were a number of proactive initiatives being implemented, nearly all Head Teachers were able to identify further areas for development. Some of these included: undertaking an audit to see what CPD / training staff had undertaken to mental health and wellbeing; considering transitions at all stages in school (not just specific to P7); and helping parents (particularly of vulnerable children) develop skills to better support their children. Heads also identified a number of mechanisms that might help to support staff in the development of resilience and emotional wellbeing, which included the provision of: peer support; mentoring; feedback (including personal reviews); increased involvement in the school planning processes; ensuring clearly defined procedures and protocols for child protection issues and anti-bullying support mechanisms.
9.4 Perceived Challenges to the Pilot
It is important to note that at the time the Head Teachers were first interviewed the project was at a critical point, with feelings of discontent and anxiety being communicated from teaching staff (due issues surrounding the CCK materials and multidisciplinary training). These issues, amongst others were therefore reflected by the majority of the Head Teachers interviewed, with many expressing high levels of frustration and discontent. Others however, recognised the developmental nature of this work and were more accommodating of the challenges being encountered.
When asked at the baseline interview to outline the key challenges they anticipated for the BERDS project in developing an emotionally healthy school the Head Teachers identified: issues relating to staff, pupils and parents ‘buying in’ to the idea; developing a sense of ownership; developing a shared understanding of the vision; and staff finding time to dedicate to the training and adapting the programme for the schools own needs. However, the three main issues identified at baseline, and again at the pilot’s conclusion, were as follows:
Lack of Baseline Data: As previously mentioned, an issue of concern for some Head Teachers was the lack of a baseline audit undertaken immediately prior to the commencement of the pilot. This was perceived as a failure of the pilot to establish in the first instance what schools were already doing well with respect to this area, and subsequently, to enable the project to more clearly identify any
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gaps or significant areas of need. Consequently, Head Teachers reported that some teachers felt that it was assumed they knew nothing of emotional resilience and wellbeing and that this resulted in some defensiveness.
• “[The pilot] needed to look at what was already in place, it was a perfect opportunity to integrate it but the opportunity was missed. There is much experience in schools and lots of local knowledge”
In a somewhat similar vein, several Head Teachers felt that the pilot had not concentrated enough on ensuring that they were fully convinced of the idea at the outset.
Delays in Curriculum: The second issue consistently reported by Heads pertained to the unanticipated delays surrounding the publication of the CCK resource. As communicated by teachers, these delays left staff feeling unable to properly plan for their lessons, and for some, created additional anxiety and pressure.
• “There was an initial frustration waiting on draft copies of the resource that they hadn’t yet seen so we started late and then were playing catch up, always missing the timescales … staff felt they had to do it so they were teaching in a straitjacket. No control, no preparation time, no familiarity”.
Quality of Multidisciplinary Training: The third issue was the perceived quality of the training with one Head Teacher stating that ‘staff and colleagues found it laboured’, and concerns expressed about the theoretical content.
• “…teachers are already generally resilient. The theoretical background annoyed teachers; they wanted more practical day-to-day stuff”.
Views were also split regarding the focus of training, with some Head Teachers feeling that it was important for staff to be emotionally literate before they could bring this into the classroom, while others felt that this was unnecessary, and what was required was practical advice on using resources with the pupils.
9.5 Perceived Successes of the Pilot
In spite of the challenges identified as a result of the issues above, there were also a number of benefits/successes Head Teachers attributed to the pilot, which included the following:
The CCK Curriculum: Despite the publication delays, the curriculum received favourable reviews from the Primary Heads.
• ‘‘The resource is good, useable and enjoyable” • “...now there is a commonality in the type of [PSE] resources used in the
cluster”
Enhanced Relationships: The opportunity for greater networking and ‘collegiate working’ as a result of the pilot, was highlighted as a benefit by several Head Teachers. In particular, a strengthened relationship between the primaries and
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the secondary school, attributed by one Head Teacher to the commitment of the secondary head and staff to the pilot approach.
• “Huge changes and awareness in the Denny High school, continuing something that we start and helping make transition seamless”
Group Leadership Workshops & Individual Coaching: Head Teachers found the workshops near the end of the pilot with Elizabeth Morris were of significant value, with some commenting they would have welcomed her input at an earlier stage in the pilot. Those that undertook the individual Leadership Coaching with Jane Pooley, also reported finding the one-to-one support and experience invaluable.
Consolidation: Some Head Teachers reported that the pilot helped consolidate all that was already being done in schools to give it some order and priority.
• “…[the pilot] allowed us to move it [emotional wellbeing/resilience] to centre stage”
• “The impact or management of emotional literacy, although already strong, is now formalised...so we are revising our policy to reflect what we were already doing”
• “…[the pilot enabled us to] see things we are doing in a joined up way and the things we do that are linked with resilience, all the things we do that has an impact on pupils so how do we see the links, complementing not replacing”
Staff Commitment: The hard work and enthusiasm of the teachers involved in the pilot, even in the face of the challenges, was highlighted by some of the Head Teachers as being a real success of the pilot for their own schools.
External Management: The role played by the Project Manager in coordinating this work was seen as positive by Head Teachers. Specifically, the Project Manager was praised for her commitment to ensuring the project progressed and several Head Teachers highlighted the importance of having a hands-on coordinator with excellent communication skills.
9.6 Perceived Impact of the Pilot
When asked about the perceived impact of the pilot on the pupils, some Head Teachers felt this was difficult to state, as many felt they already had ‘good practices’ in place for the transition to the secondary school and for supporting pupils in general. Also it was felt that time would be needed for staff to further develop their emotional literacy and resilience, before any real added benefits for pupils might be seen.
However, other Heads perceived the impact of the pilot as very positive for pupils. From the perspective of the secondary school in particular, the enhancement of the transition process (which included implementation of Aiming
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for High, adoption of a formalised Peer Support programme, and revised Induction days) was seen as being of immediate benefit to pupils. The parent workshops held at Denny High School were also identified as successful, and although it only attracted small numbers, it was felt by the secondary school to have been well received, and of potential benefit not only to parents, but also pupils.
Some Heads felt that the initial impact of the pilot on teaching staff was somewhat negative as a result of the extra pressures associated with attending training and the CCK publication delays. However, they believed it was positive that teachers had continued their involvement.
• “It could have failed but the P7 teachers made it work” • “The staff attitude is solid and good considering the start. Staff see [this
work] as crucial and buy into it, they value the CCK programme and will use the materials pick themselves up and go on”
Feedback about the perceived impact of the training on staff was varied, with some primary Head Teachers indicating staff already had a good understanding of resilience and emotional wellbeing, while others felt this knowledge varied from teacher to teacher. The secondary school in particular found the increased knowledge gleaned from the training provided by the project was of value.
• “It has taken us up to a standard of understanding that they have in primary schools”
As for the perceived impact on Head Teachers, most felt that the pilot had contributed to an increased awareness of resilience and emotional literacy. While the majority reported that they were already aware of the importance of resilience, emotional literacy and the whole school ethos, the pilot served at a minimum to reinforce this belief. However, for others its impact was considered more significant, inspiring them to look again at the resilience and emotional literacy of their staff and at their school improvement plan
9.7 Next Steps: Priorities for Action
All of the primary Head Teachers involved in the pilot have plans to incorporate the CCK resources into their teaching, to a lesser or greater extent. In some cases discussions had already taken place with staff and themes had been selected for inclusion by the whole school from the start of the next school year. For others, these decisions had yet to be made, although the intent was for the whole school to adopt this curriculum. Further quality training for the rest of the school staff was mentioned by most Head Teachers as being a priority in the coming year.
In addition to the activities initiated by the pilot, the secondary school had already made some additional changes to its practice, for example enabling parents to meet the form teachers at Parents Evenings, creating ‘Key Support
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Teacher’ positions whose role is to work with four or five pupils requiring extra support. The secondary Head had also identified that the provision of support to parents ahead of the transition process would be a priority in the following year, with plans already in place for a meeting early in the next year for parents who were already anxious about this. Also on the agenda for the secondary school was exploring opportunities for enhanced pupil participation for pupils (e.g., giving pupils’ opportunity to voice their opinions through both PSE and the return of the Pupil Council).
According to Head Teachers, having training as part of CPD or in-service days was seen as better than having it at the end of the day. In order to keep training in this area on the agenda, it was suggested that similar training be integrated into the Council’s staff development plan, as this would also serve to maintain continuity where there were staff changes and turnover. It was also felt that in-house training for all staff had a greater impact than individuals receiving training, and creating time for staff to reflect on their training was deemed important.
Meeting as a cluster and maintaining the collegiate style of working was also something that Head Teachers hoped to continue, as was seeing the secondary school working with the primary schools during the period of transition.
All of the Head Teachers spoke of building on what they had already gained and sustaining what was already happening in schools.
• “It would be great to have the same support mechanisms again to keep the momentum going. I’m thinking now about how we can keep going and improve - sustainability is always key.”
9.8 Activity data
The only data readily obtained from the Local Authority’s Education Service for the purposes of the pilot was attendance figures for S1 pupils. A review of figures for the first three months of the school term (Aug – Dec) for the targeted cohort in comparison to the two previous years for the same period showed no evidence of impact from this pilot approach.
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10. SUMMARY & DISCUSSION
10.1 Summary of Key Findings
10.1.1 Indicators of Resilience & Enhanced Confidence
Findings obtained from the instruments used in the evaluation of pupils (measuring different elements of resilience), were suggestive of increased levels of self-esteem (for those with existing high levels), and heightened confidence about coping (indicated by the assessment of resilient attitudes) over the course of the intervention. Encouragingly, there was also evidence of a significant reduction in the number of pupils expressing difficulty talking about their worries.
However, while pupils appeared more willing to talk about their worries, fewer pupils felt they had a trusted adult they could talk to within the secondary school, unlike at primary - likely a reflection of relationships with teaching staff not yet having formed. While pupils sought less support from teachers and other adults (outside the immediate family) once they reached secondary school, both genders were more likely to talk to their father in S1 than they had the previous year. This finding emphasises the importance of parents and carers as key supports in helping pupils cope with their worries over the transition period.
The evaluation also revealed that teaching staff involved in the pilot have good levels of self-esteem and optimism, although there was evidence of some negative self-regard when individual statements from these instruments were analysed. Staff also demonstrated good coping strategies, although approximately half of respondents indicated varying degrees of difficulty (i.e., either ‘a bit’ or ‘very difficult’) talking about their feelings, including their worries.
Importantly, given the objectives of the pilot, increases in the degree of confidence reported by teachers over the course of this intervention were found in relation to: (1) their ability to promote mental health and wellbeing in their classroom; (2) their ability to facilitate class discussion about mental health and wellbeing; and (3) the possibility that a whole school positive mental health and wellbeing culture could exist at their school.
While the results obtained appear indicative of some positive measurable impact of the pilot, some caution should be applied in the interpretation of these findings, in particular to the findings drawn from the validated instruments used, given that samples were not matched (between baseline and follow-up), and the measure used to assess resilient attitudes in pupils was a shortened version of the original. However, this aside, the significant changes found are encouraging and are even more heartening considering that not all aspects of the project (i.e., CCK and FRIENDS) were implemented to the full extent intended.
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10.1.2 Transition Experience
The move to secondary school is a time of both excitement and anxiety for pupils, as was apparent from this evaluation. With respect to the things pupils both looked forward to and enjoyed upon starting secondary school, these consistently included: the opportunity to make new friends; the variety of both curricular and extra-curricular activities available to them; and greater freedoms. Coupled with this excitement however, were some key concerns about moving to secondary school which were shared by the majority of pupils. These worries included: (1) bullying and/or fighting; (2) harder lessons/exams/homework; and (3) getting lost. While these top three concerns remained relatively consistent over time, the worry about getting lost was heightened immediately prior to transition pupils and exceeded all other concerns. However, not unexpectedly (due to increased familiarisation with their new surroundings) this worry disappeared for most within the first couple of weeks in High School. As a mechanism for helping manage these high levels of anxiety surrounding ‘getting lost’ during these initial weeks however, the implementation of the Peer Support ‘Buddy’ programme by the secondary school, was considered by pupils to have been very helpful. While the intent for this programme is provide support for pupils in an ongoing way through their S1 year, and for a broader range of issues, the benefit of this programme in supporting pupils to lessen their worry in this matter is significant.
Whilst some worries persisted (albeit at reduced levels) for pupils after completion of the Aiming for High programme, this finding is not considered entirely inappropriate ahead of a significant life event, such as the transition to secondary school represents. However, given that for approximately half of these pupils continued to harbour concerns even after they had reached secondary school, more could still be done to alleviate pupils worries.
10.2 Perceived Challenges for the BERDS Pilot
As with any new approach, factors may arise that serve as potential barriers to its successful implementation. Three key factors highlighted as challenging by staff involved in this pilot included: (1) the delays in provision of the CCK resource; (2) the perceived inadequacy of multidisciplinary training; and (3) the perceived lack of clear communication as to the vision for this approach and management’s expectations of staff. The issues raised in relation to the CCK publication delays and the multidisciplinary training have been addressed in earlier chapters, and while the former was a mitigating factor beyond the control of the pilot (which fortunately concluded positively), the implications of the second has resulted in important learning for future development (addressed later in this chapter). With respect to the third factor, this too serves as an important learning for future development. The ability to provide this vision may have been hampered by the pilot’s focus on P7 pupils, potentially making it more
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difficult for schools to position the project as more holistic and for management teams to promote this longer-term vision.
While Head Teachers also identified the curriculum delays and the multi-disciplinary training as key issues for this pilot, of particular concern was the perceived failure of the pilot to undertake an audit of each school’s current activities in this area immediately preceding the start of the intervention phase. While an informal audit had been conducted a few months prior to the commencement of the intervention phase (revealing a number of activities that may have contributed to enhanced emotional wellbeing), it is more than feasible that a comprehensive audit of activities would have helped to identify specific needs of each school. However, had this happened, it is anticipated that any subsequent intervention would have required a more individualised approach (being responsive to the individual needs of each school) as opposed to a ‘cluster’ approach, which presented the opportunity to harness the knowledge of the more advanced schools to share with those requiring more support.
While not documented by staff or Head Teachers, other challenges were encountered over the course of the pilot. One of these was the commitment of time required from staff to be involved in this work (particularly for those in the Working Group), who already had a number of obligations both within and outside school hours. This was an ongoing issue encountered throughout the pilot, and at times served as a barrier to participation for both teaching and other agency staff. The issue of limited staff resources for other agencies (i.e., Social Work, Health), also restricted the level of their involvement in the pilot.
Other potentially significant barriers emerged from differences in expectations relating to different aspects of this work. One example of this related to differing expectations held about indicators of project success, with some expressing the need for tangible inputs and measurable changes on objective indicators (i.e., demonstrating a resilient child). More realistically, given the timeframe of the pilot, success was viewed by others (including the project team) as being bound more to the process of schools moving to embody a holistic approach to resilience and emotional wellbeing. It is acknowledged that the relatively short timeframe for this pilot may have also served to sanction expectations that the building of resilient children can be achieved over this period of time – despite the work being referred to as a ‘pilot’ and ‘developmental’.
Lastly, a potential barrier posed by the approach was identified prior to the implementation phase of the pilot had commenced. This related to the decision to undertake work with students and with teaching staff simultaneously, which to all intents and purposes, is contrary to that advocated by best practice (which recommends working with teachers and parents before implementing initiatives with children). While some of those participating in the pilot raised their concerns about this, feeling that the training with teachers did need to precede the work with children, others felt that staff would more readily buy into this approach if they had a ‘tangible input’ in the form of resources to work with
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children. While this is an important consideration ahead of future development, for this pilot, constraints around budget and timeframe prevented consideration of a staggered intervention, hence the need to run the initiatives simultaneously.
10.3 Perceived Successes/Benefits of the BERDS Pilot
For the vast majority of teaching staff involved in the evaluation, the BERDS pilot was felt to have had a positive impact on their personal/professional development, on their school, and on the wider cluster. From a personal / professional development perspective, staff reported an enhanced understanding of resilience and mental health; greater confidence in their ability to promote, and facilitate discussion about, emotional wellbeing; and for some greater reflection on their own resilience and emotional wellbeing. Head Teachers also felt that the pilot has served to enhance their own awareness of resilience and emotional literacy, or at a minimum, had reinforced their belief of the importance of developing these. In spite of the challenges that emerged as a result of the ongoing publication delays which plagued this pilot, the CCK curriculum is viewed enthusiastically by both primary teachers and Head Teachers alike. Given the opportunity to familiarise themselves with this resource and implement aspects of it, the consistency, structure and coherence offered by this curriculum across all class levels has been widely recognised. As a result, primary Heads have already begun to plan how this curriculum might be more widely adopted within their school. In addition to the CCK curriculum, the Aiming for High programme introduced by the pilot has also been well received by P7 teachers, S1 staff, Pupil Support staff and members of the Locality Support Team. In addition to being considered practical and an improvement on what had been adopted by schools previously, importantly the evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of this programme in reducing the overall level of worry experienced by P7 pupils ahead of the transition. Furthermore, it has been recognised by staff, that the universal application of this programme may serve as an early intervention for more vulnerable pupils who may, for whatever reason, not receive additional support over the transition period. In addition to the implementation of the Aiming for High programme, the transition process was considered to be further enhanced by a number of activities undertaken by the secondary school, and initiated by this pilot. In particular, these initiatives have included a revision of the induction days (in response to feedback from S1 pupils) and the implementation of a formalised Peer Support programme which, while in the early stages of development, has significant future potential to further support the transition process. More indirectly, the transition to secondary may also have been improved by the provision of secondary staff and parent workshops (discussed further below) and additional initiatives undertaken by the secondary school (e.g., inviting P7 pupils to attend a dance session, giving parents the opportunity to meet the form
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teacher at Parents Evening, etc). While there is limited evidence to unequivocally state that any one, or combination, of these initiatives has had a significant impact on pupil’s capacity to cope with the transition, somewhat reassuringly, there have been anecdotal reports from staff that pupils were more confident ahead of the move to secondary school, and that they appeared to settle more quickly once there. Importantly, all of the activities implemented have served to complement and further build upon, processes that were already in place to support transition, and provide an even stronger foundation for future development.
One of the significant benefits emerging as a result of this pilot has been the opportunity for both teaching and other agency staff to network with others within the cluster. In particular, the relationship between primary and secondary staff has been strengthened – where at the outset of the pilot this relationship might have best been characterised by ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality, the opportunity to work more closely has served to reframe this way of thinking and has enhanced understanding and appreciation of each other’s efforts, resulting in the desire for continued collaboration. The opportunity for enhanced collegial working and sharing of good practice was also identified as beneficial for the Head Teachers within the cluster.
While not all of the multidisciplinary training sessions provided over the course the pilot received positive feedback from staff, some sessions were well received. In particular, the workshops held with the secondary staff – facilitated by Elizabeth Morris and YoungMinds – were considered to be of significant value, promoting staff discussion and opportunities for reflection about current practices. Head Teachers also found the workshops with Elizabeth Morris of significant value, given the presentation of practical strategies for implementing and embedding emotional wellbeing, and examples of good practice. Those that undertook the individual Leadership Coaching reported finding the one-to-one support invaluable, and the SMT profiling was also considered a very positive exercise for those schools who elected to do this.
The workshops held for parents of P7 pupils ahead of the transition, were seen to be significant in many ways. Firstly, they served as an opportunity for engagement of parents with the secondary school – a relationship which the secondary Head was keen to enhance, and continues to prioritise. Secondly, the workshops provided important information about resilience, key developmental changes, and the transition experience in addition to addition to discussion mechanisms to help support the transition process – all of which parents reported finding both useful and enjoyable, and which for many helped them feel more confident in supporting their child. Importantly, these workshops also offered a potential network of support, with many finding value in the opportunity to talk, and share concerns, with other parents and carers. Subsequent feedback obtained from some parents a few months later,
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unexpectedly highlighted the significant impact that these workshops had for some on the ‘core relationship’ between parent and child.
With respect to the overall impact of the pilot, some Head Teachers felt that at a minimum the pilot had usefully contributed to an increased awareness of resilience and emotional literacy both within their school and the cluster, and had enabled them to consolidate all that was already being done in schools, ultimately providing a focus by which initiatives/activities were prioritised and linked. For others however, the impact of this pilot was deemed much more significant, inspiring them to review their school improvement plans and the emotional wellbeing of staff – essentially using the pilot as a foundation or platform for further development.
10.4 Learnings: Considerations for Future Development
Since the commencement of this project, there have been both successes and challenges, as documented above. While some of the challenges identified were anticipated at the outset of this pilot, others emerged unexpectedly, and consequently have served as valuable learnings for this pilot. This section details some of these, as considerations for those intending to replicate this approach.
As highlighted earlier in this chapter, initial feelings of discontent emerged in relation to a number of aspects of this approach, in particular, in response to the perceived failure of the pilot to conduct an adequate baseline or audit of activity. While it could be debated as to whether this would have been a useful undertaking (for reasons addressed earlier), had circumstances allowed, more time should undoubtedly have been spent with Head Teachers and staff prior to the commencement of the implementation phase, exploring the nature and purpose of the pilot. Doing so may have helped ensure a shared understanding of the overall vision, and provided the opportunity to address differing expectations and, where possible, clarify activity associated with each initiative. Furthermore, this process may also have helped to mitigate any feelings of discontent held by some Head Teachers and staff, who felt that the significant contributions and achievements already made to date in this area were not being adequately recognised. It would also have provided the opportunity to discuss with management teams how the pilot could best be positioned with staff given the initial focus on P7 pupils, with a view for future whole-school involvement. This too may have served to mitigate any feelings for staff that, while enthusiastic and supportive of the approach, may have felt this work was being ‘imposed’ on them.
The knowledge gained from working with staff, specifically in relation to the provision of training, has been significant. Somewhat expectedly given the different contexts/environments primary and secondary staff operate in, differences were observed between how these two groups approached and responded to the multidisciplinary training sessions. However, it was the
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receptiveness to these sessions that was more unexpected, with secondary staff appearing to be more willing to embrace this learning and reported a more positive experience.
There are a number of possible explanations for this difference, some of which have already been alluded to through focus groups and interviews. For secondary staff the content of these sessions represented relatively ‘new’ information, hence were more likely viewed as interesting and of value. However, while some primary staff acknowledged that the content of the sessions was ‘interesting’, they felt the workshops did not include sufficient practical strategies to take into the classroom, and for a few, they did not meet their expectations that the content would be linked to the CCK curriculum.
This represents a significant difference in the expectations of training held by these groups, and potentially highlights a preference in learning styles. It would appear that primary staff have a much stronger desire for practical strategies, as evidenced by their enjoyment of the Aiming for High training where they were introduced to activities to use with pupils. While knowledge of practical strategies is important, ‘best practise’ evidence in this area advocates that this should not be to the exclusion of understanding the theory which provides the foundation for such strategies, and emphasises that the importance is not with what is ‘taught’ but how emotional wellbeing is ‘caught’ within the classroom and wider school i.e., how staff engage with pupils and each other, and how they model their own resilience. The capacity to do this is directly related to the ability of staff to reflect on their own behaviour and that of others within the school setting.
It is important to stress here that the reaction of teachers in terms of wanting practical strategies is not specific to Denny or Falkirk, but common in environments where the performance of organisations is constantly monitored as assessed in terms of task completion. It is, for many teachers, difficult to step outside of this culture and reflect on practice or remain curious about behaviour, seeking theory and research for explanations. Many schools work hard to challenge this culture but have no direct control over how they are assessed by others. It is a testament to the leadership of Head Teachers and SMTs where they succeed in creating a reflective culture within the school despite these kinds of pressures. This emphasis is less about individuals and more about how people take up roles within systems, at the level of schools, communities and educational authorities.
Acknowledging this, future training in this area should ensure a combination of both theory and application are incorporated into each stand-alone session, and that staff are given opportunities to problem-solve and reflect on their own knowledge and expertise.
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10.5 Next Steps & Future Opportunities
As can be seen from the evaluation, the approach undertaken by this pilot was generally considered feasible by all those involved, and was acknowledge to have had a positive impact in a variety of areas. Given the work achieved to date by this pilot, Head Teachers have expressed their desire to sustain many of the changes made, and where feasible, to build on these. This section details some of the priorities already identified by Head Teachers through the evaluation, and also incorporates some additional recommendations for future development.
Considerations for PSE
Given the commitment of the primary Head Teachers in the cluster to explore how the CCK curriculum may be more widely adopted throughout each school, this may represent an opportunity for the secondary school to explore how the themes addressed in the CCK could be incorporated into the current PSE programme – providing greater continuity in this area. While the CCK has no equivalent resource for secondary schools, exploration of England’s Secondary Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) resource may help aid this process. Further consideration might also be given to how emotional literacy and resilience can be introduced into different subject areas, building on the discussions held during the YoungMinds workshop run with S1 staff.
Transition-related Activity
It is also recommended that, given the demonstrated effectiveness of the Aiming for High resource, this programme continues to be adopted by all primary school within the cluster, ensuring that the rationale for use of this programme is clear for both staff and pupils alike. Where staff who originally trained in the use of this programme are no longer in P7 positions, consideration will need to be given as to how this information is passed on (e.g., individual training in-house, or group cluster training led by 2-3 enthusiastic staff). Furthermore, it is considered imperative that the experience of transitioning pupils (as detailed in the evaluation) is shared with P7 pupils ahead of their transition i.e., helping to identify the things students look forward to, but also acknowledging that worries they have, are likely the same for those who have gone before. The sharing of this information may help pupils reframe some of the experiences they foresee as negative (ensuring these don’t become an unnecessary source of worry or concern), but importantly, creates opportunities to discuss the processes in place to support pupils at secondary school (i.e., the Peer Support programme, zero tolerance of bullying, Pupil Support and Locality Support Team services, etc) and how pupils themselves may manage experiences that are of more significant concern (i.e., ensuring strategies for managing bullying are reinforced, increasing skills around planning and organisation of homework, and providing increased exposure to the secondary school ideally with other schools to reduce worries about making new friends or getting lost).
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The secondary school has made a number of significant changes over the course of the pilot to enhance the transition process, and is committed to retaining these changes. While still in the early development phase, opportunities to enhance the peer support programme are currently being explored by the group managing this. They have already recognised the need to further enhance the relationship between S1 and S6 pupils, and acknowledge the importance of ongoing support and training for current buddies. In addition to this activity, it is recommended that consideration be given to the long-term ownership of this programme. According to the research literature, the peer support programmes identified as both successful in terms of impact and sustainability, are those that have empowered S5/S6 pupils to take ownership of this initiative, with these pupils becoming responsible for recruitment and training of new buddies, identifying ongoing training needs for buddies and exploring other areas of development (e.g., a ‘drop-in’ for pupils; provision of pamphlets/information about mental health or other health issues).
In addition to these activities which build on initiatives already being undertaken, other opportunities to further enhance the transition process also exist. The recent development of the secondary school website, presents a number of opportunities for the school to promote their work around transition, and provide additional support to both pupils and their parents. At a minimum, the secondary school could provide details online of their transition process for the benefit of both parents and P7 pupils, potentially including online ‘tips for parents’ (such as those discussed at the parent workshops – refer Appendix 2) and providing information to P7 pupils about what they can expect moving to the school (perhaps compiled by current S1 pupils). Somewhat more advanced, is the potential for question and answer forums to be devised for P7 pupils enabling them to raise questions and concerns directly with older pupils.
Another opportunity exists to enhance the transition process by enhancing the secondary’s Summer School Programme. While it had been hoped that a review of this programme could be undertaken during the pilot, this unfortunately did not occur. However, the potential for further development has already been identified by members of the SMT and Locality Support staff, and given the perceived value of the programme for transitioning pupils and the ease at which key aspects of resilience-building could be incorporated into this week (as achieved with the Induction days), this is considered an important next step for the secondary school.
Another aspect of this pilot which didn’t progress as originally planned, but which has potential for further development, relates to the adoption of the FRIENDS for Life programme. While acknowledged by the Locality Support staff as useful, due to time-constraints and the need to undertake other transition-related activities, the programme was not able to be implemented into the sessions they ran with their ‘transition group’ – comprising pre-selected vulnerable youth. Further exploration into how this programme could be adopted in a more
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meaningful way for support services, has meant that there is now the potential for the key elements of the FRIENDS programme to be incorporated alongside the more practical activities identified as important the Locality Support staff. In addition, referral criteria (to help teaching staff identify appropriate candidates for this group) and recommendations for session content drawn from the FRIENDS programme (as advised by Stirling Council’s Psychological Service) have been passed on to this team, which will hopefully help support the future adoption of this programme and teachers referral to it. Opportunities also still exist for the secondary school’s Pupil Support staff (who have also received FRIENDS training) to adopt this programme for use with pupils who are identified as meeting the referral criteria post-transition.
Staff Training
The need for further staff training in the area of resilience and emotional wellbeing was mentioned by most Head Teachers as being a priority in the coming year. While in-house training for all staff as part of an in-service day was seen as preferable, both staff and Heads suggested that training introducing the CCK and other key resilience and emotional wellbeing topics, be integrated into Falkirk Council’s staff development plan.
Head Teachers also acknowledged the importance of staff having time to reflect on training and their current practice and some also acknowledged the need for enhanced support for emotional wellbeing of staff – an area that some staff also felt could receive higher priority. A suggestion for a future development in this area is the formation of Work Discussion Groups38. Such groups would allow the opportunity for teachers to reflect on current practice, draw on expertise within the group, enhance their ability to problem-solve challenging situations, and receive support from peers. These sessions could potentially be led by a school counsellor, educational psychologist, or Pastoral Head with sound facilitation skills. In addition to the formation of such groups within a school, the value of staff having the opportunity to meet and to share their experiences/practices with others within the cluster was clearly evident in this pilot. An opportunity therefore exists for staff to continue to meet in this manner on a regular basis to discuss particular areas of issue or concern (e.g., potential issues emerging ahead of transition), or to share good practice, new learning or positive experiences.
The role of Head Teacher is far from an easy one given the myriad of responsibilities and accountabilities they hold. According to Weare (2004) we often expect ‘almost superhuman levels of commitment, competence and ability to manage stress and conflict from our Head Teachers’. As a consequence, she recommends that Heads need a good deal more emotional and practical support and understanding, within and outside school than they may have received
38 Refer to Jackson, E. (2002). Mental health in schools: what about the staff? Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 28 (2), 129-146
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previously. While the input was minimal for some, the value of additional support and professional development opportunities provided to the Head Teachers by the pilot was evident in the evaluation, and as such, it is recommended that consideration be given to how such support may be able to be provided in the future.
Engagement with Parents and Carers
While involving only a small number, the activities undertaken by the pilot with parents and carers were considered of significant benefit. Feedback obtained from parents about the subsequent impact of the workshops, for themselves and their child, reinforces that their engagement in the transition process is of fundamental importance for schools seeking to enhance this experience.
In response to feedback from parents about the desire for earlier engagement with the secondary school, Denny High School has identified that the provision of support to parents and carers ahead of the transition process is to be a priority in the coming year. Given their long-standing relationship with parents and carers, primary schools are well-placed to also help facilitate this relationship between parents and secondary staff – this may include: inviting secondary staff to parent evenings or school events; circulating information about key contacts and available supports at secondary school; promoting the secondary school’s website; etc. In addition, the transition process could be further enhanced by primary schools circulating relevant transition information to parents earlier in the year, and identifying ways to engage parents and carers more actively in pre-transition activities i.e., staff have already identified that the Aiming for High programme offers the opportunity for parent involvement.
It is also recommended that parent workshops, similar in content to those undertaken in the pilot, be offered in the future. While consideration would need to be given to who would be best positioned to facilitate these workshops, the development of the locality model is particularly relevant here and offers options for ‘external’ providers in the future. In addition, greater consideration would need to be given to the advertising and promotion of these workshops to ensure a greater uptake by parents and carers.
10.6 Conclusion
Comprising a number of different initiatives working with different populations and at different levels of intervention, this approach at a minimum has served to raise the level of awareness within the cluster of resilience and emotional wellbeing, consolidating work already being undertaken in this area, and elevating it’s priority on both school and local authority agenda’s, respectively. Despite the challenges encountered (which in themselves have offered up important learning for future development in this area), overall this approach is considered to have had a positive and beneficial impact for all those involved. A number of key successes emerged as a result of this pilot i.e., a strengthened
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relationship between primary and secondary staff; an enhanced transition process that appears to have had a positive impact on pupils capacity to cope (as indicated by evaluation findings and anecdotal reports); the successful introduction of two teaching resources – the CCK and Aiming for High – that have the potential to be highly impactful tools for staff; workshops that enhanced the confidence of parents, and for some, impacted on the relationship with their child; the provision of training that prompted discussion and reflection on individual and school practices; and the initiation of additional activities undertaken by schools in response to this work.
Key elements considered important to the successful implementation of this approach, include: the enthusiasm and commitment of teaching staff, school management teams, and Head Teachers; pupil participation; access to, and utilisation of, experienced trainers, coaches and experts in the field; strong governance as demonstrated by a highly committed Education Service and supportive Steering Group; committed partner agencies (i.e., Educational Psychology Services, Locality Support Team, Social Work); and an external project manager (as provided by YoungMinds).
In considering future development or roll-out of this approach, importantly the initiatives undertaken as part of this pilot align strongly with A Curriculum for Excellence, which provides a useful framework in which to place this work. This has already been recognised by Falkirk Council with the Education Service having already prioritised a future focus on the Health and Wellbeing area of the Curriculum (along with the priorities of Literacy & Numeracy). It is hoped that the experiences of this pilot serve to strengthen future activity in this area.
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APPENDIX 1
Falkirk Council: Education Services
Head Teachers’ Meeting : 21 February 2007 Mental Health and Well‐being
1. What activities are already taking place in your schools to promote the well‐being and
mental health of children and young people?
Antonine Primary School • PSD • Seasons for Growth • Circle Time • Massage in schools • Out‐of schools activities to promote self‐esteem • Lessons for living (P7) • Heart Start programme • Buddies • Playground Pals • SA’s supporting play
Bankier Primary School • Healthy cheap meal service • Recognition for making healthy eating choices – yellow token, timetable • Healthy tuck shop – fair trade goods • Buddies • Well balanced health education programme • 2 blocks of P.E. per week • Class moves/brain gym • Active P.S. • All wealth pitch • Staff trained to promote playground activity/inclusion • OoSHL activities • Lunchtime team activities – cheerleading, running, skipping days • MAC
Denny Primary School • Integral part of whole‐school PSD programmes • Circle time to support personal issues • Lessons for living • Build self esteem in out of hours • Heart start pupil council • SA’s supporting pupils in playground • Celebration of success rewards and events • Regular meetings with parents of vulnerable pupils, anger management
Head of Muir Primary School • PSD Programmes • Circle Time
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• Seasons for Growth • Massage in schools • Out of hours activities – target specific children • Lessons for living – transition • Heart start • Buddies/mentoring • SA’s supporting positive play
Nethermains Primary School • Health promoting schools PSD/PSHE Programmes • Circle Time Seasons for Growth • Adult ‘Buddy’ for pupils requiring • Terms 1 & 4: Provision of after‐school clubs to angaga pupils and diminish community
issues after the school day • Play Projects Model • Buddies/Citizen Roles
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APPENDIX 2
BUILDING RESILIENCE IN DENNNY SCHOOLS PROJECT
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Moving to High School: What Can Parents Do? 1. Help Organise: • Make sure your child has all necessary uniform and equipment
o Check planners for classes where kit or equipment is required ‐ otherwise your child may miss out
• Develop routines o i.e., get out of uniform once home, pack bag in evening, homework after
school before dinner, etc o These routines should be negotiated where possible
• Use visual cues & novelties o Use a notice board or family timetable
Detail after‐school routines including chores Incorporate key school activities & events
o Buy inexpensive ‘novelty’ items – things that are fun & which makes being organised easier
• Provide support to do study o Not necessarily more homework than Primary, but more planning required o Create quiet space, provide snacks, be on hand if needed
2. Get orientated: • Get familiar with school layout • Plan route to school ‐ make a ‘dummy run’
3. Friendships: • Encourage involvement in new activities
o Helps to make new friends & builds self‐esteem • Identify ways to keep in contact with old friends • Involve friends in family activities
4. Make time: • Take an interest in new subjects and new friends • Read school newsletters & calendar of events
o Helps to identify opportunities for your child o Support school‐run events i.e., shows, balls etc
• Make yourself available for a catch‐up about the day’s events