Positive Relationships and Behaviour in Rosslyn School
This presentation is designed to share how Rosslyn School plan and deliver Fife’s policy on Relationships and Behaviour. Permissions have been given by staff, children, young people & their families for their inclusion in our SWAYs.
“Effective learning and teaching depends on a foundation of positive behaviour and good working relationships between learners and staff, and between young people themselves. Positive behaviour is dependent on effective teaching and an appropriate curriculum”.
Fife Council Policy (Available on the intranet)
Self-Esteem Guidelines – UNCRC
Rosslyn is a very positive and happy place for staff, families, visitors, and partners. Relationships are key to ensuring that everyone feels welcomed and valued.
Our ‘Self-esteem guidelines’ are at the core of our ethos, and ensure that all our interactions keep the learners at the centre. We used Maslow’s Hierarchy of self- actualisation to ensure we are meeting the needs of our learners in order for them to be ready to learn. In March 2023 we reviewed these alongside the UNCRC and made changes to include the rights of our learners.
As of March 2023 we are a Bronze accredited Rights Respecting School and hope to be a Silver accredited school by June 2025.
These guidelines were written by our staff. Each term they RAG their evaluations as a team.
They will choose 2 or 3 guidelines coded across the articles to improve and develop a mini action plan that explains what they are going to do, and how they will know it has improved.
This is how our learners experience their rights as staff facilitate this.
These guidelines are shared with visitors to classrooms to ensure we all get it right for our learners.
Our guidelines are key to our relationships and behaviour policy as the focus is on what ‘staff’ do and not our learners.
Our school policy on relationships and behaviour sits alongside our nurturing approaches.
Below is a link to a SWAY that summarises our approaches with a focus on transitions and timetables.
Curriculum and Context for Learning
Our curriculum rationale and guidelines support staff in ensuring we develop contexts for learning that are relevant, motivating and new. We believe strongly that if we can create experiences around the needs and interests of our learners we will improve engagement and participation.
- INTERACTIONS
Interactions are responsive and dynamic. Staff are skilled observers and facilitators as they scaffold support to ensure our learners enjoy interactions, and develop the skills required to be successful communicators.
Having learners that can communicate, using a variety of systems, is also core to our approaches in reducing distressed behaviours.
We are careful using ‘scripted’ responses and use these in a planned way.
- EXPERIENCES
We are developing child-led learning and play opportunities across the school in line with the guidance in ‘Realising the Ambition, Being Me’. We have a holistic approach, learning through activities that are relevant, motivating or new, with a focus on the milestones.
Our families have identified what is important to them under the 4 capacities, and highlight annually what their needs are at home. This informs our planning and contexts for each learner as we personalise their experiences.
Multi-sensory approaches are used to provide more information for our learners to understand the world around them, people and activities.
- SPACES
We use our school, campus, and community to provide interesting spaces for learning. Learning outdoors, shopping, parks, woods, Lochore Meadows, sports centres, pools, soft play centres etc.
We have partnerships with our local primary and early years centre that offer a language rich environment with good social modelling and interactions from peers.
Specialist Staff and Partnerships
PRACTITIONERS
Skilled and knowledgeable staff – Our staff have a variety of skills and experience working with learners who have complex needs. All PSA staff are SSSC accredited and are Level 7 SCQF. The majority of PSA staff have qualifications in supporting learners with ASN, or social care. They have specialist knowledge within the following areas:
Moving and Handling, including Small Holds
Eating and Drinking – Supported by Speech and Language therapists
Overcoming barriers to learning
Emergency Medication for Epilepsy including Paraldehyde and VNS support
Administering medication (orally and via a peg)
Gastrostomy and Peg feeds
Pump feeds
Communication systems including Signalong, Movement Gesture and Sign, Objects of Reference, PECS and AAC devices
Intensive interaction
Story Massage and TacPac – Predictable touch and communication activities
TEACCH approach
ASD strategies
Visual Impairment activities
Sensory regulation
Pro active Management Plans
Risk assessment
Adapted technology
CPD – There is a regular programme of voluntary CPD sessions delivered by staff sharing their professional learning. Recently this has included Switch technology and Aromatherapy.
PARTNERS
We are fortunate to work with a range of partners that support our learners, staff and families.
We have termly multi-disciplinary team meetings to discuss learners and highlight any concerns.
A holistic approach and consistency between home and school supports our learners with their ability to generalise the skills they are learning in school. The function of behaviours are understood across contexts and families support strategies used in school, reviewing these regularly to monitor progress.
Pupil Profiles
Pupil Profiles may also include:
Health – diagnosis and barriers to learning due to health needs.
Visual and Auditory assessments and recommendations.
Sensory profile and recommended activities and equipment.
Proactive management plan with self-regulation and soothers identified.
Eating and drinking programme with any dietary requirements and specialist cutlery/plates. This would also include gastrostomy and jejunostomy feeding.
Communication programme including AAC; Picture Exchange; Objects of reference; Signalong; Movement Gesture and Sign ; Gesture; Taking you to an area/object; Pointing; Body language.
Moving and handling plans including scripts and equipment that support transitions in and out of equipment.
Risk Assessments in relation to activities/distressed behaviour
Recording and Analysing
We use an in-house incident form to record all episodes of distress and heightened behaviour for analysis.
HS1 forms are also completed by staff and followed up by the HT.
The information from these forms then goes in to a system where we can track:
Frequency of episodes
What ‘harm’ has been caused
What de-escalation techniques are working
If any physical intervention was necessary (Rosslyn staff are NOT CALM trained)
This informs our Pro-active Management Planning and reviews.
Pro-active Management Planning
Green captures calm and relaxed behaviours.
Strategies would include:
Quiet and calm environment.
Timetable and transitions – visuals used.
Communication systems.
Sensory regulation activities built in to the day etc.
Amber spots the early signs of anxiety. It is important that staff interpret what they think is the cause and act promptly.
Strategies would include:
Acknowledge what is happening in the environment and offer reassurance.
Offer ear defenders, weighted blanket etc.
Change of location.
Change of activity.
Clear expectations – ‘Now and Next’ – Reduce the length of the activity or the demand within it.
Out rule pain or discomfort as a cause – perhaps paracetamol is required etc.
Red is our reactive strategies. Although reactive, we can still suggest a range of approaches that staff should use.
Strategies would include:
Proximity – Can staff create space to allow the learner to self-regulate.
Offer soothers (2 options as more may well be overwhelming).
Direct instructions to an area i.e. Green Room.
Key words to be used with symbols and signing as required.
School alarm system can be used to call for support etc.
Blue is time to get back on track. It is important that staff do this in a timely way, and test for compliance.
It is likely to take at least 20 minutes to regulate from a heightened state to baseline – if not longer! Be patient.
Strategies would include:
Use of timers to show that ‘time-out’ is coming to an end.
Now and Next.
Compliance activity – this is a familiar and fun activity that can support engagement. Staff are still mindful of proximity and the adrenalin cycle. They are also keen to ‘move on’ as soon as possible. Routine is often the best distraction and allows the learner to feel safe again.
Commendation – Thank the learner for their efforts to regulate and tell them they have done a ‘good job.’
A smile goes a long way!
Case Study
In this case study we hope to demonstrate the value of relationships and trust.
Kristina is the class teacher.
She welcomes our young man from the bus. This is key as he knows from the moment he arrives in school who he is working with today.
She is happy to see him, welcomes him and waits.
Kristina sees that he is heightened. He will often arrive in school requiring support with his feelings.
He goes back on to the bus and has kicked out towards the escort before coming off the bus again and transitioning in to school.
Kristina notices he bumps in to her along the corridor. She recognises this as a need for pressure and does not overreact as she plans ahead.
As you watch the following clip what do you notice?
Kristina knows him so well.
He is following his routines, but she picks up that he is still heightened.
She uses humour and he responds.
He glances at the shelf where his book is kept during the day.
Kristina notices immediately. She tells him his book is in is bag.
He can empty his own bag, yet Kristina decides not to add this demand yet. This is a deliberate decision. She get’s his book for him and asks him to communicate his choices.
This is then followed through and he is given a few minutes on the physio ball in the corridor.
Kristina is assessing his body language, sounds and facial expression. She asks if he is ready, and waits.
He goes back to class where he has a 5 minute relaxation time.
This routine is familiar and he responds.
After 5 minutes he returns back to his timetable and moves on with his morning.
This process from bus to engagement with his timetabled jobs has taken 20 mins.
Had Kristina not taken the time and responded to how he presented, it is likely that his behaviours would have escalated quickly. He would have been in the green room (seclusion) for 30 mins and staff would have been injured. If he reaches this level of distress it is hard for him to recover, and our data shows that he will most likely be back in the green room 2 or 3 times.
“The majority of distressed and dangerous behaviours can be mediated and often prevented. Ensuring and implementing high quality learning and teaching, effective behaviour management systems and positive relationships in schools are the essential foundations on which to build more specialised approaches to managing extreme behavioural challenges” (ref. De-escalation Pack, 2022).
Fife Policy – “Promoting Positive Relationships and Behaviour Guidance” states:
Expectation examples Responsibilities for all Staff:
Did Kristina:
• promote and model positive behaviours and build relationships – Yes
• Plan learning that engages, challenges and meet the needs of all learners – Yes
• Use a visible recognition mechanism (this is recognition as opposed to reward) – Yes
• Be calm and give ‘take up time’ when required. – Yes
• Prevent before sanctions. – Yes
• Follow up every time, retain ownership and engage in reflective dialogue with learners. – Not dialogue, but was responsive
We recognise that it is not always easy for staff to remain calm, and in this case, not always predict that heightened behaviour will escalate. While staff are cautious based on history, they present a calm and friendly appearance.
It is a team effort, a positive spirit, specialist knowledge, and a will to get it right for our learners that makes Rosslyn school a safe, nurturing and rewarding school to work in.
Special thanks to all involved in the creation of these video clips.
