15 minute read
Learning from Lockdown arrangements – Managing transition and Behaviour
by Synergy
In her latest piece for NAPE, Michelle Prosser Haywood, SEND Lead at the University of Wolverhampton Multi Academy Trust, discusses transition plans and the ABC of behaviour management in the context of returning from national and local lockdown arrangements and what we can learn from this in the context of learners with SEND.
During all the national lockdowns, learners with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), who had an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) were considered vulnerable and were able to attend school, if their parent/ carer wished them to. In some cases similar arrangements were also made for learners receiving School SEND support and for learners awaiting external agency support who were in receipt of a draft EHCP, where provision had yet to be identified.
Advertisement
Some of this group of learners stayed at home, whereas others attended school, usually in a bubble of mixed aged pupils, but for all of them, different arrangements may have been made depending on individual circumstances. There is no doubt that because of these differing practices which we have adopted over the last year, to meet this range of learners, the way that we work with our learners who are identified as having Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND), may encourage us to think differently. During lockdown one, we started to see some of these initial changes, through temporary changes to legislation, and evaluate what the impact of these changes may be after lockdown ended. These first changes mostly centred around using reasonable endeavours and the production of risk assessments. ‘Reasonable’ is a word which is used within the SEND Code of Practice (2014), in terms of both endeavours and adjustments, but the production of risk assessments as a concept is not commonly associated and used within the context of learners with SEND.
Transition Plans
The process of using risk assessments has encouraged schools to ‘anticipate’ a learner’s response on return to school and develop a transition plan. Although risk assessments are no longer required, through statutory guidance, during the Autumn term many schools continued
to use them as good practice. Where there have been subsequent lockdowns, this has been required again to assist a learner’s reintegration back to school following a prolonged absence. After establishing medical concerns and levels of vulnerability, where questions were raised, such as, ‘is a learner exempt from wearing a mask?’ individual plans may have included a staggered school start and a shorter day to support a learner with the new routine. Other learners may have needed shorter days for alternative reasons. Working at home, for example, may have been preferable for some rather than attending school, where there may be less sensory interaction and unpredictability.
ABC
Transition plans taking the format of an ‘anticipatory’ element can be continued to be used, when learners move between key stages or to new schools and settings and they could be tied to an ABC model of behaviour (Antecedent, Behaviour, Consequence). The Antecedent is the trigger, and when returning from the lockdowns, these have been anticipated to some extent for us, as learners have more than likely experienced learning loss and lack of routine, which have to be re-established.
The antecedent, however, can be unexpected and can arise in any situation, for example, even whilst setting out the layout of the classroom which includes where desks are placed, where learners are seated and what displays look like. These can all be triggers of negative behaviour. For many learners with SEND, the biggest impact on returning from a lockdown has been this loss of routine and structure, and the familiarity of their own homes, where they feel safe. More broadly, this could be considered true of any transition from class to class, key stage to key stage or school to school, where a learner is in an unfamiliar setting.
Once a learner has shown a negative behaviour, we have to be careful that it does not become a habit, so the consequence is just as important as the antecedent. If a learner receives a ‘reward’ for their behaviour, whether it is positive or negative, this still provides some gratification and they may try and repeat the behaviour to receive the same response. Common examples are learners being asked to leave a lesson, when they have been finding learning difficult and standing in the corridor is a reprieve from this. The development and confidence of delivering online learning and teaching may have taken away some of these stresses, as learning has been more tailored to the individual circumstances. Many learners will have individual learning plans or calendars, which may include some monitored interventions, such as Lexia or Flash Academy. Most schools will now have up to a year’s worth of online learning opportunities which can be used in class, to differentiate and group pupils. Many lessons have been recorded so these can be paused and replayed. There are also more laptops in schools, so more monitored interventions can take place.
Examples
We must remember though, that we cannot always predict what might happen, and we may need undertake further evaluation, to understand the ‘ABC’, whereby we assess a situation on a day-by-day basis. Ruhella, for example, was always late for school, and when she arrived, she was cross and angry, so she provoked arguments with teachers. An Early Help Assessment, found that her family could not adjust to the everyday rhythm of getting up at the same time, accommodating other family members and leaving the house at the same time every day and her Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) identified that she had sequencing difficulties, although provided with several targets for telling the time. Her lateness and struggle with a new routine had been anticipated but her behaviour was not. It was her daily outburst when she arrived, which she then struggled to calm down from, which was causing her and staff managing her behaviour a problem. Ruhella’s sequencing difficulties had an affect on her recall, and she was unable to articulate coherently, why she was cross, but with the help of a social story, she and her parent started to understand her routine in the morning and the steps they all had to take to get ready to school.
Like Ruhella, Bart was also been struggling with the return to school but he did not want to leave his mum and brother, clinging tightly to them and when he did eventually go into school, he often ran around the school rather than going into his classroom. In his classroom he was unsettled and frequently ran out crossing bubbles as he did so. After a discussion with Mum, it appeared that some of the behaviour could be anxiety driven, as there were signs at home, such as difficulty sleeping, bad dreams and bed wetting. The initial behaviour was rectified by a transition toy, helping Bart to feel safe and secure in his new class with a new teacher, which was brought into school and swapped with a tangle toy. He would then keep the tangle toy in his pocket and take it out when he needed it and at the end of the day the tangle toy was swapped back, so he could take his own toy home. Often behaviour will take time to unravel and assess the trigger. This can be compounded by additional needs such as Speech and Language difficulties and Autism, so we should ensure that our good practice around behaviour includes space for informal learning, flexibility, and there is time to be responsive to our learners throughout the school day.
Some suggestions for managing behaviour for learners with identified SEND
• Consider factors outside the school, including family and friends and develop good relationships with parent/carers. Parents/carers know what works for their child at home and similar strategies may aid transition and help establish a sense of safety within the school environment • Develop ways to help learners articulate their behaviour and how change can be supported.
Younger learners will need tools such as social stories and comic strip conversations and older learners may be able to respond within scaffolded conversations, identify the causes of their behaviour and work on targets to change it • Remind learners of the rules, and consider that some learners may need more reminders to correct their behaviour and different ways to remember them. Can visuals as well as written rules be used around the school? Can a film be made of the behaviour expected, and be posted on the school website? • Keep any rules positive, ‘Remember to wear your face mask’ is better than ‘Anyone seen not wearing a face mask will get detention at lunch time’ • Recognise in learners when their behaviour might change and in which locations. Can an adjustment made in the school corridor, if a learner’s behaviour changes when they walk to another location in the school? • Has enough transition work been completed?
Do learners know the new routines, are teachers and other learners in the class unfamiliar to the children? • Continue to ‘Assess, Plan, Do’ and review, daily if required, less often if the behaviour is changing If a learner receives a ‘reward’ for their behaviour, whether it is positive or negative, this still provides some gratification and they may try and repeat the behaviour to receive the same response. Common examples are learners being asked to leave a lesson, when they have been finding learning difficult and standing in the corridor is a reprieve from this.
A Teacher’s Reflection of the Remote Learning Experience During the COVID-19 Forced School Closures
Melissa Clarke
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a substantial amount of uncertainty in the day-to-day lives of children, their families, schools and all school staff. The short notice announcement of a second national lockdown and school closures surprised my colleagues and I, considering the insistence from government that schools were safe to remain open and that the impact on children’s progress far outweighed the risk to public health. With the increasing COVID-19 case numbers after the Autumn half term the debate around schools re-emerged, and it was evident that school life could be impacted once more by the pandemic. This reflection will discuss the impact on learning from the first school closure, the objectives that were put in place to facilitate learning in the second school closure and highlight challenges that emerged as a result of remote learning. In preparation for schools reopening in September 2020, each member of staff evaluated the impact of remote learning on their individual practice. This involved reflecting on practice and analysing strategies that were most effective during the school closure, in preparation for any future closures. A significant effort was made in planning for the ‘recovery curriculum’ to be delivered from September, to facilitate overcoming the gaps in learning caused by missing school hours in the previous school year. Shortly into the new term it was evident that there was an effect on progress, which led to an emphasis on strengthening core curriculum knowledge to the detriment of some foundation subjects. An initial challenge was attempting to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, whilst the demands of the ‘catch up’ in learning. There was also a consensus amongst the staff that there was a lack of support and guidance during the first school closure. As a school, we benefitted from having an online learning platform already in use for homework and in-class collaborative projects. However, as these were used sparingly there was a disparity in teachers’ ability and knowledge on how best to utilise them, and in the children’s ability to use them for full time remote learning. There were some challenges in adapting to the new way of learning and ensuring that the learning was still engaging. Our aim was to emulate the classroom in an online capacity, however there were certain limitations that created difficulty in achieving this. To be ready for possible future disruptions to schooling, our school set out expectations for remote learning in the event of any bubble closures. Children’s wellbeing and comfort in their learning was seen as paramount; keeping routine and minimizing change where possible was viewed with great importance. Another priority was delivering engaging lessons in order to ensure progress was not inhibited. At the start of the second school closure these
expectations were clearly communicated to both children and their caregivers. Contact with caregivers was a priority as there was empathy in the additional role they were forced to play in their children’s lives, alongside their own work and care commitments. A culture of strong support from the class teachers and an open line of communication via phone and email proved beneficial to the learning. Where parental involvement was consistent the levels of engagement and submission of work was of good quality, as would be expected in the classroom. As the level of involvement decreased there was a clear disconnect in engagement in the work. Reaching out to these parents was not a case of being critical but offering additional guidance and support where needed. In telephone conversations with caregivers of less-engaged pupils, it became clear that it was not a case of avoiding the work set, more the ability to access the online platforms. This could be as a result of lack of device, or one device being shared between several siblings. This was reflected in the time of day that some children’s work was submitted, and as teachers, we had to adjust to this more flexible schedule and understand the individual circumstances of each child, and subsequently impacted my own working hours. Access to the technology has been the most challenging aspect of the school closures. As a school there are a number of children on roll classified as eligible for the government laptop scheme. However, delivery of these devices did not occur until the second lockdown. Prior to this there was an additional challenge of attempting to set work equitably to all children in order to not disadvantage any child. Unfortunately, resources available meant that work packs were created to provide some form of education at home for those in need. Yet being unable to mark, provide feedback and reliance on the parents to monitor the work being completed meant that these children were indeed at some disadvantage. I would speak to these children over the phone to maintain the teacher-pupil dialogue and to gauge their understanding of the work set to monitor progress. Engagement in tasks in any capacity was the aim, however the situation with the COVID-19 closures exposed inequalities in access to learning that were difficult to overcome, which in turn challenged my personal ethos. The challenges presented to me as a class teacher with regard to engagement and enjoyment in learning forced quick responses in my personal approach to lesson delivery. As a school we are invested in using set schemes of work. Yet as teachers we had to use our creativity to transform the schemes into engaging and suitable exercises that would enable effective learning to occur in the home, whilst still achieving curriculum objectives. To deliver the tasks at face value would have resulted in a repetitive daily routine. Having experience with using the online learning platform and through collaboration within computing subject leader network meetings, I proposed a number of solutions to deliver engaging and varied content. This came in the form of using programs that allowed collaboration and group work and providing children with the flexibility to submit work in various media forms - for example video, voice notes and presentations. Giving children the choice on how to approach their work created a sense of enthusiasm for the content and resulted in a markedly improved standard of cognition of the topics. The approaches deemed successful were communicated between the teaching and support staff to apply and explore with their own classes. However, for all the successes in engagement there are still a number of children we evaluated as needing the structure of the classroom environment in order to achieve their best work. Through conversations with the parents of these children it was clear that separating home and school life was essential as there were too many distractions at home and the parent may not have been able to provide the full attention due to their own commitments.
At present it is unclear what the long-term impact of the COVID-19 school closures will be on the children at my school. In an unprecedented situation, I would prefer to concentrate on the immediate next steps to provide quality education for my class. For all the difficulties and challenges we have faced in the last year, one benefit is that school closures have exposed areas of concern that need particular focus moving forward. In non-pandemic times these may have remained hidden. The level of inequality in access to learning technology outside of the school is a particular area of concern. As a school that encourages a cross-curricular approach with technology and with future designs of our pupils using it more, both in and out of school, we need more support for most in need. Also, the pandemic has presented a necessity in clear, concise and collaborative communication between all stakeholders – children, caregivers, teachers, support staff, school leaders, governors and the government – in order to enhance future opportunities and put children’s education first. It is my belief that only in the event of open and collaborative working that recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children will be possible.
