Welcome to Mike's page

I have always advocated the use of non-teaching support adults for children who have issues during the day. Too often teachers are constrained by time issues, the need to gain respect, keep distance, compliance requirements in the behaviour programme etc and all this can lead to rushed outcomes, unlistened to children and frustration all round.
So it's good to see we are celebrating the great practice of using pastoral managers. These non-teaching staff are pivotal in raising self-esteem, reduci… Continue

Well following the new Ofsted guidelines which include safeguarding, St Wulstan's Catholic Primary, in Wolstanton, is thought to be one of the first schools nationwide to go into 'special measures' on the back of tough new standards.

The Ofsted report reveals teachers often shout at youngsters to control their behaviour, children lack confidence in how staff deal with their problems, and the school is failing to comply with some statutory requirements.

Although the report is yet to be publishe… Continue

From the very interesting blog Blogush

This article discusses the issues we have with labelling children and in doing so, releasing some of the baggage we carry from our own experiences

I came across the blog Autisable and thought it showed a good perspective from a parent's point of view.
The post I read on 'Discipline for those with autism' was interesting and it mentioned separating out behaviour that was deliberate and under the child's control from the others.

… Continue

I always like to keep my eyes open to schools that use a supportive approach to managing behaviour and South Dartmoor Community College in Devon seems to be right on that track. Rather than having a punitive approach to behaviour, they use a 'parking' system to take students out of the class room and realign and repair the situation. They use these opportunities to coach and influence the students. Often this approach is take in the classroom, and there is no need for the students to be parked,… Continue