Support Staff Training:
Building Positive Relationships
Day 1
WELCOME
Introductions
• Introduce yourself to your partner and ask them which
school/establishment they are from.
• Ask them: “If you could be anywhere else in the world
right now, where would that be, and why?”
• Individuals will feed back this information to the whole
group.
Course Aims
• Reflect upon the skills & qualities required to
support young people effectively;
• Identify your own strengths and development needs;
• Increase confidence in carrying out our support
roles;
• Explore the different roles and contributions that
individuals make within a team;
• Examine the roles for support staff with Curriculum
for Excellence; and
• Identify effective strategies to promote positive
behaviour and interpersonal skills in young people.
Success Escalator:
where are you?
10
1
Why are you here?
• What do you need to move up the
success escalator?
– Wider knowledge
– Increase in confidence
– Effective strategies
– Share good practice with colleagues
– Time to reflect
– Other…
Life experiences and influences
• We (support staff, teachers, head
teachers, depute head teachers and
pupils), all bring a range of experiences
and influences to school.
• These influences can impact upon how we
react to situations.
The Human Condition
Thoughts
Feelings/Needs
Behaviours
What has happened to Jamie?
• What influences and experiences is he bringing to
school?
– There are experiences, events and relationships which
impact on children’s lives. Psychological/physiological
factors may also be a feature. Any and all of these factors
can influence their behaviour. Staff have little or no control
over these factors. Children can display these behaviours
as:
• Loss of personal power
• Need to maintain self-esteem
• Fear
• Failure
• Attention seeking
• Displaced anger
What can we do if Jamie’s behaviour
is challenging, possibly because of
difficult circumstances outwith
school?
• React rationally by staying in control of our
own behaviour and not taking acting-out
behaviour personally:
– Be in control
– Be professional
– Look for positive diversions
Stop and Think!
• Do the behaviours and attitudes of staff
impact in behaviours and attitudes of
those young people in their care, and vice
versa?
REACTIONS
BEHAVIOUR
Behaviour
provokes
reactions
from others
Reactions can in turn
become experiences that
further drive thoughts
and feelings
FEELINGS
Emotions drive
behaviour
THOUGHTS
Thoughts process
the experience
and drive feelings
EXPERIENCES
Result from
incidents/events and
perception
Think about the person who has
most positively influenced or
motivated or inspired you…
Try to identify the skills and
qualities that this person has.
Good support staff are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Open
Fair
Caring
Enabling
Assertive
Enthusiastic
Supportive
Resilient
Persistent
Respectful
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Persistent
Committed
Trusting
Encouraging
Reliable
Challenging
Prepared
Sensitive
Listening
Consistent
• Resourceful
• Engaging
• Have high
expectations
• Flexible
• Humorous
• Creative
• Brave
• Patient
Support Team acronym:
Supportive
Understanding
Patient
Practical
Organised
Reliable
Thoughtful
Trusting
Enthusiastic
Accepting
Motivated
Standards in Scotland’s
Schools Act 2000
• Education is to be directed to the
development of the personality, talents,
mental and physical abilities of the child or
young person to their fullest potential.
• Learning abilities and life skills are both
important and complementary.
Standards in Scotland’s
Schools Act 2000
• Opportunities should exist for the
development of abilities and experiences
within multiple contexts.
• Experience gained must provide
necessary life skills for safe, positive and
purposeful participation.
• Schools must nurture core skills.
Curriculum for Excellence –
Successful Learners
• With:
– enthusiasm and motivation for learning
– determination to reach high standards of achievement
– openness to new thinking and ideas
• And able to:
–
–
–
–
–
–
use literacy, communication and numeracy skills
use technology for learning
think creatively and independently
learn independently and as part of a group
make reasoned evaluations
link and apply different kinds of learning in new situations
Curriculum for Excellence –
Confident Individuals
• With:
–
–
–
–
self-respect
a sense of physical, mental and emotional well-being
secure values and beliefs
ambition
• And able to:
–
–
–
–
relate to others and manage themselves
pursue a healthy and active lifestyle
be self-aware
develop and communicate their own beliefs and view of the
world
– live as independently as they can
– assess risk and take informed decisions
– achieve success in different areas of activity
Curriculum for Excellence –
Responsible Citizens
• With:
– respect for others
– commitment to participate responsibly in political,
economic, social and cultural life
• And able to:
– develop knowledge and understanding of the world
and Scotland’s place in it
– understand different beliefs and cultures
– make informed choices and decisions
– evaluate environmental, scientific and technological
issues
– develop informed, ethical views of complex issues
Curriculum for Excellence –
Effective Contributors
• With:
– an enterprising attitude
– resilience
– self-reliance
• And able to:
– communicate in different ways and in different
settings
– work in partnerships and in teams
– take the initiative and lead
– apply critical thinking in new contexts
– create and develop
– solve problems
Vision for Children
Successf
ul
learners
To enable all
young people
to be…
Confident
individual
s
Effective
contributor
s
Responsibl
e citizens
Achievement
Framework
Inclusion
Values
Learning
and
for
and
and
for
Attainment
Learning
Equality
Citizenship
Life
Team Work 1
Different types of teams:
Team Work 2
What are you?
• Are you a PLUNGER?
• Are you a WADER?
• Are you a TESTER?
Plungers think they are:
• Enthusiastic
• Dynamic
• Positive
Other people think plungers
may be:
• Impulsive
• Cut corners
• Over-confident
Waders think they are:
• Balanced
• Purposeful
• Dependable
Other people think waders
may be:
• Middle of the road
• Boring
• Bland
Testers think they are:
• Investigative
• Reflective
• Highly organised
Other people think testers
may be:
• Over-ponderous
• Timid
• Controlling
Teamwork
• An understanding of individual approaches can
support team creation and team working by:
– Improving communication
– Identifying individual and team strengths and
challenges
– Helping people to value the strengths of others
– Clarifying team behaviour
– Helping to match tasks to people
– Predicting potential problem areas
– Helping deal with conflict
– Improving the way the team solves problems
Team Work
Together we can achieve so much more…
FOR GOODNESS SAKE STOP !!!!!!!
Rocking on
chairs
Making silly
noises
Not
bringing
correct
equipment
Getting out of
seat
Shouting out
Prodding other
Fussing with
coats & bags
pupils
Talking when
the teacher is
Coming into
the classroom
noisily
Preparatory task for Day 2
• John is running along the top of the school wall again
although you have told him several times to stop.
or
• Amy is crying again saying that no-one will play with her,
despite the fact that you gave organised a ‘playground
pal’ for her.
Think of a situation from your own experience. Note it
down and bring it with you tomorrow (think of the
‘button pusher’ activity).
Thank you for your consideration, thought
and contribution today.
It is appreciated.