Circular No: 2015/118
PUPIL PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
3 Charlemont Place  The Mall  Armagh  BT61 9AX
Tel: 028 3751 2200  Fax: 028 3751 2599 
Website: www.eani.org.uk
To: Principals of Nursery, Primary, Special and Post-Primary Schools
26 August 2015
Dear Principal
PUPIL PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 2015/16
Pupil Personal Development Services promote the positive mental health and emotional
wellbeing of children and young people through a range of training and development
opportunities, advice and support to school staff and direct interventions with individuals and
groups of pupils who have identified personal development needs.
Pupil Personal Development Services seek to equip teachers to help build pupils’ resilience
to deal with the challenges in their lives and therefore improve their readiness to learn. The
training and development programme aims to build capacity among school staff to tackle the
barriers to learning which many children and young people face e.g. bereavement and loss,
bullying concerns and family change. The programme is also designed to support school
managers in part fulfilment of The Education (School Development Plans) Regulations (NI)
2010 and specifically in relation to the promotion of pupils’ emotional health and wellbeing.
I have attached for your information the Pupil Personal Development Services’ training and
development programme for 2015/16 along with an application form. This may also be
accessed online at http://www.selb.org/schools/download-a-school-circular/ or in the School
Documents section of the Board’s website.
The programme includes a range of one day INSET courses and workshops as well as the
opportunity to organise bespoke school-based training on any of the themes identified.
With every good wish for the new academic year.
Yours faithfully
MICHAEL KELLY (MR)
ASSISTANT ADVISORY OFFICER
PUPIL PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
MK/mk
Email:
mary.knipe@eani.org.uk
or
roisin.mone@eani.org.uk
Education Authority – Southern Region
Pupil Personal Development Services
Training and Development Programme 2015/16
Course Title
Promoting
Positive Mental
Health and Wellbeing in Children
and Young People
(two day course)
Day 1
Exploring a range
of strengthening
strategies to
support socially
and emotionally
challenged pupils
(two day course)
Day 2
Developing and
Maintaining your
Class and School
Council
Southern
Region
Dates
Southern
Region
Venue
Tues 29th
Sept 2015
Armagh
Teachers’
Centre
Wed 21
Oct 2015
Armagh
Teachers’
Centre
Tues 3 Nov
2015
Armagh
Teachers’
Centre
INSET 9.30am – 3.30pm
Workshop/Cluster 1.30pm –
4.00pm
School-based
Learning Intentions
1. To raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues which impact on children and young
people.
2. To examine opportunities for schools to promote
positive mental health and well-being through
curricular and pastoral programmes.
1. To identify appropriate interventions, strategies
and external support services.
2. To become familiar with the ‘Pupil Strengthening
Model’ using a Solution Focused Process
3. Provide participants with a Strengthening Plan
Toolkit to address the needs of a socially and
emotionally challenged pupil
1. To explore the framework and structure of class and
school councils.
2. To consider the role, responsibilities and boundaries
of school councils.
3. To consider the practicalities of getting your class
and school council started e.g. the election process
and development of a school council constitution.
4. To identify best practice to allow your school council
to develop and flourish.
Places
30
30
30
Audience
Cross Phase
Principals,
SENCo’s,
Senior
Managers,
Pastoral Heads
Cross Phase
Principals,
SENCo’s,
Senior
Managers,
Pastoral Heads
Cross Phase
Principals,
Senior
Managers,
Pastoral Heads,
Form and Class
Teachers
Implementing the
NIABF Resource
‘Effective
Responses to
Bullying
Behaviour’ (2013)
Developing Skills
and Capacity in
applying Antibullying Group
Work
Interventions
Improving
Educational
Outcomes for
Children in Need,
including Looked
After Children
(LAC)
Thursday
12 Nov
2015
Armagh
Teachers’
Centre
Thur 19
Nov 2015
Armagh
Teachers’
Centre
Wed 2
Dec 2015
Armagh
Teachers’
Centre
1. To have increased capacity to determine the ethos,
values, skills and practices evident in the antibullying school.
2. To be familiar with the NIABF resource which
provides a framework for appropriate interventions
in response to incidents of bullying.
3. To examine best practice when assessing,
recording and implementing interventions to ensure
that these meet the complex needs of all pupils
involved in bullying situations.
4. To become familiar with the ‘Meaningful
Consultation’ Toolkit
5. To identify appropriate external support agencies in
relation to cyber bullying and internet safety.
1. To equip participants to respond to bullying
behaviour using solution-focused and restorative
practices which will consolidate an anti-bullying
ethos.
2. Participants will explore and practice effective antibullying interventions such as:
 The Support Group Method (Maines, Robinson)
 The Method of Shared Concerns (Pikas)
1. To enhance participants’ awareness of the complex
additional needs of ‘Children in Need’ including
Looked After Children.
2. To identify the conditions and practice within
schools and classrooms which help develop
resilience, positive identity and achievement.
3. To explore best practice when working with
parents/carers and other services and agencies in
support of these pupils.
4. To increase awareness of the responsibilities of
schools in completing Personal Education Plans
(PEP’s) and the important role they play in
planning for the future success of these children
and young people.
30
30
30
Cross Phase
Principals,
Senior
Managers and
Pastoral Heads
Cross Phase
Principals,
Senior
Managers,
Pastoral Heads
Cross Phase
Pastoral Heads,
SENCos,
LAC Support
Teachers, Form
and Class
Teachers
Developing a
Whole School
Response to
Bereavement and
Loss
(two day course)
Day 1
Developing a
Whole School
Response to
Managing Critical
Incidents
(two day course)
Day 2
Developing Peer
Support Systems
MINDOUT – A
Positive Mental
Health Resource
for KS4+
Tues 26
Jan 2016
Thurs 4
Feb 2016
Armagh
Teachers’
Centre
Armagh
Teachers’
Centre
1. To be sensitive to our own responses to grief and
loss.
2. To increase awareness of the ways in which
children and young people grieve.
3. To explore effective strategies to support children
and young people through bereavement and loss.
4. To provide a Bereavement and Loss policy
framework.
1. To raise awareness of the many complex issues
accompanying a critical incident and the impact of
trauma on the emotional well-being of the whole
school community.
2. To provide clear advice and guidance on developing
a comprehensive critical incident management plan
and procedures to encourage an appropriate whole
school response.
3. To inform schools of the supportive role of the
SELB/WELB’s Critical Incident Response Teams.
Schoolbased
1. To consider the benefits of Peer Support
Systems to school communities.
2. To provide participants with a toolkit to assist
with the development of Playground Friends,
Circle of Friends, Buddy Systems, Peer Listening
and Peer Mentoring systems.
Schoolbased
1. To explore the conditions required for the successful
implementation of a positive mental health
programme in schools.
2. To introduce ‘Mindout’, a programme promoting
positive mental health for young people aged 15 –
18 years.
3. To experience delivery of elements of the
programme.
30
30
Cross Phase
Principals,
Senior
Managers and
Pastoral Heads
Cross Phase
Principals,
Senior
Managers and
Pastoral Heads
To be agreed
To be agreed
Developing
Quality Circle
Time in the
Classroom
Schoolbased
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Wellness
Practices for
children and
young people –
Promoting
Positive Mental
Health and
Wellbeing in the
Classroom
School –
based
To consider the rationale for introducing Quality
Circle Time.
To familiarise participants with the structure of
Quality Circle Time processes.
To practise the five step model to Quality Circle
Time.
To consider elements of Quality Circle Time as a
‘Talking and Listening’ system.
To explore a range of resources to support the five
step model.
Participants will:
1. Become familiar with a toolkit of emotional
wellbeing practices which will enhance pupils’
positive coping skills and resilience and support the
learning environment in the classroom.
2. Practice skills from the toolkit which will assist
pupils when distressed, anxious or experiencing
emotional challenges
To be agreed
To be agreed
SafeTALK does not teach participants to be therapists and are not intended to replace any of the normal referral pathways accessed by schools.
REPLY SLIP
PUPIL PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
NAME OF COURSE:
DATE:
VENUE:
NAME OF PARTICIPANT:
DESIGNATION:
SCHOOL:
EMAIL ADDRESS:
SCHOOL TELEPHONE NUMBER:
SIGNED
(Principal)
DATE
Please complete and return no later than xxxx
Please take this booking as confirmation of your place unless otherwise notified
If unable to attend, please inform the PPDS Admin Team as soon as possible to enable your place to be reallocated.
Pupil Personal Development Services
Education Authority Southern Region
3 Charlemont Place
The Mall
ARMAGH
BT61 9AX
Tel:
028 3751 2515 / 028 3751 2333
Fax:
028 3751 2599
Email: mary.knipe@eani.org.uk / roisin.mone@eani.org.uk