CAPACITY BUILDING

Building the ‘capacity’ of school pastoral and learning support teams doesn’t mean ‘telling them what to do.’ The vast majority are knowledgeable, empathetic and dedicated.

The missing piece in the puzzle is often consistency. And the key to consistency is contextual knowledge, structured systems and the confidence that comes with both.

Consider the example of a student returning to school after being hospitalised following a mental health crisis:

Ideally this return will include risk assessment, regular check in with school psychologist that is gradually faded, case management with external mental health professionals and family. And an adjustment plan and exam provisions that clearly describe and mitigate the impact of the issue on learning and classroom engagement.

To be genuinely effective this support must be informed by a solid contextual knowledge and a team approach rather than pastoral and learning teams working in isolation.

This is what I do.

I’d welcome the opportunity to work with your school or discuss your needs in more detail.