Safety Net aims to demonstrate a new model within education to help prevent exclusions and to support the reintegration of excluded pupils. The London Borough of Barnet is hosting and supporting the project in 14 schools across the Key Stages. This work will take place in partnership with the LEA, working closely with the Head Psychologist and Specialist Support Teams, and the Inclusive Education Advisory Team Manager. The project commences in January 06 and will be completed in July 07.
The project will take place in 6 primary schools, 4 Secondary Schools, 1 Special School, 2 resourced bases and the Key Stage 3 and 4 Pupil Referral Unit. Primary work will focus on supporting Barnet LEA with the roll out of the SEAL programme (Social & Emotional Aspects Of Learning) into selected schools. The SEAL curriculum is a new DfES initiative directed at primaries nationwide with a view to increasing the emphasis on emotional vocabulary and social and behavioural skills, and we are pleased to have the chance to support it at an early stage in its introduction. Primary work is a long-term approach to exclusion through development of social-emotional skills, in preparation for the journey through Secondary.
Input into Secondary will vary depending on the school but will take the form of workshops for classes, particularly within PHSE lessons, and smaller groups of pupils identified as having difficulties socialising and those at risk of exclusion. The sessions would use Equal Voice techniques to actively confront those difficulties, involve others in the group, get their comments and advice and build a network for peer support. Training and supporting teachers is an integral and essential component of Safety Net. In each school at least one member of the teaching staff will be trained to facilitate Equal Voice sessions with pupils, with continuing e-mail and telephone support, so as to leave a legacy. We are currently focusing on this work continuing within the current PHSE syllabus.
Safety Net aims to:
- Identify problems, develop group strategies, rehearse new communication and life skills and deal with individual and group issues
- Develop peer support and communication within the new intake
- Reduce the number of pupil exclusions, pupils ostracised by peers and incidences of pupil abuse, intimidation and peer punishment
- Provide teachers with information and techniques to maintain and develop the new ethos