Positive Play Programme
Claycross Primary School, Derbyshire
Video and accompanying notes

This accessible and informative video (running time 25 minutes) and accompanying guide are extremely useful resources for teachers, planners and others interested in early intervention. The Positive Play Programme is designed as an early intervention tool to reduce disaffection in schools, encouraging inclusion of all pupils. It helps children with low self-esteem, or emotional and behavioural problems, by giving them regular, structured one-to-one sessions with a specialist ‘education care officer’. The scheme has been running successfully for four years at Clay Cross Infant School and has now been extended to schools throughout Derbyshire.

The video sets the scene through interviews with the headteacher, behavioural support worker and educational psychologist. They saw an increasing number of children at the school who were showing acting out behaviour, who seemed depressed, who were not reacting to the usual reward systems and who needed behaviour support. It was realised that the children didn’t know how to play, and particularly not how to play collaboratively, and that without this foundation they were unready for life in the classroom.

The video then takes us through the specifics of a very carefully thought out programme, which includes:- the selection of those children who would benefit; the tailoring of specific games (e.g. turn-taking games) to specific children; an average weekly programme; the assistance for children to learn to identify their own feelings and express these, and the introduction to group situations. Other measures taken by the school include a weekly reward system (certificates in Assembly), a playtime group for children who struggle in the playground, and the active involvement of parents.

Derbyshire have extended the original scheme to embrace working with children and young people aged 3-16, and will soon be creating another video about these developments. The Positive Play video and accompanying booklet are available for £17.50 (includes packing and postage) from:
Positive Play Programme c/o Clay Cross Infant and Nursery School, Pankhurst Place, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S45 9LQ.
Tel 01246/862179, Fax 01246/861963
E.mail info@claycross inf.derbyshire.sch.uk

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Rocket Talk– The S2 Experience

Young delegates from the S2 conference in November 2002, organised by the Anti-Bullying Network and the Scottish Schools Ethos Network, presented messages from the conference to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament in February. A report on this exciting pupils’ presentation will be circulated to all S2 pupils in Scotland during June. The photograph shows S2 representatives with Ian Jenkins MSP and Karen Gillon MSP.

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Bullying– Questions and Answers

The Anti-Bullying Network has recently launched this important new resource. This consists of summaries of academic research into bullying, written in a style suitable for a general audience, and available free from the website www.antibullying.net (on the homepage look for the resources then database area). It is hoped the information will be of use to schools, students and parents.

This joint Ethos/Anti-Bullying Networks event will focus on ways parents can work in partnership with schools to create a positive atmosphere/ethos, which in turn can diminish bullying. Places to parents with children currently attending schools in Scotland will be offered at an affordable rate.

A joint Ethos/Anti-Bullying Networks Conference in late November will focus on young people’s participation in decision-making in schools.

This will take place in late January 2004. This event will also launch the Positive Ethos Database, which will include relevant and accessible resources, research, contacts and good practice relating to the whole school development of a positive ethos.

Case Studies 35 and 36, and Vision and Action 6, are being published and disseminated in June 2003. Case Study 37 will be completed by December 2003, and Case Studies 38 and 39 will be distributed by March 2004.

The next SSEN Newsletter will be published in September 2003.

Prof. Pamela Munn, Director
Andrew Mellor, Manager
Kate Betney, Development Officer
Gina Reddie, Liaison Officer
Elise Shaw, Clerical Assistant
Alison Closs, Editor Case Studies
Gordon Jackson, Information Officer (Positive Ethos Database Project)