Newsletter Twenty Two, Autumn 2003

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Newsletter 22, Autumn 2003

This edition of the Network Newsletter reports on the Ethos Network's East Renfrewshire roadshow in June (Including Minorities - Including Everybody). It summarises developments from the Scottish Executive about discipline. It introduces the Parent and Children's Services Network in Clackmannanshire. It looks at new resources and summarises Ethos Network developments.

This newsletter is edited by Kate Betney and produced by MALTS.

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Developments on Discipline

We believe that Positive Ethos and Positive Discipline are inextricably linked and look with keen interest at developments following the publication of the Discipline Task Group’s report ‘Better Behaviour, Better Learning’ in June 2001. A Joint Action Plan was published in December 2001, and at the same time funding was announced of £10 million towards pupil support bases, and £3 million for a review of school and authorities’ policies on discipline.
In August 2002 a further £10 million was announced, as part of the Action Plan, to help local authorities provide additional support for staff and pupils and to improve the links between home and school.

On 17 June 2003 a press release outlined the latest strategies. These include:

	enlisting the help of headteachers with proven success in tackling discipline to share their expertise with other headteachers at Executive-funded master-classes
	creating two expert groups of headteachers and other professionals – one to drive forward improvements in behaviour in communal school areas, the second to strengthen partnership with parents as a means of improving discipline
	appointing a Development Officer to work with authorities and schools on implementation of the Discipline Task Group recommendations to identify and disseminate good practice for dealing with discipline issues in schools
	examining opportunities within initial teacher education and continuing professional development to improve training and support for teachers in behaviour management.

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The Parent and Children’s Services Network in Clackmannanshire works with the parents of children with disabilities. As Kathryn Storey, the PCSN co-ordinator, points out:

‘Some of the parents are hurting. It has become obvious that emotional support at the point of diagnosis is particularly important. Parents can feel it is soul destroying to repeat the same story to a number of different people and this can result in parents feeling frustrated and disempowered. The project is all about engaging parents and professionals in a positive way, and one of our key targets is to encourage inclusive thinking for children with Additional Support Needs, including those with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Contact details! Project activities include in-service training courses, conferences and workshops involving parents and professionals jointly and talks delivered by parents to an audience of professionals. A parent forum has now been established which consults with the Authority on strategic policy and planning issues. Recently parents and professionals worked together to produce a step by step guide to Individualised Educational Programmes, and to make this ‘parent-friendly’.

The Network has been established through a partnership between Capability Scotland and Clackmannanshire Council. It aims to enable parents of children with disabilities to become more involved in the decisions being made about the care and educational provision for their children. (‘Empowering parents to be in the driving seat’). It has been funded by a Scottish Executive Special Educational Needs (SEN) Innovations grant, until the end of March 2004.

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Copies of the video are available price £10.00 from:
Bill Alexander
Head of Service (Children, Young People and Families)
Highland Council
Glenurquhart Road
Inverness, IV3 5NX
Tel 01463 702870

More than nine to four - New Community School Approach 2003

This new video, produced by Highland Council and NHS Highland, introduces the New Community School approach and details developments at a number of schools. These include a positive parenting group, an anti-bullying scheme, a tuckshop encouraging better diet, a pupil council, a bullying survey by a well established pupil council, a new multi-purpose area for activities like one-to-one work and ‘time out’ and a breakfast club.

Area Children’s Service Forums have been set up, bringing local managers together from Education, Culture and Sport, Social Work and Health Services. School Liaison Groups address the needs of children facing difficulties from a multi-agency perspective. Working closely with these, Children’s Service workers based at schools are supporting children within the school, rather than taking them out of school.