Understanding, Nurturing and Working Effectively with Vulnerable Children in Schools: ‘Why Can’t You Hear Me?’

Description

In times of increasing pressure on schools and teachers, it is essential that teachers are equipped to understand the emotional and relational factors in learning and teaching. Vulnerable and disaffected children need understanding and nurture rather than reactive management, which can easily exacerbate their difficulties, leaving them unheard and defensive, and even undermine teacher confidence and effectiveness. Understanding, Nurturing and Working Effectively with Vulnerable Children in Schools offers a comprehensive and accessible exploration of the difficulties faced by teachers and schools from at-risk and disaffected children, including repeated trauma and insecure attachment patterns. The book describes how a thoughtful ‘relationship-based’ approach can both alleviate such difficulties and offer a second chance attachment experience, enabling students to discover it might be safe to let down their all consuming defences a little; thus freeing them to begin to learn. It offers: practical suggestions in note form – making them easy to use, refer to and assimilate; numerous case examples and teacher friendly theoretical background material; a wealth of ideas for ways forward, including differentiated responses to children in the light of their particular patterns, developmental stages and unmet needs. Written from extensive professional experience, this is an essential handbook and resource book for trainers, schools, teachers and school staff, and also for educational psychologists and those in children’s services working with vulnerable children in pre and primary schools, as well as those in special schools and units. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of boxes List of case studies Acknowledgements Foreword Preface Learning from experience The opportunity for teachers and school staff Notes Part I Chapter 1: Introduction to attachment theory Ambivalence Separation Joy and delight Language Difficult, insecure and traumatic beginnings Notes Chapter 2: Useful neuroscience: a simple introduction for school staff and child workers Three brains Early brain development Moving on Trauma and the brain Notes Chapter 3: The effects of unsupported trauma Responses to trauma Intergenerational transmission Shame Looked-after children Domestic abuse Some links between inner and outer worlds in children who have experienced domestic abuse Understanding and responding helpfully to children who have experienced domestic abuse in school Some practical suggestions for school staff Notes Chapter 4: Understanding unconscious processes Acting out Some unconscious defences against anxiety (sometimes called defence mechanisms) Transference and countertransference Professionalism Notes Chapter 5: Emotional containment Emotional containment in school A few notes for schools on counselling, play therapy and psychotherapy for children and young people in school Notes Part II Chapter 6: Insecure attachment categories: understanding and responding helpfully The avoidant child The resistant/ambivalent child The chaotic/disorganised child Notes Chapter 7: Children stuck in early developmental stages ‘Children’s learning is understood developmentally’ (nurture principle 1) Nurture groups Baby stage: bonding, trust and dependency Toddler stage: involvement with exploration The latency stage (5–12 years) Notes Chapter 8: The importance of a secure base ‘The classroom offers a safe base’ (nurture principle 2) The problem of insecurity The crucial importance of a secure base in school for insecure children Notes Chapter 9: Behaviour as unconscious communication ‘All behaviour is communication’ (nurture principle 5) Understanding behaviour as communication Some practical responses to behavioural communications: a relationship-based approach Summary Notes Chapter 10: Learning inhibitions as possible unconscious communications Possible (unconscious) meanings of children’s learning behaviours Notes Chapter 11: Relating and relationships: using relationships as a healing vehicle Ways of relating and talking with vulnerable and challenging children: ‘language is a vital means of communication’ (nurture principle 4) Circle time: fostering children’s sharing, relating and emotional literacy skills PACE Basic listening skills The helpfulness of putting things into words Empathy Some thoughtful ways of responding Secure, reliable, usable relationships Reflecting and responding to children’s sad, worrying and challenging comments Responding thoughtfully to behaviour difficulties Notes Chapter 12: Coping with change ‘The importance of transition in children’s lives’ (nurture principle 6) Some practical suggestions in relation to holidays, ends of terms/years and leavings Coping with death and bereavement in school Coping with staff absences Notes Chapter 13: Working through the metaphor The therapeutic value of play, drama, creative work and stories Some useful theoretical frameworks for understanding play Different types of play and how they can be helpful emotionally in school, nurture bases and preschool settings Working individually with a child: a few tips for counsellors and play therapists Story writing and stories Notes Chapter 14: Enhancing our own and children’s personal capacities Looking after ourselves Developing our internal capacities and self-awareness Mindfulness Notes for an introductory course on mindfulness for school staff Fostering the inner development of children: a course for school staff Notes Chapter 15: Working with vulnerable parents: some thoughts Long-term foster and adoptive parents Notes Chapter 16: A nurturing school: some thoughts from an assistant head Nurture Safe base Training Behaviour as communication The importance of language and talking things through Changes, transitions and endings Supporting attachment workers Relationship-based way of working Talking through staff difficulties Our journey towards becoming a nurturing school The importance of a supportive head teacher Working through resistance The importance of selecting new staff carefully Emotional containment Bearing fruit: learning from experience Tuning in The importance of a good foundation in attachment, nurture and thinking for all teachers and school staff generally Other schools Policies and behaviour intervention plans Notes A brief introduction to nurture Notes Conclusion Appendix 1: Nurturing school checklist Notes Appendix 2: Self-assessment of skills in emotional holding, containing and strengthening Note Appendix 3 Possible unconscious meanings and causes of common behaviours Appendix 4: Possible unconscious meanings of learning difficulties and behaviours and what they might be communicating Appendix 5: Safe to Learn: an eight-session PowerPoint training course Index