Leadership

Children’s Well-Being And Social Relationships

This report from the ONS presents a picture of how children aged 10 to 15 years in the UK are coping in a range of areas that matter to their quality of life, reflecting the circumstances of their lives and their own perspectives. The indicator set covers children aged 0 to 15 years.

A set of 31 indicators designed to shed light both on their current well-being and on their future prospects. The measures include objective data (for example, participated in sport in the last week) and subjective data (such as happiness with appearance). The aim is to provide a holistic view of life in the UK for children reflecting both the circumstances of their lives and their own perspectives.

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      string(431) "... In the evaluation of primary SEAL at whole school level (Hallam, Rhamie & Shaw 2006a/b), the authors concluded that the programme “had a majorimpact on children’s well-being, confidence, social and communication skills, relationships, including bullying, playtime behaviour, pro-social behaviour and attitudes towards schools” (Hallam, Rhamie & Shaw 2006b ..."
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      string(5756) "final consideration in critically examining the evidence is the similarity between SEAL and the studies of SEL programmes that are used to support its use. SEAL is considered to be a ‘whole school’ approach, which “essentially means thinking holistically, looking at the whole context including organisation, structures, procedures and ethos, not just at individual pupils or at one part of the picture only” (DCSF 2007: 22). This makes SEAL very different in many ways from the vast majority of SEL programmes reported in outcome studies that are used as evidence to justify its use.For instance, two of the most commonly cited and well-researched SEL programmes are Second Step (www. www.cfchildren.org) and the aforementioned PATHS (www. channing-bete.com). Neither of these use a whole-school approach. Rather, like the majority of SEL programmes reported in the literature, they provide a structured curriculum for the teaching of social and emotional skills. The Second Step programme provides a sequence of 120+ lessons which aim to teach students throughout elementary school skills such as empathy, impulse control, social problem solving, and anger management. The curricular element of SEAL, on the other hand, is a relatively small component of a much wider range of activities across the school. Using evidence for one as a rationale for the other is71www.teachingtimes.com n Vol 1.3ResearchSEAL programmelike comparing apples with oranges. The SEAL guidance also states that whole-schoolprogrammes “have been shown conclusively to be more effective in improving every aspect of school life” (DfES 2007: 22). In relation to SEL, there is simply not enough good evidence to draw such strong conclusions. First and foremost, there are very few good-quality published studies of truly whole-school SEL programmes – in Blank et al’s recent (2008) systematic review of approaches in secondary schools, for instance, no studies reported on programmes that contained elements involving the curriculum, environment/ethos and community, and only a small proportion contained even two of these elements. Secondly, the evidence available does not necessarily point to whole-school approaches being any better or worse than those that focus on solely on the curriculum or other elements – indeed, the authors of the review noted above felt that they could not draw any firm conclusions. A similar systematic review of approaches in primary education (Adi et al 2007) also proved to be inconclusive in this regard.No comparison So what does the evidence base tell us about SEAL specifically? To date, only five major studies looking specifically at the SEAL programme have been commissioned. The most recent of these – the evaluation of secondary SEAL in which I am involved – is ongoing and will be reported in late 2010. In the evaluation of primary SEAL at whole school level (Hallam, Rhamie & Shaw 2006a/b), the authors concluded that the programme “had a majorimpact on children’s well-being, confidence, social and communication skills, relationships, including bullying, playtime behaviour, pro-social behaviour and attitudes towards schools” (Hallam, Rhamie & Shaw 2006b: 1) – although their findings have to be treated with caution due to the lack of any source of comparison.Also, while there was some evidence of positive impact in the areas mentioned above, the amount of change reported was actually very small in most cases. Furthermore, there were a number of null and anomalous or negative findings. For instance, in Key Stage 1 children’s academic work declined between the start of SEAL being implemented and the evaluation being completed. For children in Key Stage 2, there were declines in attitudes towards school and relationships with teachers.The recent evaluation of primary SEAL small group work, in which I was involved, yielded very mixed findings (Humphrey et al 2008). For some of the interventions studied, we saw positive effects on pupils’ social and emotional skills compared to our control groups, but thechanges observed were relatively small and we rarely saw agreement between raters (that is, when children’s questionnaires indicated positive change, teacher questionnaires didn’t – and vice versa). We also found evidence that some schools were not properly following the guidance provided by DCSF, which obviously undermines the confidence we can have in our already tentative conclusions.The evaluation of the social, emotional and behavioural skills (SEBS) pilot – which was essentially the trialling of secondary SEAL – was evaluated by both the NfER (Smith et al 2007) and OFSTED (2007). Both studies trackedthe progress of schools over a number of terms using qualitative methods such as interviews (although the NfER study did include some quantitative data collection). As a result, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions about the impact of the pilot on outcomes for pupils and schools. It should of course be noted, though, that the pilot focused upon implementation – not specific outcomes. Both studies found that schools generally found SEBS to be useful, particularly in raising awareness among staff and improving relationships in the school (although this was72 Vol 1.3 n www.teachingtimes.comResearch SEAL programmeReferencesAber, J; Jones, SM; Brown, JL; Chaudry, F; Samples, S (1998), ‘Resolving Conflict Creatively: evaluating the development effects of a school-based violence prevention program in neighbourhood and classroom context’, Development and Psychopathology 10:"
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Leadership

SEAL: Insufficient evidence?

24 Jul 2009

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      string(383) "... are challenging. Whilstpubertal development is a normal process – most oftenthe diagnosis does not represent a threat to long-termphysical health – the fact that it is being experienced out ofkilter with peers and at an earlier stage of social/ emotionaldevelopment is hugely significant.Typically difficulties reported by parents differ accordingto the ..."
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      string(5627) "andexpressions of sexuality and self-esteem can be negativelyaffected. Children with PP have been found to be more likelyto be depressed, aggressive and socially withdrawn (Cesarioand Hughes, 2007). Many children with PP have difficultieswith sibling and peer relationships and exhibit increasedlevels of anxiety.Learning ability and school achievement are typically notnegatively affected in PP, which has been associated with32Vol 1.5 n www.teachingtimes.comDisabilities/ConditionsEvery Child Journalaverage to high-average intelligence (Mazur and Clopper,1991). There may actually be an advantage for intellectualdevelopment due to the effect of sex hormones on braindevelopment. For example, girls with PP have been foundto have a significantly higher verbal IQ score than controls(Galatzer et al., 1984).Psychological SupportIt is evident that the effects of PP are challenging. Whilstpubertal development is a normal process – most oftenthe diagnosis does not represent a threat to long-termphysical health – the fact that it is being experienced out ofkilter with peers and at an earlier stage of social/ emotionaldevelopment is hugely significant.Typically difficulties reported by parents differ accordingto the sex of the child. For boys problems arise withaggressive behaviour, often with associated problems atschool. For girls there is increased emotionality, together withupset outbursts, which seem to come out of the blue.Similarly girls and boys themselves present withdifferent experiences and concerns. Boys usually viewphysical development, including height gain, as positive,whereas for girls physical development is often associatedwith embarrassment or shame. In both cases physicaldevelopment is associated with changes in socialrelationships.VulnerabilityEarly puberty does not reflect emotional or sexual maturity,and therefore places such children in a potentiallyvulnerable position. This vulnerability can persist evenwhen the appropriate age for puberty is reached (Ehrhardtand Meyer-Bahlberg, 1986). Behavioural and emotionaldifficulties can continue or emerge in adolescence, when theexpectation is that PP is no longer an explanatory factor. It istherefore important that children with PP are empathicallyand sensitively supported at an early stage. Seeminglyinnocuous comments or questions from peers about breastdevelopment or underarm hair can be perceived as negativeand difficult, and it is not uncommon for girls to shave theirunderarms and or legs in response to these.Elevated levels of anxiety and poor self-concept oftenassociated with PP can be ameliorated when the child issupported to manage their feelings appropriately. However,parents frequently report that they find it difficult to respondconsistently to angry outbursts at home as they knowtheir child is distressed and not in control of their feelings.Psychological intervention aims to support parents to applyfirm boundaries for acceptable behaviour, whilst at the sametime promoting coping strategies for the child to managetheir strong feelings. It is important that the child knowsthat it is understood that they face particular challenges andthat there are regular opportunities for talking about theirfeelings.Whilst every child needs to be considered in their owncontext, the following two case studies describe broadlytypical presenting problems.Case Study: JohnJohn is an only child living with his parents. He first noticedchanges in his body, such as hair growth at the age of nineyears, but did not tell his parents. His mother brought upthe subject when she noticed changes later in the year,particularly his rapid height increase. He was referred by hisGP to his local hospital for initial investigations, and theysubsequently referred him to Great Ormond Street Hospital.At that time, John was in the last year of primary school. Hisgrowth rate had reduced dramatically following treatmentto control his puberty, but whilst he was reported to feel‘better in himself’, there were ongoing concerns about hisbehaviour.At the age of 11 years John was referred for psychologicalassessment and support for difficulties he and his family wereexperiencing managing his ‘violent outbursts’.John presented as a tall boy for his chronologicalage, with a visible moustache. He described his friends assupportive, defending him when other children laughed athis facial hair.John’s parents reported that regular angry outburstsstarted around the time when pubertal physical changeswere first noticed. John’s outbursts were usually confined tonwww.teachingtimes.com n Vol 1.5Disabilities/Conditions Every Child Journal33the family home, with the exception of one angry outburst ona school bus when he hit a boy he felt was racist towards him.On this occasion a teacher intervened.John’s parents reported that fairly trivial situationscould trigger an outburst. Typically John would damageitems belonging to his parents, such as an occasionwhen he had smashed his father’s mobile phone. Onone occasion John had been physically aggressivetowards his father. However his father had made itclear that aggression would be reciprocated and Johnhad backed down. He was however regularly directingphysical aggressive towards his mother. Typically thisinvolved pulling out her hair pins and pulling her hair.When physically attacked, his mother would keep quietand retreat to her room. John’s parents said they triedto ignore his outbursts as ‘telling him off’ escalated hisbehaviour.John reported that he became violent when he felt a‘deal’ had been broken, such as"
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Special Needs

The problems with precocious puberty

8 Jul 2010

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      string(436) "... included measures of general public health and healthy life style.· Well-being outcome indicators were also less common and more variable. They ranged from general well-being (e.g. self perception of well-being); family environment, relationships and social participation; employment and income; housing, homelessness and environment; to criminal activity ..."
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Folder: Leadership Briefings Issue 3.12 (36)"
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      string(4721) "ResourceACCOUNTABILITY AND CHILDREN’S OUTCOMES IN HIGH-PERFORMING EDUCATION SYSTEMSOriginal DocumentAccountability And Children’s Outcomes In High-Performing Education Systems. The Government is interested in improving outcomes for all children and in narrowing the gap between the highest and lowest performing groups of children. This report describes how countries with high-performing education systems measure children’s education, health and well-being and how they use these measurements.KeywordsHigh-Performing Education Systems, accountability, education, health, well-beingSummaryThe Government is interested in improving outcomes for all children and in narrowing the gap between the highest and lowest performing groups of children. This report describes how countries with high-performing education systems measure children’s education, health and well-being and how they use these measurements.Key Findings:· Three main types of child outcome indicators were found: education, health and well-being.· Education outcome indicators were typically attainment and participation in education, training and employment.· Health outcome indicators were less common and more variable. They included measures of general public health and healthy life style.· Well-being outcome indicators were also less common and more variable. They ranged from general well-being (e.g. self perception of well-being); family environment, relationships and social participation; employment and income; housing, homelessness and environment; to criminal activity.· Four models were used to illustrate different emphases in the use of child outcome data:· Accountability model: in which outcomes were rigorously monitored at reporting levels (schools, regions, national) for the purposes of management and accountability.· School community model: in which outcomes were monitored at national level and effort was focused at policy level on identifying and removing barriers to learning but which was relatively relaxed about within system accountability at school level.· Social capital model: where improving child outcomes were part of plans to increase individual citizen’s contributions to the economy of the country and strengthen social networks.· Psycho-social model: where improving mental and physical health and well-being were seen as prerequisites to improving learning outcomes.ActionRecommendations:· There is widespread and increasing interest in monitoring the performance of education and children’s service systems and in monitoring performance across an increasing range of outcomes. While it is possible to learn from the experience in other countries it must be recognised that policy structures and cultural practices are different in different systems.· It may be useful to develop a periodic statistical report combining key education, health and well-being indicators which would provide a comprehensive description of outcomes for children indicating patterns and trends to inform policy making and strategic planning.· Some of the governments explored in this study felt that the reporting of child outcomes at school level in league tables might be unhelpful. This was because schools in deprived areas might be doing well given the profile of their students but appear to be failing when compared to schools in affluent areas. The performance of the education and wider children’s services system could be monitored using national standardised tests without the need to report at school level. With benchmarked data it would still be possible to compare performance and trends in schools in similar socio-economic circumstances.· Government should consider the best way to collect indicators since there are alternatives to current practices. Not all national testing needs to be annual or for the whole cohort – some subjects could be tested periodically and/or with a representative sample of pupils. When testing does occur, this is a good opportunity to gather other information about pupils, by the completion of general surveys at the same time. Further work is needed to refine the use of outcome indicators to better understand patterns of social equity at national and local levels and to direct resources to combat disadvantage.NotesAuthorRaspal Chima, Imaginative MindsDate CreatedJanuary 2009Enquiries to:raspal.chima@yahoo.co.uk (Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

Accountability And Children’s Outcomes In High-Performing Ed

2 Jan 2009

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Leadership Briefing 12.05 (137)"
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      string(5933) "While 8-10s use social media in a playful, creative way – often to play games – this changes significantly as children’s social circles expand as they grow older. This report shows that many Year 7 children are finding social media hard to manage and becoming over-dependent on ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ for social validation. They are also adapting their offline behaviour to fit an online image, and becoming increasingly anxious about ‘keeping up appearances’ as they get older. Children are also becoming “increasingly anxious” about their online image and ‘keeping up appearances’ as they get older. This phenomenon is made worse, the report adds, when pupils begin to follow celebrities. The report picks out social media such as Instagram and Snapchat, which it says can “undermine children’s view of themselves by making them feel inferior to the people they follow”. The research also warns of an increase in the social pressure that children feel to be constantly connected at the expense of other activities. Main Findings: Across all ages, the most popular social media were Snapchat, Instagram, Musical.ly and WhatsApp. Younger children had less routine around when they accessed social media, while older children started to get into the habit of using all their social media apps multiple times a day, and for some, it had come to dominate their day Children knew how to cheer themselves up or calm themselves down using social media, from getting funny Snapchats from a friend to watching slime videos on Instagram. It allowed children to be creative and play games, two things that appealed to children from a very young age Parents and schools had successfully ingrained messages in children about online safety from known risks such as predators and strangers. Yet children were less aware of how to protect themselves from other online situations that could affect their mood and emotions Younger children were particularly influenced by their family’s views and usage of social media, and parents may be unaware of how their use of social media affects their child Parents sometimes gave children contradictory safety messages when they let children use their social media accounts, and unknowingly exposed them to unsuitable content. Many children felt uncomfortable and bothered by their parents posting pictures of them on social media, yet felt they could do little to stop it Children learned how to do new things on social media from their older siblings, but were also put off by things that their siblings had experienced. In some cases, children worried about their siblings’ behaviour online, such as excessive use and ignoring safety messages. Social media was important for maintaining relationships, but this got trickier to manage at secondary school, where friendships could break down online. Children used social media as a tool to maintain friendships, and they recognised the value of face-to-face interactions for more serious conversations, like discussing worries and resolving arguments Younger children were more likely to see mean comments from strangers on apps like Roblox, whereas older children, who were communicating with a greater number of people on group chats, faced issues and confusion around the blurring of ‘jokes’ that were posted publicly Children are conscious of keeping up appearances on social media, particularly when they start secondary school, and identity and seeking peer approval become more important Despite talking about the importance of ‘staying true to yourself’ and being authentic on social media, girls were worried about looking ‘pretty’ and boys were more concerned with looking ‘cool’ and having the right clothing. When children started to follow celebrities and people outside their close family and friends, many became aware of how they looked compared to other people on social media, and felt that comparisons were unattainable. Children felt good when they got ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ from friends, and some Year 7 children were starting to become dependent on them, using techniques to guarantee they would get a high number of ‘likes’. Children started to see offline activities through a ‘shareable lens’ based on what would look the best on social media. Social media could inspire children and help them learn about new things Some children developed new aspirations about what they wanted their future to be like and copied things they saw on social media Some children actively gathered information on social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram, and were exposed to ‘news’ via celebrities and ‘explore/discover’ pages. Recommendations: Broaden digital literacy education beyond safety messages, to develop children’s critical awareness and resilience and understanding of algorithms, focusing on the transition stage from primary to secondary school. Inform parents about the ways in which children’s social media use changes with age, particularly on entry to secondary school, and help them support children to use social media in a positive way, and to disengage from it. Improve teachers’ knowledge about the impacts of social media on children’s wellbeing and encourage peer-to-peer learning Recognise the needs of children under 13 who are using their platforms and incorporate them in service design or do more to address underage use. WEB LINK Life In ‘Likes’: Children’s Commissioner Report Into Social Media Use Among 8 -12 Year Olds Keywords Social Media, 8 -12 Year Olds, young children,"
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Leadership

Life In 'Likes': Children’s Commissioner Report Into Social Media Use Among 8 -12 Year Olds

16 Jan 2018