Jessica’s Story: Responding To Children Who Have Suffered Traumatic Loss

A child’s behaviour can spiral out of control in the aftermath of losing a loved relative or parents separating. Putting these children into detention or suspending them, is the opposite of how a school should respond. Dr Margot Sunderland describes what happened to Jessica

I have heard the following narrative so many times. It goes like this. There is a really good student, good attainment and good behaviour. The student then experiences a traumatic loss, for example parents separating, a loved relative dying. The child’s behaviour and attainment rapidly declines. Too many times, they end up in the isolation room or detention. Many are permanently excluded.

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Whether your ‘ceiling’ is times-tables, fractions, x and y, integration, or vectors in seven-dimensional space, if you’re not getting it, you’ve probably reached your limit. This myth and the other, even more dangerous one, that maths is more of a boy thing than a girl thing, are part of a wider narrative, which many of us unconsciously accept:People are either clever or they’re not.If you make mistakes or find something difficult, that means you’re not clever.Only clever people can do maths and science (especially maths).By that logic, if you find some maths difficult, it makes sense to give up. Especially if you’re a girl. Only 22% of A Level mathematics candidates are girls – despite girls doing slightly better than boys at GCSE. It seems likely the maths-is-for-boys myth is an added push, encouraging girls even more than boys into giving up if they get stuck.The thing is, there’s increasing evidence that this isn’t the right narrative about how learning and maths work. “A mathematician is not someone who finds mathematics easy. A mathematician is someone who never quits.” Dr Nira Chamberlain, Senior Modelling Consultant (professional mathematician)Brains continually developProfessor Jo Boaler, now at Stanford University, wrote The Elephant in the Classroom, which describes groups of ‘under achieving’ children who, given the right context and problems that stretched them in the right ways, engaged deeply with mathematics. Boaler draws on the work of psychologist Carol Dweck, who has popularised the idea of a ‘growth mindset’: if you believe you are capable of getting cleverer, you are more likely to improve your abilities. If you believe you have a fixed level of ‘natural’ ability (a ‘fixed mindset’), you are much less likely to improve. Maths is a subject in which many people suffer from a fixed mindset – our culture encourages it. Contemporary neuroscience is building a superior story: brains are complex, plastic, full of extraordinary potential. Boaler’s work started us thinking about group problem-solving: how could we motivate a group of children and adults to solve problems in the context of a piece of theatre? We decided to make a piece that would be a joyful act of rebellion, a fresh new way of not just telling our better story, but allowing children to experience it.We recruited a team of performer-devisers and a games designer, the support of some brave funders and partners (in particular the Wellcome Trust, Ernest Cook Trust, and Arts Council England), and – without a script, a story or a set (other than what we could make ourselves from cardboard and tape) – we began.It was hard. 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Arts-Based Learning

“We’re stuck!” Creating an interactive theatrical mathematical adventure

9 May 2018

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      string(5648) "thatseparationthat looked after children are not a homogenous group,but are individuals with many of the same needs as anyother childthe reasons why many looked after children under-achieve – such as the possible impact of loss andattachment and how the role of the designatedteacher, in promoting high expectations of educationalprogress, can make a difference to a looked after child’sachievement7that looked after children are not a homogenous group,but are individuals with many of the same needs as anyother childthe reasons why many looked after children under-achieve – such as the possible impact of loss andattachment and how the role of the designatedteacher, in promoting high expectations of educationalprogress, can make a difference to a looked after child’sachievement8This is excellent news for schools – the government is makingmoney for training available. It is important that everyindividual who is being asked to take on the responsibility ofDesignated Teacher seeks out training.Support:I am certain that I am not alone in my experiences as aDesignated Teacher. The pressures on them now, with theincreased responsibility introduced by statutory status,will certainly not diminish! Senior Management shouldcarefully consider the support they offer their staff. TheSenior Management Team at my school was consistentlypersonally supportive – but we never talked about howthe job was affecting us. There was no time and nomechanism.I have come to respect (and envy) my social workcolleagues’ supervision systems. They know that people needto be able to unburden themselves to someone else withoutprejudice. It is essential that schools realise that teachersneed something similar.Younger members of the profession are good at beingopen about their difficulties and doubts. When is it going tobe acceptable for all teachers? Senior management teamsneed to understand STSD and its symptoms and to createa supervision system. This should be built into the schoolframework.Teamwork:Even a Designated Teacher can’t take on the day-to-daymanagement of every LaC in a school. Set up your teams.You might have overall responsibility, but there are as manyways to make that work as there are schools – so be creative.Again, a new role means a new opportunity – and make themost of that brief ‘honeymoon period’!nnnnnwww.teachingtimes.com n Vol 1.1Social Care Every Child Journal19Preparation:Some schools will have never had a Looked after Child on roll,and so will be appointing their first designated teacher. Thisis a very good thing.You will have vulnerable children in your school (OFSTEDestimates 25% of the child population at any one timecan be described as ‘vulnerable’) who may have sufferedtraumatic events which have affected their behaviour, abilityto learn and emotional well being. Take the opportunity tobook some quality training about the needs of traumatisedchildren, then ensure your school environment is flexibleenough to treat every child as an individual. If you can helptraumatised children to achieve more, you will be ready towelcome a Looked After Child.What happened to Jan?After that first year, when it appeared that we as a schoolhad increased the damage to Jan and added to thetraumatic injuries she had already suffered, she built a goodrelationship with an educational support worker from socialservices. She attended the out of hours literacy programmerunning at the local library and enjoyed working with aspeech therapist.In years eight, nine and ten, her attendance improved. Shegot new foster parents at the end of year ten, so she had to enrolin another school. She took three GCSEs in year 11. The last Iheard, she was “going steady” and working in a supermarket.As for me? I was extremely lucky to have family whounderstood STSD and who listened tirelessly when I talkedabout work. This support persuaded me to collaborate inwriting a book for other teachers working with Looked AfterChildren – ‘Learn the Child’ (BAAF 2004).Since September 2008, Chris Stanway has been workingfor a company specialising in online training for fostercarers and education staff. She hopes to share theknowledge she gained working as a Designated Teacher.1. Statutory Instruments 2009 NO 1538: The designated teacher (Looked After Pupils etc England) Regulations 2009 http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/uksi_20091538_en_12. Guidance on the Education of Children and Young People in Public Care 2000 5.343. Guidance on the Education of Children and Young People in Public Care 2000 2.414. Guidance on the Education of Children and Young People in Public Care 20005. Italicised additions quoted from: Statutory Guidance for School Governing Bodies ‘Roles and responsibilities of the Designated Teacherfor Looked After Children’ Consultation Version February 2009 Sections 2.5 and 2.7http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/DT%20guide%20-%20Consultation.doc6. Case study first appeared in ‘Learn the Child – Helping Looked After Children to Learn’ Cairns and Stanway 2004 Pub BAAF7. Statutory Guidance for School Governing Bodies ‘Roles and responsibilities of the Designated Teacher for Looked After Children’Consultation Version February 2009 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/DT%20guide%20-%20Consultation.doc8. Statutory Guidance for School Governing Bodies ‘Roles and responsibilities of the Designated Teacher for Looked After Children’Consultation Version February 2009"
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Special Needs

Designated Teacher: a critical but daunting role

9 Oct 2009

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      string(5765) "This month’s FeaturesI had a good strong family, weall pulled together and grievedas a family, but I feel for youngpeople and children who mightnot have this and will need helpin other ways (bereaved youngperson).Around 1 in 29 children and youngpeople currently of  school age haveexperienced the death of  a parent,brother or sister1. Many others havebeen affected by the death of  someoneelse close: almost 78 percent of  11 to16 year olds report that a close familymember or friend of  theirs has died2and 70 percent of  primary schoolshave at least one recently bereavedpupil on roll3.The death of  someone closeinvolves the loss of  a particularrelationship at a particular time, anda wide range of  circumstances willaffect how an individual child oryoung person responds. Some childrensee a bereavement as a normal partof  growing up, while for others itwill be highly significant and life-changing. The meaning which thelost relationship had for the child iskey, and many other factors withinthe family and the community – andaround the death itself  – will affecthow they respond4. These includewhether they expected the death tohappen, whether they feel a senseof  responsibility about it, how theirsurviving parent or carers are coping,and how much support is available tothem and their family following thedeath.A child or young person’s age,understanding and prior experiencesSupporting bereaved childrenOne child in every classroom is likely to experiencethe death of a member of their family, yet too oftentheir needs are overlooked writes Alison Pennyhttp://www.teachingtimes.comThis month’s Featuresof  loss affect how they experiencegrief  and the sort of  support theyneed. As a young person gets older,the meaning which a death has intheir life can change, and they canrevisit their grief, experiencing andexpressing it in new ways, particularlyat times of  further change or loss.Some deaths such as suicide ormurder can be particularly difficultto deal with, and traumatic stressreactions among children andyoung people can complicate theirexperiences of  bereavement5. Adeath in the family is often followedby further upheaval such as movinghouse, taking on new roles androutines, and adjusting to newfinancial circumstances. In time, theremay be new relationships to get usedto. For some children, the death of  alone parent may result in them beingtaken into public care if  there is no-one available to look after them.Despite the range of  factorsimpacting on children’s grief, somereactions are common, includinganxiety; vivid memories; sleepdifficulties; sadness and longing; angerand acting-out behaviour; guilt, self-reproach and shame; school problemsand physical complaints6. Manyof  these reactions can be difficultto manage in school. Children’sgrief  can be intermittent and thiscan be disconcerting to the adultsaround them who find it difficultto understand how a child can bedistressed at one moment, andwanting to go out and play the next.Bereavement can be particularlydifficult in the lives of  childrenand young people who are alreadydisadvantaged, or who haveexperienced multiple losses7. As lifeexpectancy varies by geographyand socio-economic group, it islikely that children in disadvantagedcircumstances experiencebereavement more frequently, whilealso being less able to access support.Strategic responsibilityThe needs of  bereaved childrenand young people are increasinglymentioned in national child andend-of-life care policies, but there isstill much work to be done to makethis meaningful at a local level. TheChildhood Bereavement Network’ssurvey (‘Grief  Matters for Children:a Call to Action Briefing Paper’)revealed that only 18% of  localauthorities are picking up the specificneeds of  bereaved children in theirstrategic planning for children, despitethese needs often differing significantlyfrom those of  other vulnerablechildren. 47% (n=23) of  the samplereported that the needs of  bereavedchildren and young people are pickedup within a wider aspect of  needwithin their Joint Strategic NeedsAssessment or Children and YoungPeople’s Plan. 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Theyare more likely to have an anxietydisorder10 and to have poor healthbehaviours11, and bereavement mayhave effects on mental and emotionalhealth into adulthood12.Stay safeAfter a death, children and youngpeople are often anxious about theirown safety and that of  survivingrelatives.13 Some report being bulliedabout their bereavement, and somewho are already vulnerable seem to be http://www.teachingtimes.comThis month’s Featuresat increased risk of  abuse.14Enjoy and achieveChildren, parents and teachers reportdifficulties at school arising from poorconcentration, lack of  interest"
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Special Needs

Supporting bereaved children

4 Nov 2010

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      string(247) "What are the healing powers of nature? Research is increasingly telling us that exploring the natural world can improve wellbeing. Can it also help schools tackle children’s mental health problems? Carl Dutton and Jaya Chandna think so."
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      string(5695) "fun.This might then lead to a small action-based drama based on a theme they have already looked at prior to going out into thegarden – for example, what they imagine might be in the garden and how might they want the garden to be. This discussionallows children to imaginatively explore what might take place and encourage the young people to speak in the role of aplant, insect, stone, etc as if they were it for a moment. They can explore a dialogue in roles of plant, shadow, insect, etc, todiscover what each needs in the space or how the other relates to them.Art as therapyArt can be used to enhance the sessions by allowing the young people to create plant hangings when a theme might requireit. In one group, the children had all suffered from a family member dying recently and during the session they wanted away of marking the loss. As a group they decided on hanging a comment/picture on a plant they had planted to rememberthe person they had lost. Each young person shared their piece of art or writing with each other in the larger group whichallowed time to reflect on the loss and also make connections with others who had similar feelings.www.teachingtimes.com n Vol 3.6Conditions: mental health Every Child Journal19Following reviews of the work done with thechildren and young people, we developed theuse of horticulture as a standalone intervention ina number of schools although the use of art andpsychodrama has been used at different moments.Horticulture as therapyWe all know that being outside in the garden, in awood, in a park, or climbing a hillside or any othernatural environment can lift our spirits, make usfeel good, give a sense of achievement, be a placeto reflect, and challenge us. Horticulture in its ownway can also offer us these opportunities but witha skilled and supportive person can offer us muchmore in terms of relationship with the externalenvironment of the classroom and also with fellowpupilsThe benefits of horticulture therapy havebeen highlighted by many in different areas inthe use of horticulture and near nature. In theirbook The Healing Fields , Sonja Linden andJenny Grut make reference to the importance ofenvironmental psychology which is concerned withunderstanding people’s responses to both naturaland built environments, where ‘natural’ can bebroadly interpreted as describing the presence ofvegetation. They also highlight studies which haveshown that being in nature gives city-dwellers andpeople subject to high levels of change a feeling ofcontinuity and dependability.In William Bird’s interesting report for the RSPBNatural Thinking, he states, “by disconnectingfrom our natural environment, we have becomestrangers to the natural world – our own world.” Thishas challenged our sense of identity and in somemore subtle ways has had a significant affect on ourmental health.In the work done with the children andyoung people we have seen both through theirinteractions with the garden and through thejournals which they are encouraged to keep how, atthe outset, they often complain about the gardenand being outside – “it’s muddy, it’s horrible, and it’stoo cold” – before becoming ever more connectedwith the garden. And with it their relationships withothers develop. “I like being outside, I have takencare of the plants, I like getting my hands dirty.”Keeping the journals has had the additional benefitof helping us as therapists understand what beingoutside with others and taking care of the space hasmeant to the young people.At one school, the learning mentor reportedthat the children would come back to continue towrite in the journals and ask to check on the plants.In particular, he noted that one boy’s literacy hadhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Healing-Fields-Working-Psychotherapy-Shattered/dp/0711220271http://www.rspb.org.uk/images/naturalthinking_tcm9-161856.pdfVol 3.6 n www.teachingtimes.comConditions: mental healthEvery Child Journal20increased and he felt it was linked to the keeping of the journal. His confidence had alsoimproved because he enjoyed being outdoors and was doing something that gave himsatisfaction.How does your garden grow?The horticultural intervention begins by identifying which individual pupils are toparticipate and also what land is to be used. Identifying the pupils to take part dependson the focus of the group, so in previous years the Haven Project has had groups workingwith Asylum and Refugee children, mixed groups of Asylum, Refugee, and Looked AfterChildren, children who have lost someone significant, and a group with those identified assuffering emotional and behavioural issues.The important factor in all of this is to have pupils who have a commonality or themethat can be shared and understood between them. This helps bring the group together inthinking and feeling about the same kind of story and experience.The children and young people involved have the opportunity to meet and discusswith the team what is involved and how we will work together. This allows them to make achoice about attendance as the intervention is voluntary.The other aspects when considering setting up a horticulture therapy group of anysort is finding a piece of land which you have sole access to, which is protected, and whichis accessible. This is really important because the space used needs to be a place that feelssecure and safe- just like any therapy space, it should have a place to be active, a place tobe quiet/reflective, and a place to be a group working together.The initial phase of the group is like any meeting up which includes"
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Special Needs

Can nature nurture?

21 Oct 2013

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      string(338) "... unwilling to risk the loss offace that seeking and failing to capture the interest of thegroup might cause. They tend to echo stories already told,responding to a story with a story that reinforces the pointbeing made – and therefore the status of the teller.It is important to establish from ..."
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      string(5693) "the lessons about how much I hadlearned about them and me and the learning. They werefantastic at pinpointing what had interfered and what needsto change, including their own approach in two cases. Weare moving forward –  really. Even in a short space of time,the group dynamic has visibly changed and now completelydifferent characters are contributing to the group work  andtaking a lead.’Some schools such as Community School in Somerset,are using this enquiry-based approach within speciallytimetabled ‘Learning to Learn’ sessions. Others, such asCorbridge Middle School, Northumberland have placedit within extended weekly tutorial sessions. Two othermiddle schools in Northumberland have plans to use itwith smaller ‘intervention’ groups of vulnerable children toboost their motivation, engagement and self-esteem, andin Lancashire, it has been incorporated within the OpeningMinds Curriculum (RSA project). Elsewhere, schools aim totie it in with their coaching programme and base their CPDprogramme around the issues that emerge from the jointstudent/teacher enquiries.Example 2 –  a student-designed programmeThis second example describes a programme just begunwith students in years 9 and 10 in two NorthumberlandHigh Schools. It uses an approach known as NarrativeEnquiry – a form of co-operative investigation that usesstorytelling as a means of reflecting on and processingexperience. Rather than using a specially commissionedstory, as with Thinking Through School, students are insteadinvited to craft their own stories about their experiencesof learning, thus creating the stimuli for the programmethemselves.Story has existed in every known human society. Likemetaphor, it seems to be everywhere: sometimes activeand obvious, and at other times fragmentary, dormant,and tacit. We encounter it not just in novels and films andconversations, but also as we look around a room and seeobjects that have history, or wonder about an event or thinkabout what to do next week. If you were to count everyinstance of story that you encounter in the course of a day,the number would not be just one or two but more likelyin the dozens, if not greater. One of the important wayswe perceive our environment is by anticipating and tellingourselves mini-stories about that environment based onstories already told. Often unconscious, storytelling isone of the fundamental ways in which we make senseof information and experience. In this project, it is usedexplicitly as a strategy to help students explore theirexperiences and communicate their ideas.A second feature of the project is the way in whichthe depth and richness that narrative enquiry can bringis combined with the clarity and detail of the scientificmode of enquiry – the two modes of enquiry are used tosupport and compliment each other. As one moves alongthe path of scientific enquiry one needs to call on formsof expression to give meaning to what may otherwisebecome arid and ungrounded concepts. Similarly, theemotional depth stimulated by storytelling can become anunhelpful torrent of feeling without the rational control andconstraint of scientific enquiry. Stimulated by the insightsgained from their stories, students go on to devise small-scale research projects which they use to explore their ideasfurther or test a developing hypothesis. In both modes ofenquiry, the necessary language, thinking skills and ‘habitsof mind’ that all good learners need are again put underthe spotlight. As one year 10 teacher commented:‘It teachers students the language they need to converse inthis way – the language of feeling as well as the languageof thinking.’Project Outline. A visual overview of the project can beseen in fig. 1. What follows is a more detailed project outlineand explanation. The first trial is still under way, but wherespecific examples exist, these have been included.‘Year 7 students reporting back their findings as aCommunity of Enquiry.57Teaching Thinking&Creativity  Vol 8:2www.teachthinking.com   stories for thinkingFig. 1Using storytelling to create a student-designed ‘Learning to Learn’ programme – an overviewCreating storiesReducing the risk. It’s important to be aware of the socialdynamics of storytelling. In any ordinary social contextthe storytellers are those with the most power. The lessinfluential initiate fewer stories, unwilling to risk the loss offace that seeking and failing to capture the interest of thegroup might cause. They tend to echo stories already told,responding to a story with a story that reinforces the pointbeing made – and therefore the status of the teller.It is important to establish from the outset, therefore,the value of each person’s experience and the benefits ofcommunicating it. Invite students to form small groups orStory Circles. In a class of thirty this will mean 5 or 6 groups.Friendship groups are best initially unless you are workingwith a class with an already well-developed culture of trustand co-operation. In a group explicitly formed for thepurpose, storytelling authority is distributed more broadly;each member is given permission, and empowered to makea contribution.As a warm up activity, each student group or Story Circlewas challenged to create and then tell a story using a largeset of quirky, amusing pictures as a stimulus. Intuitivelywe all know what a story is but it is worthwhile askingthe students, at this stage, to decide what the crucialingredients of a story should be – and to draw up their ownguidelines. Some of their ideas are recorded in fig. 2.To generate the"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Telling stories

14 Feb 2008

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