This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Behaviour co-ordinator courses for teachers
08/01/2004
Education authorities are to receive £500,000 to train
teachers as behaviour co-ordinators.
The co-ordinators will be used to implement staged
intervention - a programme for improving discipline which
has been successfully piloted in some areas.
The cash announced today will be used to train teachers
in each school or school cluster as behaviour
co-ordinators. They in turn will then help colleagues take
practical steps to intervene early to improve classroom
behaviour.
East Ayrshire Council, which with Executive support
has been leading the way in piloting staged intervention,
will co-ordinate the training. All local authorities will
each be eligible for £15,000 to train teachers and adopt
staged intervention.
Education Minister Peter Peacock said:
"Today's announcement adds to a range of measures we are
taking to support improved behaviour in schools.
"We must do all we can to support frontline teachers in
addressing disruptive behaviour - behaviour which
undermines their ability to teach and pupils' ability to
learn. Providing quality training for teachers and school
staff is an important part of that and I am pleased we are
able to work with authorities to help them put effective
schemes in place.
"We have seen at first hand how successfully the staged
intervention system has operated in East Ayrshire and in
other pilot authorities. The real advantages are that it
is based on peer support for teachers and that a small
investment in training behaviour co-ordinators can create a
practical, long-term resource in schools, which can be
drawn upon by teachers as and when required.
"I want to see this success repeated throughout Scotland
so teachers are able to undergo the practical training that
will help them feel confident in their job. Local
authorities will have the flexibility to invest in staff
development programmes best suited to local situations.
"Even experienced teachers can benefit from refreshing
their perspective on managing behaviour and contributing to
the ethos of their school. Good training, liked the kind
offered through the staged intervention approach, is about
helping teachers to work out their own solutions and
effective approaches to use in the classroom."
Councillor Tom Farrell, Chair of the Education
Committee in East Ayrshire Council, said:
"There are already very positive signs emerging from the
adoption of staged early intervention to support behaviour
management in schools. Our principal emphasis is on
assisting class teachers to deal with behavioural
difficulties, and they welcome the support that they are
being given.
"I recognise the potential for staged intervention to be
a very effective support mechanism. I am committed to
offering maximum support to all of our teachers, not least
through professional development opportunities"
The staged intervention approach to managing behaviour
is based on a system developed in Birmingham. Its adoption
in Scotland was one of the main recommendations of the
Discipline Task Group.
Staged Intervention involves three stages.
Stage one looks at environmental factors, rather than
focusing on individual pupils. These changes are reviewed
after six weeks to see whether they have had the desired
impact.
Stage two occurs when concerns about behaviour are
ongoing, despite the implementation of stage one, and it is
perceived that difficulties may be stemming from a
particular pupil. Plans for individual behaviour are
introduced, and are usually designed to build on areas
identified in the earlier plan.
Stage three intensifies the individual behaviour plan
and may involve direct intervention and support from
outside the school.
A school nominates a teacher (at any level) who is
trained over a five-day period to become a behaviour
co-ordinator or coach. Their role is not to sort out all
the behaviour issues but to support teachers to develop
their own solutions to the problems they are facing in
class. The relationship between the teacher and the coach
is completely voluntary, confidential and supportive.
Training for staged intervention in Scotland will now be
co-ordinated by East Ayrshire Council. The Executive has
supported the secondment of a part-time development officer
(Maggie Fallon) and a full-time researcher (Tim Davidson)
to assist the network. All authorities involved will be
invited to attend regular meetings of the training network
to share progress and experience, and a newsletter will
update authorities on practice that is developing in
schools and other areas.
In 2004/05, all education authorities will be offered
£15,000 to support training for staged intervention, with
the aim of promoting positive behaviour and tackling
discipline issues. This funding from the Scottish budget
is in addition to the £10m already distributed each year to
implement the recommendations of the Discipline Task
Group's report.
The Executive will also keep a small reserve fund from
the £500,000 announced today to which authorities may bid
for additional funding to pilot new approaches to training
and staff development in relation to promoting positive
behaviour.