« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
BETTER BEHAVIOUR: PROMOTING POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR IN SCOTTISH SCHOOLS
Out of Sight Out of Mind?
'This place has done everything. Makes me good in school, try to be good anyway. Helped me to stop skiving - helped me not to be cheeky. Helped me do my work. We have a laugh. They talk to me about school and why they have rules. They say I need to calm my behaviour down and not to be cheeky to teachers cos it just gets me into more problems. They talk to my Mum and Dad - they talk to the school as well and tell them what I've told you - why I am being bad.'
A minority of pupils in Scotland spend time being educated or supported outside of school. For some, this means sessions during the week for a short period to address specific difficulties such as the child's behaviour. For some children, when attendance at school is not possible, longer full-time periods in alternative provision is the best solution. This helps the issues to be addressed before pupils can return to their school successfully. Parent and family support work is often a feature of this provision. Later in school, alternative provision for some older pupils is part of an authority's approach to a more flexible curriculum.
There are excellent examples of these approaches throughout Scotland, representing the best of partnership working to achieve inclusion in mainstream education. The work is often developed in partnership with voluntary sector organisations seldom recognised as important contributors to the education community. However, the establishment of the Pupil Inclusion Network Scotland (PINS), will ensure that organisations providing support to schools for pupils with challenging behaviour, or alternative provision for pupils excluded from school, have an opportunity to network and share their practice.
Both national and local organisations recently came together at a Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) national event, where high on participants' agenda was more effective partnership working with schools, authorities, and the Scottish Executive. The Executive agreed to support the new network and to facilitate joint national conferences between PINS and education authorities.
« Previous | Contents | Next »