Counselling – Primary Provision
Our Counselling Service has continued from the work of the Education Action Zone (EAZ). We have had a team of 10 counsellors including Gary Hartley-Trigg, who has lead the counselling service. The counsellors have come from a wide range of differing experiences and disciplines which has provided a breadth of expertise in Educational Therapy, Solution-focused therapy, Transactional Analysis, Play Therapy, Psychodynamic Counselling as well as Humanistic or Person-Centred Counselling.
The focus of this provision has been with children, aged 5-11, in Cluster primary schools. The team has provided targeted support for children who largely experience emotional barriers to learning. Through interventions like art therapy, sand-tray work, therapeutic groups, anger management and self-esteem groups, the counselling has helped children to establish coping strategies. The ultimate aim was improved personal, intellectual and emotional development of those using the service.
The Children’s Fund Medway (CFM) provided the service with targeted funding to support children with complex needs. This funding has enabled the service to provide a more flexible response to the needs of the children.
For example, a project was run at Twydall Junior and Infant School to support children with physical disabilities and their families. CFM also managed a small grant from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) which was used to provide help for children who needed longer-term work or whose backgrounds were particularly complex and were involved with several other agencies.
All junior schools in the Cluster have had a self-esteem group running in their school by two of the counselling team. Reports from staff were encouraging and often indicated that schools had been able to see a marked difference in some of the children who have attended these groups.
The service has re-branded under the name of ‘Counselling in Schools’ (For more details see www.counsellinginschools.co.uk). As such, the service is able to offer work outside the contract with the Excellence Cluster. For example, if a school wants to have a group run with specific individuals and can fund that separately, the service can arrange this.
A Counselling Framework is also in the process of being set up. The framework will be open for all schools in Medway to use. The schools will sign up to the framework, which will give them access to a range of counsellors. When the schools need a counsellor, they will ring the Framework and request one – they will be allocated one, depending on that counsellor’s specialism, and on a rotation basis.
To be a part of the framework or to find out more please contact: sheena.bolland@medway.gov.uk 01634 337369
Learning Support – Secondary Provision
Learning Support Units (LSUs) vary in their approach from school to school but do have some common guiding principles. They should be an integral part of the school’s approach to learning and behaviour support, providing separate short-term teaching and support tailored to the needs of pupils with difficult or challenging behaviour.
Both New Brompton College (NBC) and The Robert Napier School (RNS) have developed their own LSUs. NBC’s plans for their LSU contained provision for an Internal Exclusion Unit to cover the first day of exclusion and to tackle persistent low level disruption. Their LSU has developed a flexible approach to their students and works with groups, pairs and individuals in a variety of areas, ranging from academic subjects such as numeracy and literacy to social skills training, ASDAN courses and careers advice. They have an LSU manager and assistant manager with a range of other staff such as Teaching Assistants, the School Nurse, Family Liaison Officers and Behaviour Support Staff.
RNS has expanded their LSU provision by offering additional support for young people on the verge of permanent exclusion with an alternative hours curriculum programme. This programme ensures those young people a way of continuing their education. The number of pupils supported by the LSU has expanded with the additional funds providing more staff. In addition the students are now supported by a staff member when they reintegrate back into their mainstream classes.
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