Teaching strategies

Embedding Emotional literacy across the curriculum as well as opportunities for explicit teaching (Linked to Teaching Standard 3) e.g. as part of PSHE/ circle time:

• This may include schemes such as Zones of Regulation:
  • A Curriculum For Emotional Regulation
  • Jigsaw PSHE The Mindful Approach to PSHE, Well-Being, SEL
• This should include a particular focus on language around emotions. For example, pupils may say that they have ‘anxiety’ but instead may feel worried about a particular scenario, and the feeling passes when the problem is solved. Suggesting that they do not have anxiety disorder but have been feeling worried for a brief period. It is important for pupils to recognise and be able to articulate how they are feeling and recognise when this is ‘normal’ and when this may be an ongoing feeling which interrupts their daily life and is therefore a sign of a mental health problem.

Opportunities to develop social skills are embedded into the curriculum and where required are explicitly taught, for example, problem solving approaches for the playground (linked to Teaching Standard 3). Other examples of how these could be developed are:

• Opportunities for group work and paired work in the classroom.
• Opportunities for play embedded in the curriculum and the school day.
• Peer-mentoring roles.
• Extracurricular clubs.

Staff who consistently and confidently use a range of de-escalation strategies (Linked to Teaching Standard 7), which could include:

• The use of approaches such as P.A.C.E. (Playful, Acceptance, Curious and Empathetic- Dan Hughes).
• The use of distraction or appropriate humour.
• Change of face (changing the adult supporting the child who is becoming dysregulated).
• Low-arousal responses from adults such as self-awareness of body language, facial expressions and tone of voice and how these impact on communication.
• Use of emotion coaching techniques such as ‘wondering aloud’.

Transitions which are prepared well in advance using a range of support tools (linked to Teaching Standard 7). This may include:

• Regular reminders about upcoming changes or transitions in a range of formats (consider both written and verbal reminders).
• Opportunities for pupils to discuss any questions or worries they have about upcoming changes with a member of staff they trust.
• Opportunities for pupils to speak to those who may have been to new places to get their views on this (for example, perhaps Year 6s speaking to Year 7s about secondary school transition).
• Opportunities to look at photos/ videos/ websites/ reviews of new places.
• Teaching pupils to transition successfully from whole class spaces to individual or smaller group tasks.
• Planning a mindful induction for young people joining the school at both the beginning and throughout the academic year as required.

Use of a planned seating plan for all lessons, promoting a sense of belonging for all pupils, in all lessons (Linked to Teaching Standard 7):

• Seating should consider pupils’ individual needs for example; it may be beneficial for those who find it difficult to concentrate to sit at the front, close to an adult, who can keep them on task and support their focus. On the other hand, it may be beneficial to consider a seat at the back for a child who is hypervigilant and needs to see the whole room, to reduce the need for them to turn around.
• When seating pupils in groups, consideration should be given to sitting pupils alongside positive role models.
• Planned carpet spaces may also be useful.

Opportunities for pupil voice to be gathered and used. This means a commitment to gathering, listening to and considering the experiences, views and wishes of young people (Linked to Teaching Standard 2). This could be through:

• A “suggestion box” placed in a central location.
• Use of apps such as Mind of my Own: Education.

Access to an adult in school that a child trusts to be consistently emotionally and physically available (linked to Teaching Standard 7). The Key adult’s aims in creating the relationship with the pupil will be to help them to:

• Manage their feelings by receiving sensitivity of response from the key adult who attunes herself to the child.
• Develop an increased sense of self-esteem and positive inner working model by experiencing acceptance.
• Feel effective by being engaged in relationships with both adults and peers.

Use of a range of methods to share positive feedback (linked to Teaching Standard 7):

• Consider using a positive reward system which encourages conversation and acknowledgement at home such as certificates or postcards which are sent home.
• Consider how positive moments (no matter how seemingly small) could be captured through a “Good News” book, home-school communication book or scrapbook.
• Consideration should be given to sharing positive news with parents/ carers in front of pupils to include them in positive communication and to ensure they can see partnership working between school and home. If communication is not positive, this must take place through different channels.

‘Fresh start’ culture; taking each day as an opportunity for a fresh start and not continuing to raise difficult situations which have already been dealt with (Linked to Teaching Standard 7).

Ensure there is enough time for young people to process then respond to or carry out instructions and requests (linked to Teaching Standard 5). Pupils with SEND may have delayed cognitive processing times which may not appear obvious but should be thought about.

School and classroom routines are taught and refreshed regularly and reinforced through a range of means (linked to Teaching Standard 4). Visual resources and timetables act as an accessible and consistent reminder for pupils, no matter their reading ability. They are also supportive to young pupils and pupils whose first language is not English (Linked to Teaching Standard 7). Examples of resources could include:

• Visual timers to demonstrate time left/ passed on a task.
• Visual timetable boards including “now” and “next” tasks.
• Visual task lists which enable pupils to see what has already been completed and what is left to do, to support focus and encourage a sense of achievement.
• Displaying learning objectives and outcomes in every lesson, for all pupils. This could be on the board or in individual workbooks.

Consistent and predictable routines for all pupils, to ensure that they understand expectations and to support emotional safety (linked to Teaching Standard 7). Regular and consistent routines have been shown to reduce levels of stress and anxiety.

High expectations of all pupils, no matter their needs or background. All professionals should have aspirational expectations for all young people (Linked to Teaching Standard 1).

• Regular check ins with pupils to ensure that they have understood what is being asked of them, to address any misconceptions or misunderstandings quickly and efficiently (Linked to Teaching Standard 6). There are several ways to complete this:
• Non- verbal gestures such as giving a thumbs up/ thumbs down.
• Providing pupils with traffic light-coloured cards to be displayed discretely on their desk to indicate levels of understanding.
• Verbal check in completed by teaching assistant/ teacher.
• Question/ answer feedback.
• Asking pupils to discuss their learning with an adult.

Ensure pupils are aware of Kooth (linked to Teaching Standard 5). A web based confidential support service available to young people. Young people can have text-based conversations with qualified counsellors and/or access regular booked online counselling sessions as needed: Home - Kooth

Language used by school staff should be consistent and clear (linked to Teaching Standard 5):

• This should include using pupils’ names at the start of the sentence to ensure pupils are listening and aware they are being spoken to.
• This should include chunking instructions and not overloading pupils with information/ demand.
• Language should separate pupils from their behaviour and recognise that these are separate entities.
• Teachers should be aware of any reasonable adjustments in place for pupils with a speech and language need and/ /or SEND where additional processing time is required or instructions need to be repeated verbatim and not changed etc.

Opportunities to boost pupil self-esteem and confidence should be employed (Linked to Teaching Standard 2):

• Considering opportunities for pupils’ likes and interests to be incorporated into learning to give them experience of being “the expert”.
• Giving pupils a classroom responsibility or year group/ whole school role such as a prefect, peer mentor or head boy/ girl.

Emotion Coaching (Linked to Teaching Standard 7)

This technique uses moments of heightened emotion, resulting in challenging behaviour, to guide and teach pupils more about an effective response to their emotions.

Scaffolded Teaching and Learning (Linked to Teaching Standard 2):

A pedagogical approach to supporting all learners from their individual starting points to reach a shared goal. Different learners will require different support to reach the end goal and the scaffolding put in place should reflect this.