An edited version of this piece will appear in the NAPE magazine in May 2021. Regular readers of my blog, may notice that I have updated some previous examples I have used in another piece I wrote in the Autumn Term 2020.

In her latest piece for NAPE, Michelle Prosser Haywood, SEND Lead at the University of Wolverhampton Multi Academy Trust, discusses transition plans and the ABC of behaviour management in the context of returning from National and Local Lockdown arrangements and what we can learn from this in the context of learners with SEND.

During all the National Lockdowns, learners with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), who had an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) were considered vulnerable and were able to attend school, if their parent/carer wished them to, in some cases similar arrangements were made for learners receiving School SEND support, learners awaiting external agency support and/or were in receipt of a draft EHCP, where provision had yet to be identified.

Some of this group of learners stayed at home, whereas others attended school usually in a bubble of mixed aged pupils, but for all them, different arrangements may have been made depending on individual circumstances.  There is no doubt that as a result of these differing practices which we have adopted over the last year, to meet this range of learners the way that we work with our learners who are identified as having Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND), may encourage us to think differently.

During lockdown one, we started to see some of these initial changes, through temporary changes to legislation, and evaluate what the impact of these changes may be after lockdown ended.

These first changes, mostly centred around using reasonable endeavours and the production of risk assessments. Reasonable is a word which is used in the SEND Code of Practice (2014), in terms of both endeavours and adjustments but the production of risk assessments as a concept is not commonly associated and used within the context of learners with SEND.

Transition Plans

The process of using risk assessments encouraged schools to ‘anticipate’ a learner’s response, on return to school and develop a transition plan. Although risk assessments were no longer required, during the Autumn term many schools continued to use them as good practice, especially as there have been subsequent lockdowns, whereby this has been required again to assist a learner’s reintegration back to school after a prolonged absence.

After establishing medical concerns and levels of vulnerability, where elements such as;’ is a learner exempt from wearing a mask?’ for example, individual plans, may have included, a staggered school start and a shorter day to support a learner with the new routine. Other learners, may have needed shorter days for alternative reasons. Working at home, for example, may have been preferable to some, rather than attending school, where there may be less sensory interaction and unpredictability.

ABC

Transition plans taking the format of an ‘anticipatory’ element can be continued to be used, when learners move between key stages or to new schools and settings and they could be tied to an ABC model of behaviour (Antecedent, Behaviour, Consequence). The Antecedent is the trigger, and when returning from the lockdowns, these have been anticipated to some extent for us, as learners have more than likely experienced learning loss and lack of routine, which have to be re-established.

However, the antecedent can be unexpected and can arise in any situation, even whilst setting out the layout of the classroom for example, which includes where desks are placed, where learners are seated and what displays look like, as these can all be triggers of negative behaviour. For many learners with SEND, the biggest impact on returning from a lockdown has been this loss of routine and structure, and the familiarity of their own homes, where they feel safe.

More broadly, this could be considered true of any transition from class to class, key stage to key stage or school to school, where a learner is in an unfamiliar setting. Once a learner has shown a negative behaviour, we have to be careful that it does not become a habit, so the consequence is just as important as the antecedent. If a learner receives a ‘reward’ for their behaviour, whether it is positive or negative, this still provides some gratification and they may try and repeat the behaviour to receive the same response. Common examples are learners being asked to leave a lesson, when they have been finding learning difficult and standing in the corridor is a reprieve from this.

The development and confidence of delivering online learning and teaching, may have taken away some of these stresses, as learning has been more tailored to the individual circumstances. Many learners will have individual learning plans or calendars which may include some monitored interventions, such as Lexia or Flash Academy. Most schools will now have up to a year’s worth of online learning opportunities which can be used in class, to differentiate and group pupils. Many lessons have been recorded, so these can be paused and replayed. There are also more laptops in schools, so more monitored interventions can take place.

Examples

We must remember though, that we cannot always predict what might happen, and we may need undertake further evaluation, to understand the ABC, whereby we assess a situation on a day-by-day basis.

Ruhella for example, was always late for school, and when she arrived, she was cross and angry, so she provoked arguments with teachers. An Early help Assessment, found that her family could not adjust to the everyday rhythm of getting up at the same time, accommodating other family members and leaving the house at the same time every day and her Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) identified that she had sequencing difficulties, and she has had several targets around telling the time.

Her lateness and struggle with a new routine had been anticipated but her behaviour was not and it was her daily outburst when she arrived which she then struggled to calm down from which was causing her and staff managing her behaviour a problem. Ruhella’s sequencing difficulties had an impact on her recall, and she was unable to articulate coherently, why she was cross, but with the help of a social story she and her parent started to understand her routine in the morning and the steps they all have to take to get ready to school.

Like Ruhella, Bart was also been struggling with the return to school but he did not want to leave his Mum and brother, clinging tightly to them and when he did eventually go into school. He often ran around the school rather than going into his classroom. In his classroom he was unsettled and frequently ran out crossing bubbles as he did.

After a discussion with Mum, it appeared that some of the behaviour could be anxiety driven, as there were signs at home, such as difficulty sleeping, bad dreams and bed wetting. The initial behaviour was rectified by a transition toy, helping Bart to feel safe and secure in his new class with a new teacher, which was brought into school and swapped with a tangle toy. He would then keep the tangle tool in his pocket and take it out when he needed it and at the end of the day the tangle toy was swapped back, so he could take his own toy home.

Often behaviour will take time to unravel and assess the trigger.

This can be compounded by additional needs such as Speech and Language difficulties and Autism, so we should ensure that our good practice around behaviour includes space for informal learning, flexibility, and there is time to be responsive to our learners throughout the school day.

Some suggestions for managing behaviour for learners with identified SEND

• Consider factors outside the school, including family and friends and develop good relationships with parent/carers. Parents/carers know what works for their child at home and similar strategies may aid transition and help establish a sense of safety within the school environment
• Develop ways to help learners articulate their behaviour and how change can be supported. Younger learners will need tools such as social stories and comic strip conversations and older learners may be able to respond within scaffolded conversations, identify the causes of their behaviour and work on targets to change it
• Remind learners of the rules, and consider that some learners may need more reminders to correct their behaviour and different ways to remember them. Can visuals as well as written rules be used around the school? Can a Film be made of the behaviour expected, and be posted on the school website?
• Keep any rules positive, ‘Remember to wear your face mask’ is better than ‘Anyone seen not wearing a face mask will get detention at lunch time’
• Recognise in learners when their behaviour might change and in which locations. Can an adjustment made in the school corridor, if a learner’s behaviour changes when they walk to another location in the school?
• Has enough transition work been completed? Do learners know the new routines, are teachers and other learners in the class unfamiliar?
• Continue to Assess, Plan, Do and review, daily if required, less often if the behaviour is changing