I work with children, young people and families SEMH Strategies SEMH Post-16 Strategies

SEMH Post-16 Strategies

Universal (ALL) : Students Needs

Student may periodically display emotional, social and behavioural difficulties and some students may have a short term mental health difficulty.

These difficulties may be the result of other underlying difficulties and circumstances such as a loss or bereavement.

This may mean they need some short term support but it should not be assumed that they have special educational needs.

Universal : Strategies

All students will require access to the following Intervention and Support approaches:

Curriculum differentiated appropriately to take account of individual needs.

Staff set personalised learning targets for all students.

Learning environment modified to take account of social and emotional needs.

Consistent behaviour management by all staff including regular reinforcement of positive behaviours.

Appropriate differentiation of the curriculum to ensure that students are motivated to learn and to minimise emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.

Learning environment approaches to develop social and emotional well-being (e.g. use of Circle Time, use of Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) resources)

Use of peer support systems across the learning environment (e.g. peer mediators and buddy systems)

Targeted (Some Students) : Student Needs

Some student’s emotional, social and mental health difficulties cannot be met by universal whole school or class approaches over a sustained period of time.

The behaviour may be disrupting the students progress with learning or the learning and safety of others.

These students will require a graduated approach which draws on increasingly detailed interventions and support approaches and where appropriate specialist expertise in successive cycles of assessment, planning, intervention and review; ensuring interventions match needs e difficulties may be displayed through withdrawn or isolated behaviours or through challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviours.

Targeted (Some Students) : Strategies

Some students may require the following additional intervention and support approaches.

Attention paid to seating arrangements which facilitate appropriate social contact, access to materials etc.

Support through flexible grouping strategies.

Additional adult support may be required at an individual or within a small group.

Support to develop social skills and emotional awareness may include:

Some 1:1 or small group work at times of need.

Structured activities to develop specific social skills in a small group.

Break and/or lunchtime support to engage in supported activities with peers

A small group support programme.

Support to develop ability to complete focus may include:

1. Provision of a distraction free work area on the edge of a group.

2. Activities which are broken into small achievable tasks. Activity breaks within tasks.

3. Timed activities with the use of visual prompts and reminders.

Support to develop ability to co-operate with setting and adult expectations may include:

A clear and consistently applied hierarchy of rewards and sanctions.

Additional social and learning opportunities (sports clubs, lunchtime clubs, opportunities to volunteer in community projects etc.) provided where possible.

Planned 1:1 or small group work where strategies for managing anger or conflict can be discussed and role played. Student may attend an in-house support centre either full time, during periods of stress, or on the basis of withdrawal from learning environments which trigger stress.

Home-Setting behaviour communication system in place.

Consistent approaches in place to manage behaviour by all staff support to develop emotional security and sense of belonging.

Placement in a nurture group.

Small group support activities

A weekly small group support programme to develop social skills including skills in recognising and managing emotions.

Interventions should be well-founded evidence based interventions.

Relatively few student’s difficulties are severe and longstanding and not a short term response to stress or traumatic events such as bereavement or family breakdown.

They may over a sustained period of time:

Display extremely withdrawn, self-harming or anxious behaviours.

Present a serious threat to their own or others safety.

Display particularly challenging, uncooperative, destructive and disruptive behaviours.

Respond to peers and adults with significant physical and verbal aggression or sexually inappropriate behaviour.

Have difficulty engaging with activities set by adults.

These students will require a graduated approach which draws on very detailed interventions and support approaches and specialist expertise in successive cycles of assessment, planning, intervention and review; ensuring interventions match needs. These students may require an EHC Plan

Strategies

In addition to the intervention and support approaches put in place at the targeted level these students may require:

Access to a more intensely focussed and a greater range of appropriate well-founded evidence based interventions.
A highly modified learning environment to meet the needs of the individual student. A high level of adult support may be required to provide:
A highly structured Individual Behaviour Plan.
Risk assessments which are regularly reviewed.
A high level of care and supervision.
Individual programmes used to develop social and emotional skills throughout the day.
Staff trained and skilled in supporting student with exceptionally challenging behaviour.
A secure, structured and safe learning environment.

Resources
FREE Beacon House Resources
Training on our Local Offer.
SEN Support: research evidence on effective approaches and examples of current practice in good and outstanding schools and colleges
YourSpace West Sussex Website

Download the PDF version of the Graduated Approach