Agenda item

Ian Pearson introduced the report (Agenda Item 9), which aimed to provide an update on the behaviour and PPEP care projects undertaken as part of the Invest to Save initiative.

The report detailed work undertaken, including a new approach called Therapeutic Thinking. This approach had been received very positively by schools.  Evaluation results of the training and engagement days undertaken as part of the Therapeutic Thinking project were detailed under section four of the report. The recommendation was for High Needs Block (HNB) to continue investment in this area.

The report has been considered by the Heads Funding Group and although there was support for the Therapeutic Thinking approach, it was felt that the recommendation to fund a three year fixed term post of the Therapeutic Thinking Schools Officer, needed to be considered again once more information was available on the funding of the HNB going forward.

Ian Pearson explained that the project looked at managing behaviour in a different way rather than dealing with the symptoms. Hilary Latimer added that the training provided had asked attendees to consider children displaying behavioural issues as ‘unlucky children’ and this caused a different approach to thinking.

Gary Upton reported that school trade union members had discussed the concept of Therapeutic Thinking as a behavioural system. Staff had raised concerns about the issue of excusing behaviour rather than explaining. These concerns had been raised from teachers outside of the area. Ian Pearson suggested that the consultation results and feedback from schools on the Therapeutic Thinking Project be taken to the Education Consultation Meeting for discussion. David Ramsden commented that Therapeutic Thinking suggested that Headteachers look at poor behaviour from the child’s point of view and he thought that this could have been misinterpreted in some cases. Suzanne Taylor stated that it was important that this was noted if the work was to be rolled out.

Reverend Mark Bennett referred to the concept of invest to save and based on this, it could be more costly to pull funding from the project then to retain it. Ian Pearson reminded the Forum that £100k of funding had been allocated to invest to save initiatives. This money was a one off sum and therefore the Forum would then need to take a view of what projects had provided good value for money and decide if further investment should be made.

David Ramsden queried who was overseeing the process. Ian Pearson reported that at a previous Forum meeting it had been agreed that there should be an Invest to Save Strategy and secondly a post to deliver the strategy going forward.

The Chairman summarised that there was no desire to pull the funding from existing invest to save projects however, going forward they needed to be considered in context of the HNB as a whole, once further understanding on funding for the HNB was known. 

RESOLVED that the report was noted and that the recommendation set out in section 2.1 would be considered by the Schools’ Forum once more information on funding for the HNB was available.