Julie Leoni, emotional literacy coordinator at The Marches School, explores how we help young people to understand the difference between aggressive power and positive power
What can be achieved by SEAL over three years? Educational psychologist Cate Summers takes a look at results in the London Borough of Westminster
What does the Children’s Plan have to say about shaping up a more emotionally literate education system?
The new guidance on restraining pupils is essential reading. Jenni Whitehead discusses the powers it gives and some of the dilemmas it poses
Working in a multi-agency environment to positively engage targeted young people, Paul Rogers explains why no two days are ever the same
Primary learning mentor Ayub Malik explains why he is proud to be working with children experiencing barriers to learning
Is the pressure of school life too much for young children? Roger Smith investigates
Starting and changing schools are big transitions. Former headteacher Lynn Cousins shares advice on handling these and less common times of change that children experience
Julie Leoni, emotional literacy coordinator at the Marches School in Shropshire, reflects on the need for teachers to take risks if they are to encourage creative risk-taking in their students
Three years after they first started practising Philosophy for Children, Year 6 children, one parent and two of their teachers recorded what the experience had meant for them. We publish below an edited excerpt from the resulting DVD
Susannah Temple uses concepts from transactional analysis to highlight an important psychological issue for teachers in developing their own identity as effective practitioners
The happiness programme at Wellington College in Berkshire is described by Anthony Seldon, the master, Ian Morris, head of philosophy, and two Year 12 students
Do G&T children have more than their fair share of social-emotional difficulties? Kalliope Emmanouilidou looks into the research and challenges some stereotypical views
Some participants in a phone-in programme about the roll-out of SEAL thought that happiness could not or should not be taught, and that it was simply a question of ‘common sense’. Emotional literacy coordinator Julie Leoni explains why she disagrees
A recent Ofsted survey of 28 good or outstanding PRUs sought to identify what contributes to effective practice. It also reveals some of the barriers to it, including insufficient data from schools and LAs and inadequate decisions about long-term placement
Elizabeth Jarman looks at the impact of the physical learning environment on young children’s speaking and listening skills
Michael Fielding, professor at London’s Institute of Education, argues that we need to think a lot harder about what we mean by personalised learning if current developments are to engage people actively in their learning
Principal Ian Johnson describes how an extended school day and a high level of community involvement are central to the strategy for raising achievement at The Marlowe Academy in Ramsgate
SEELS (School Emotional Environment for Learning Survey) is a valuable tool to help schools build a more emotionally literate ethos through SEAL
Raising Achievement Update summarises the useful learning that emerged from the secondary pilot of the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning programme
Some people think that children under five are too young to express opinions, but Sara Bryson and her colleagues found ways of ensuring that babies and children were at the heart of the decision-making process
Educational psychologist Alan McLean summarises his model for understanding how teachers can motivate their students
A study conducted by Pam Qualter and her colleagues at the University of Lancashire explores the role of emotional intelligence in supporting students as they move to secondary school
Waiting for the birth of her second baby boy, drama teacher and head of emotional literacy Julie Leoni reflects on the difference between teacher time and mummy time
Juliet Neil-Hall discusses the importantance of attachment and meeting the emotional needs of young children and their parents
Annie Beaumont says that honesty, respect and trust are the foundations for getting on together
Jeremy Cunningham shows how schools can ensure ‘just’ disciplinary procedures
Julie Leoni, head of emotional literacy at the Marches School in Shropshire, found her thoughts about attachment and trust challenged by the experience of acting as a support for a girl giving policy testimony about being sexually abused
Raising Achievement Update looks at a book that describes practical ways of meeting the challenges of implementing circle time in secondary schools and why it can be so valuable
Raising Achievement Update looks at what the eight school case studies included in the secondary SEAL resources had to say about how schools can shape an emotionally literate ethos
In an extract from his book, Making School Work, headteacher Andy Buck describes how he views the challenge of shaping a climate for learning at Jo Richardson Community School
It will take understanding and patience to shape a situation where all schools focus as much on wellbeing as on attainment argues Colleen McLaughlin, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education in Cambridge
Yeading Junior in Hayes has evolved its strategy for putting emotional health and wellbeing at the centre of the curriculum. Headteacher Carole Jones describes how
How can we help young people deal better with the losses they experience? Secondary drama teacher and SEAL coordinator Julie Leoni reflects on her own experiences
Toby Wood and Nick Guest describe how they have encouraged implementation of the SEAL materials in Peterborough primary schools.
Judith Harwood, senior regional adviser on the secondary strategy for school improvement, reports on the breadth of the pilot work being undertaken in secondary schools to promote Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL).
In the first episode of her diary, drama teacher Julie Leoni writes about reconciling her emotional literacy programme with the school’s focus on targets and achievement.
Judith Harwood, senior regional adviser for the primary and secondary strategy, describes what one school has been learning from its involvement in the Social, Emotional and Behavioural Skills (SEBS) pilot.
Heather Clapp, until recently a behaviour and attendance adviser in Gloucestershire, presents thoughts and reflections on one authority’s experiences of engaging with the pilot programme for Social, Emotional and Behavioural Skills (SEBS).
Graham Haydon responds to the prominence of wellbeing in the news
Christine Fanthome outlines practical strategies for students to aid examination success
The pressures created by a high-performance culture made it difficult for the children at one primary school to learn and collaborate. Tamara Bibby, a lecturer at the Institute of Education in London, explains
What happens when your child AND your partner are both at home sick? Secondary drama teacher Julie Leoni discusses the issues raised by her experiences
A learning partner can help you influence your organisation to move in a more emotionally literate direction, as Peter Sharp, director of learning for MouchelParkman, explains
In this month’s in-depth focus Anne De A’Echevarria talks about the Thinking Through School approach to learning-focused innovation. She describes the model and, using examples, explores successful implementation in schools and how the impact can be seen to be more than school-wide.
Staff soon discovered that it was more than just a ‘learning to learn’ scheme. Liz Solomon describes the challenges and insights gained from trialling Thinking Through School.
Evidence is emerging in Scotland that links secondary school pupils’ progress and emotional intelligence to the use of philosophical enquiry as a learning approach in primary schools.
Sue Roffey describes her way of thinking about how to relate more deeply with students in the classroom.
Using attachment theory, educational therapist Heather Geddes elaborates on James Wetz’s idea that behaviour is a form of communication about social and emotional experience that we need to understand before we decide how we are going to intervene.
Emotional Literacy Update takes a look at the learning aims that the secondary curriculum review hopes to put at the centre of the KS3 and KS4 curriculum from autumn 2008.
Julie Leoni describes how she tried to do justice to the voices of young people in her presentation to the Antidote conference.
This is what secondary drama teacher Julie Leoni and Bristol Learning Initiative director James Wetz said at a recent Antidote conference about the emotional factors that need addressing if we are to close the achievement gap.
Neil Hawkes outlines a values-based approach to school improvement.
Nikki Parker advises on how to help young people survive family disruptions.
James Park reflects on the progress of personal, social and health education.
Graham Haydon explores the role of moral constraint in influencing behaviour.
Psychologist Sylvia Clare discusses the importance of physical touch in helping children and young people reconnect to learning.
Bob Jelley argues that success is essential since, for many youngsters, a teacher may be one of the most significant male role models in their lives.
Counselling is often touted as a solution to challenging behaviour and as a way of meeting needs that are beyond the scope of a school’s pastoral care mechanisms. But is it? Adrian King, independent health education consultant and qualified counsellor looks at what it can realistically deliver.
In a second extract from his book, psychologist Steve Killick describes two approaches to engaging young people in problem-solving conversations.
Drawing on his personal and professional experiences, Mark Prever highlights the importance for schools of actively seeking ways to enhance the emotional wellbeing of their pupils. He also makes the case for pupils to have an entitlement to counselling.
Antidote director James Park and development director Marilyn Tew describe the challenge that schools face if they are to address a decline in student wellbeing between Years 5 and 10.
Marilyn Tew takes a look at what the Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training has to tell us about whether current strategies will improve the education on offer to teenagers.
Claire Maxwell and Ian Warwick highlight some ways in which student mental health is being addressed in colleges of further education
Mark Jennett clarifies why schools and colleges need to talk about homosexuality.
Graham Haydon argues that we must go beyond vague references to values.
In an edited excerpt from his new book, clinical psychologist Steve Killick writes about the importance of listening to young people.
Christine Fanthome shows how students can gain essential employment skills.
Secondary drama teacher Julie Leoni writes about how she teaches through the darkest days of winter
Jenny Fox Eades writes about the Celebrating Strengths project, which uses the Christmas story to explore emotions around hope and spirituality
Former headteacher Tim Small, a member of of ViTaL Partnerships, introduces some excerpts from his colleague Ruth Deakin Crick’s new book on learning power and the effective lifelong learning inventory (ELLI).
A new programme from the charity Samaritans links in with current initiatives to create an emotionally healthy culture in schools.
In the first of two articles, Jenni Whitehead explores present understanding and research on how abuse experienced in childhood affects the child’s developing brain function and how this in turn affects learning.
A lot more effort needs to go into developing young people’s emotional and social skills, writes behaviour adviser Amanda Whitehead
Teacher and group facilitator Celia Baly describes the challenge of getting out of the way so that children and young people can talk about how emotions affect their experience.
Susannah Temple, Giles Barrow, Julie Leoni and Trudi Newton describe how teachers can use the principles of transactional analysis (TA) to build relationships that stimulate learning.
Emotional abuse is more difficult to prove than physical abuse. Jenni Whitehead looks at how emotional abuse is defined and how it can be recognised.
Programme director Claire Finka writes about how the Sheffield-based Juniper programme helps children find a way to cope with stress.
Daniela Sommefeldt tells how a national programme for specialist leaders of behaviour and attendance is empowering those who attend it and inspiring them to move forward to bring about whole-school improvements in their own school context.
G&T coordinator Peter Leyland explains how one Luton primary school has found that this thinking technique benefits everybody – students, more-able students and even staff.
Victims of homophobic bullying often have no one to turn to for support. Former headteacher Roger Smith highlights the importance of the fight to eradicate this form of destructive behaviour.
James Park, director of Antidote, explains the benefits for everyone in creating and leading an emotionally literate school and shows how it can be done.
Extending vocabulary when talking or listening to children is a good way to develop their emotional language. Margaret Collins describes two ways of doing this.
Colin Noble explains how achieving national healthy school status supports the new ‘whole-child’ agenda.
A new study guide by Quakers makes a valuable contribution to peace, finds Brian Walker.
David Cattell explores the comparative strengths of vertical and horizontal systems of pastoral care.
Preparing sixth-formers for their first weeks of university life has long-term benefits. Dr Christine Fanthome describes how to make the most of independence.
Chris Cowan explains how theatre in education can be a powerful tool in teaching sex and relationship education and other PSHE and citizenship topics.
Young people discuss bullying, citizenship, fair trade and social responsibility. Friday 25th February 2005 – transcript.
What happens when a porcupine moves in with a load of moles? Using a hypothetical dilemma from the animal world, Dr Graham Haydon explores the perspectives adopted by female and male students.
If pupils feel safe, secure and, above all, happy at school, they are less likely to play truant and the atmosphere is more likely to be conducive to learning.
The DfES is to trial parent support advisers in 600 primary and secondary schools from September.
Many schools participate in National Storytelling Week (held in January), organised by the Society for Storytelling. This article describes how traditional stories can help to address difficult emotional issues, and stresses the importance of letting children and young people find their own meanings in the stories that they hear.
If schools are to help tackle self-harming behaviours, says the final Report of the National Inquiry into Self-Harm among Young People, they need to ensure that young people have opportunities to talk about their fears and anxieties.
Groupwork needs a bigger role in classroom practice, according to the findings of the SPRinG (Social Pedagogic Research into Groupwork) project, carried out over five years by researchers at the universities of London, Cambridge and Brighton.
Amelia Wallington looks at the powers available to teachers of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties — and says risk assessment is vital.
What duty of care does a school educational psychologist owe a pupil and, if the psychologist is negligent, what damages will the LEA be liable for?
Michael Wilson, Lecturer in Education Management, and Jon Prosser at School of Education, University of Leeds.
School culture is a term that curriculum managers are having to pay more attention to in nearly all areas of their job. But how do you identify what culture prevails in your school, understand the implications this has for your curriculum leadership, and from there make changes for the better? Jon Prosser, Director of International Education Management at the University of Leeds, shows how.
The government is encouraging primary schools to set up school councils.
Since September 2005, as part of the new framework for inspection for children’s services, schools are expected to demonstrate how they are contributing to the five national outcomes for children stipulated by Every Child Matters and the Children Act 2004.