identifying need and monitoring interventions PATHWAY OF SUPPORT
This pathway is aimed at providing staff with the skills to identify the wellbeing needs of all within the school community including ways to monitor the impact of interventions. We are excited to launch this new pathway of support. The pathway currently consists of one evidence-based training session delivered on Microsoft Teams and one-to-one specialist consultations to support staff to apply the knowledge and skills taught practically in their settings.
Mapping onto the Ofsted Inspection Framework and Relevant Guidance
The Identifying Need and Monitoring Impact Pathway of Support maps onto key elements of the following guidance:
Ofsted Inspection Framework: When inspecting the quality of leadership in and management of the school Ofsted inspectors should consider the effectiveness of monitoring and evaluation and the extent to which it is shared with governors. They should also consider how well the school meets the needs of all vulnerable groups of pupils. Assessing and responding to the emotional health and wellbeing needs of children and learners, and taking steps to mitigate the impact this has on their capacity to learn could provide supportive evidence in relation to all key judgement areas: the achievement of pupils at the school, the quality of teaching in the school, the behaviour and safety of pupils at the school and the quality of leadership in and management of the school.
Department for Education (2021) Promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing guidance: There are a variety of tools that education settings can use as the basis for understanding and planning a response to pupils’ emotional health and wellbeing needs. The tools range from simple feedback forms to validated measures which can focus on both wellbeing and mental health. Defining pupil need on a more formal basis can help to inform commissioning decisions at school/college level, across clusters of schools or at a local authority level. It is equally important to be able to record and monitor the impact of any support that is put in place.
NICE (2022) Social, emotional and mental wellbeing in primary and secondary education guidance: The guidance recommends settings have clear guidance when identifying students at risk of poor social, emotional and mental wellbeing and employ universal interventions that align with the whole setting approach (e.g. student-to-trusted adult support); consider the cumulative effects of risk and protective factors; and use multiple sources of information, that may include validated tools, when assessing a child’s needs (1.2.6; 1.3.1; 1.3.2; 1.3.5; 1.3.6; 1.4.1). .
Department for Education and Department for Health (2015) SEND Code of Practice: All children and young people are entitled to an appropriate education, one that is appropriate to their needs, promotes high standards and the fulfilment of potential and identification should be built into overall approach to monitoring the progress and development of all pupils (6.1; 6.5).
TrainING SESSIONS IN THIS PATHWAY
Identifying Need and Monitoring Impact
What is this training about?
This session will introduce you to a range of methods for identifying, assessing and understanding pupils’ emotional wellbeing and mental health needs.
What will you learn and gain from this training:
This session will help you learn practical ways to identify and assess pupils’ mental health needs. You will be introduced to a range of effective methods for assessing mental health difficulties, and have opportunities to practice these during the day.
You will learn ways to effectively use the outcomes of assessments to help yourself, young people and families better understand mental health needs, as well as ways to use assessment to help inform intervention plans and requests for support from external agencies.
We will continue to build our Identifying Need and Monitoring Interventions Pathway of Support. If your setting has a particular training need then we would be very keen to hear from you to see if we can meet this. Please contact our service at lehss@lancaster.ac.uk.