Behaviour support services

A behaviour support service is part of the local authority (LA) and works in partnership with schools, within a framework of inclusion, to help them promote positive behaviour, and to provide effective support to pupils, parents and schools where behaviour is a concern and may have an effect on achievement.

Context

Parents and schools have the main responsibility for promoting good behaviour. But local authorities play an important supporting role, providing schools with some form of behaviour support service.

What do they do?

The precise nature of the services provided by a local authority's behaviour support service will vary between authorities, as will the composition of staffing, contractual arrangements with schools and arrangements for local referral routes. However, all are likely to provide both preventative services and direct support services for children with behavioural difficulties.

Most behaviour support services will provide at least the following core services:

• Advice to schools on developing and reviewing school behaviour policies
• Advice and training for schools (teaching and non-teaching staff, including midday supervisors) on strategies for preventing and dealing with problem behaviour
• Individual support work with children
• Group work with children for example Circle Time, peer mediation schemes, anger management, problem solving, conflict resolution
• Support for special educational needs co-ordinators (for example, through networks)

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide for the education of children who are educated otherwise than at school. Some behaviour support services include pupil referral units (PRUs) as part of their service.

A PRU is a service delivered by the local authority to provide education for children who are excluded, sick or otherwise unable to attend mainstream school (eg school phobics). The focus of PRUs is on moving pupils back into mainstream school as quickly as possible.

As part of its preventive approach, a behaviour support service may provide support to particular groups of children thought to be at risk because of behavioural problems, such as looked after children, children transferring to (or reintegrating into) a new school placement.

Behaviour support services may also work with a range of other providers to support school-age mothers, pregnant pupils and young offenders in secure accommodation, to help prepare for their reintegration into mainstream education.

In December 2002, the Secretary of State launched a national behaviour and attendance programme; this comprises universal and targeted elements.

All secondary schools have now been provided with audit and training materials and consultancy support, as part of the behaviour and attendance strand of the secondary national strategy. A comparable behaviour and attendance strand of the primary strategy, including curriculum and training materials, has been piloted in 25 local authorities. The 'social and emotional aspects of learning' (SEAL) programme is now being rolled out in primary schools nationally.

Every local authorities should also have at least one behaviour and attendance consultant working as part of the secondary national strategy. The consultant's job is to strengthen schools' capacity to manage behaviour and attendance through advice, training and coaching, giving priority to schools with significant behaviour and attendance issues. This person should formally link with the behaviour support service.

The targeted element of the strategy focuses on particular schools in disadvantaged areas through the Behaviour Improvement Programme (BIP). As part of this programme, many local authorities have also established at least one multi-agency behaviour and education support team (BEST).

Who works there?

Every behaviour support service has its own dedicated specialist teachers and teaching assistants, but services also work closely with a range of other practitioners, including educational psychologists, education welfare officers and counsellors.

Some services include practitioners with specialist expertise in supporting children with particular needs, such as children with an autistic spectrum disorder, for example.

Behaviour support teams are sometimes merged with those providing other closely related services, such as pupil referral, education welfare or educational psychology, for example. Whatever the local arrangements, behaviour support teams will have to work closely with a range of other services.