Behaviour Support Service

The Behaviour Support Service seeks to foster educational and social inclusion by helping to maintain and support where possible, successful placements for pupils who present challenging behaviour, in their local mainstream schools and communities.

The service also aims to raise pupil achievement through the support offered to pupils, schools and their parents.

The service contributes to school improvement and is working towards the development of multi-agency models of service delivery on pyramid/cluster or locality basis.

The Behaviour Support Service operates at Key Stages 1,2 and 3 across the county. Team members are based in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) and link closely with the work of the PRUs.

The service is underpinned by a set of principles which can be summarised as:

• Support for staff in schools
• Support for children experiencing difficulty in managing their behaviour
• Development of inclusive approaches
• Raising the educational achievement of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties
• Early identification and intervention
• Active involvement of carers and parents for support
• Offering high quality provision of services
• Promotion of other agencies with involvement

The service offers:

• Direct support to maintain pupil placement which might include:
• • Individually tailored packages
  • Small group work
  • Support in lessons
  • Observation and discussion with, and advice to teachers.
  • Work with parents
  • Short term or part-time placement in a Pupil Referral Unit
• Partnership in developing flexible Key Stage 4 provision.
• Support for managed transfers between schools – both for the current school and the receiving school.
• Support for both pupil and receiving school where the pupil is to be integrated into a new school following permanent exclusion. Support to be given both prior to and following placement.
• Training and development work with staff in schools and partner organisations.

Allocation of support

All clusters of schools are given an allocation of time from the service. Through pyramid network discussions between school staff and Behaviour Support Service staff time is allocated to schools. This locality-based model of service delivery encourages and develops partnerships between schools to work collaboratively to support pupils who present challenging behaviour.

Management of the service

The Behaviour Support Service is directly managed by Pupil Referral Unit Heads. PRU Heads are turn managed by an Area Senior Education Officer (Pupil Services). A county working group made up of Headteaches and Officers oversees the development of the service.

Area Pupil Services Team contact details