What behaviour support programme do we use at Red Gates?
At Red Gates School we have a Behaviour Support Team made up of 2 non-class based members of staff. As trained PROACT-SCIPr-UK® instructors they are responsible for overseeing training, recording and implementation of behaviour strategies in the school. The behaviour support team are also available to support class teams and pupils during periods of dysregulation.
At Red Gates School we have used PROACT-SCIPr-UK® for over 10 years. It is a system that was first developed in New York and has been revised by the Loddon School and is now nationally recognised and implemented throughout the UK. It is specifically promoted and accredited by the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD) and the Restraint Reduction Network (RRN)
The focus of this programme is to assist individuals to maintain self-control, to enable all staff working with people with learning difficulties and behaviours that challenge to engage in proactive methods of positive behaviour support.
PROACT-SCIPr-UK® emphasises proactive and preventative strategies which integrates entirely with the individualised person-centred planning and visual communication advocated by Red Gates.
The PROACT-SCIPR-UK® gradient is helpful in outlining how much of the techniques and training are directed to different strategies.
The PROACT-SCIPR-UK® gradient is helpful in outlining how much of the techniques and training are directed to different strategies.
70% – Proactive Strategies which would include independent community choices, relationship building, substitute skills, environmental modifications.
20% – Active using Positive Techniques including positive reinforcement, addressing immediate needs, teachable moments.
10% – Reactive using calming techniques, physical interventions, behaviour plans and consequences.
Understanding Behaviour
All behaviour has a purpose and at Red Gates we work on understanding behaviour and the functions behind it. Underpinning the school’s values is a comprehensive understanding of the link between behaviour and communication, recognising that behaviour is communication. Through proper interpretation, understanding, meeting needs and enabling children to communicate their needs and desires effectively, it is possible to reduce challenging behaviours.
We like to liaise with parents and carers regarding behaviours to try and work out why a child may be displaying them. Sometimes behaviour can be down to changes in routine, discomfort/pain, illness etc. Our aim is to support the child to meet their needs before they resort to any challenging behaviour.
We also complete a Functional Analysis which consists of data gathering, recording and a questionnaire to give a definitive purpose behind the behaviour. This will then help us to tailor specific strategies for each child on an individualised basis.
Behaviour Support Documents
All pupils at Red Gates have a Behaviour Support Document as we recognize that all pupils require a personalised approach to help meet their needs and reduce the need to communicate distress through challenging behaviours. Pupil’s individual risk assessment and incident recording data help to determine which document will be appropriate to meet their individual needs. There are three levels of document based on the support requirements needed for each pupil, throughout their time at Red Gates pupils may move from one document to another as their needs change. The documents use the PROACT-SCIPr-UK® gradient to clearly outline which area the strategies fall into.
Behaviour Support Documents are reviewed annually in the Autumn term by the Class Team/Behaviour Team and are discussed and agreed by parents. If there are changes to behaviour over the course of the year they will be updated as required and shared with parents. Behaviour Support Documents are shared with Transport and ensure that consistent strategies are being used by all staff that work with each pupil.
The three types of Behaviour Support Documents are as follows;
Behaviour support Considerations: BSC’s are used for pupils which display low levels of behaviours that challenge. Strategies within these documents fall exclusively in the Green / Proactive zone and are broken up into Environmental, Skills teaching and Direct intervention categories.
Behaviour Support Needs: BSN’s are used with pupils that may move into a more active phase with their behaviour. These require more clearly outlined strategies for when they are beginning to escalate challenging behaviours.
The documents more clearly outline possible behaviours that a pupil may show and what they are communicating through those behaviours.
The strategy portion of the document contains the Green/Proactive zone with it’s Environmental, Skills Teaching and Direct intervention categories. BSN’s additionally have a Yellow/Active zone and provide instructions for how to de-escalate more challenging behaviours and teach coping skills/redirection strategies to support pupils.
Behaviour Support Plans: BSP’s are used for pupils that may go into crisis and cause harm to themselves or others.
The document will clearly outline how a pupil may present when they are in their baseline, active and crisis emotions and what they may be communicating through those behaviours.
The strategy portion of the document contains the Green/Proactive zone with Environmental, Skills Teaching and Direct Intervention categories. The Yellow/Active zone and instructions for how to de-escalate more challenging behaviours and teach coping skills/redirection strategies to support pupils. Additionally the BSP’s have a Red/Crisis zone which focuses exclusively on de-escalation and keeping everyone safe while the pupil is in crisis. This section will outline any physical interventions or restrictive practice which is agreed with parents to be used as a last resort. Parents will be informed the same day if a pupil has gone into crisis and required any restrictive interventions as detailed in the Physical Intervention and Recording section below. Behaviour Support Plans will also clearly identify recovery strategies to support a pupil following a crisis incident.
Communication
Communication is such an important part of our pupil’s lives and something that they can find the most difficulty with. Communicative difficulties will often contribute to individuals becoming dysregulated. At Red Gates we aim to support pupils communication needs so that they can communicate with us appropriately rather than resorting to challenging behaviour which can come from the frustration of not being understood.
Staff use a total communication approach which includes strategies such as: objects of reference, Makaton signing, symbols and photos. These all help pupils to learn and predict what will happen next and what is expected of them which can help reduce anxiety and uncertainty.
The Behaviour Team, works closely with class teams, SaLT and the Communication Support Assistants to ensure that classes have the strategies and resources required to support pupils communication.
Proactive and Positive Support
As stated above we know that all behaviours of concern have a function. Through the understanding of these functions we are able to put in place proactive and positive support to help address the underlying needs of a pupil before they need to communicate through dysregulation. Supporting communication, developing emotional regulation strategies and meeting sensory needs all play a role in helping to develop pupils to better understand and communicate how they are feeling and what they need.
When pupils do become dysregulated, we respond through meeting their needs, minimising reinforcing responses and supporting pupils to co-regulate.
Positive behaviours are reinforced through praise, wow’s, celebration in the moment and communicated home through the home / school books and certificates.
Chill Out Rooms
At Red Gates we have 3 specially designed chill out rooms which help provide a low stimulation calming environment for pupils which may be becoming overstimulated or showing signs of distress. These rooms are fully padded and equipped with beanbags, LED lighting and an integrated sound system through which relaxing sounds/music can be played.
The rooms provide a safe and calm environment in which 1:1 sensory input can be provided or a pupil may take the opportunity to simply relax and self-regulate.
Physical Intervention and Recording
PROACT-SCIPr-UK® provides a structure of support that minimises the use of physical intervention. Such interventions, when used, strictly adhere to the code of practice outlined in the Department for Education and Skills ‘Valuing People’, (July 2002), and British Institute of Learning Disabilities ‘Code of Practice’, (2010).
PROACT-SCIPr-UK®’s whole approach curriculum has been certified as complying with the Restraint Reduction Network Standards (RRN)
PROACT-SCIPr-UK® and Red Gates have a policy that entails only using physical interventions as a last resort and if one is necessary to keep the child, other pupils and staff safe. We have a rigorous recording policy and record when physical interventions have been used. When restrictive interventions have needed to be used it is our policy that parents will be phoned the same day that the intervention occurred. During the phone call you will provided with the context that the intervention occurred in as well as the length of time the intervention was used for. We can also use this opportunity to discuss any changes in behaviour or routines that you may seeing at home.
Planned physical interventions are listed on Behaviour Support Plans, discussed with parents and recorded. If they are used parents will be called the day that the incident occurred to discuss.
Please see the schools Behaviour Policy for further information
Sensory Support
Our pupils can have difficulty with sensory processing which can lead to behaviours that challenge. At Red Gates we aim to support our pupils with their sensory processing through the use of chewies, weighted blankets, sensory diets, the use of swings and playground equipment, sensory circuits etc.
These strategies are put in place with the advice and support of our OT team in co-ordination with our Behaviour Support Team.
Understanding Ourselves
For self-regulation, understanding our body signals and emotions is a must!
Clear awareness of your body signals not only gives you important feedback about exactly how you are feeling (for example, feeling content, happy or anxious), it also gives you valuable information about the situation at hand. (for example, what you are doing or where you are makes you feel content, happy or anxious). In cases of dysregulation, your body signals also serve as an alert that your internal body balance is off and motivates you to take action by doing something that will restore the internal balance and help your body feel more comfortable. In other words, noticing the way your body feels is what motivates purposeful self-regulation behaviours.
For many of our pupils their inner interoception experience may be unclear or confusing. They may not be able to feel what is happening in their body, or may struggle with understanding what they mean. Or their internal sensations may be so overwhelming that their body feels unsafe on a daily basis.
With this in mind we have now introduced use of the Interception Curriculum (Mahler, 2019) and Zone’s of Regulation (Kuppers, 2011) curriculums to help support pupils in developing awareness of their body signals, their emotions and what strategies will help support them in managing how they are feeling.
These curriculums help us break down the complex and often abstract concepts of interoception and regulation using simple common language and visual structures making them more concrete for pupils. Through developing pupil awareness of these signals we can begin to develop tools and strategies to support more independent regulation.
If you would like more information about the Interoception Curriculum please see https://www.kelly-mahler.com/
If you would like more information about Zone’s of Regulation please see https://zonesofregulation.com/
