Since taking over as Headteacher at Spa Academy Askern in Doncaster, I have seen a clear need for whole school professional development. Early on I identified the need to have clear focus on building strong and positive relationships with pupils, that help engage them in all aspects of school life and make them feel valued as individuals.
Through our partnership with Right To Succeed (funded through The Big Lottery) we commissioned Paul Carlisle from Enable to come into our school and work with us through a programme focussed on restorative justice. He worked with all our staff. Together, we explored the impact our actions and words have on others, and how we can develop more positive interactions with our pupils. We started seeing a difference quickly; after just three sessions we could see the impact across the school. The environment is much calmer; adults are using more positive language and there has been a drop in the number of behaviour incidents involving out most vulnerable pupils. Trusting relationships are emerging between pupils and staff.
The focus now is on making sure we keep up that momentum. Monitoring systems are being put in place and further staff training is planned to ensure we continue to develop consistency in our approaches and harness this success for the future.”
Reach is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. Read more about the programme here