Brynmill Primary School (Swansea) - Tailored pastoral support for Service children

1.    What challenges do the Service children face at Brynmill Primary School?

• The children anticipate their father going away and the sense of loss this is going to bring
• The children suffer from separation anxiety when their father is away on deployment. This impacts upon the children’s emotional wellbeing and their behavior and effects their ability to;

1. Resolve conflict with their peers
2. Concentrate on their learning when they are upset
3. Understand their feelings

• When their Dad is deployed, he is not able to attend parent meetings, class assemblies or concerts as other parents would. The children love and miss their Dad coming to school events during deployment
• Previously, the children were reluctant to come to school because they did not want to leave their mother while their father was away.

2.    What strategies and support have been put in place at Brynmill Primary School?

• The Lead Worker/ Teaching Assistant supports the children in a child-centred and child-led approach, initially building a trustful, respectful working relationship with the child, which is crucial and the foundation for the children to feel safe to talk
• The Lead Worker/ Teaching Assistant uses a counselling model based on Rogers and Egan. They talk about what they are finding difficult and challenging so that the Lead Worker/ Teaching Assistant can tentatively make suggestions for possible ways forward
• The Lead Worker/ Teaching Assistant uses ‘Team around the Family’ materials that stimulate discussion and gives an insight into how they see their world.  In some instances, they use emotion and problem cards for the child to identify what they see as their problem. Team Around the Family support books are also used namely “Me and My World”
• The Lead Worker/ Teaching Assistant uses an Eco-map to talk about family relationships and their network of support
• Sessions are available on a one to one basis with both children, weekly, to ensure that their emotional needs are met and that if they have any worries, they are able to talk about them
• The children talk about their network of support at home and who they can talk to at home and school if needed
• The children have an allocated Lead Worker/ Teaching Assistant in class for support which helps with their concentration with learning. The children do not like to be singled out, however they prefer to work in groups, and this is a strategy that works well for the children
• We use published material from a range of sources, relevant to age and understanding of each child with the aim of raising their self-esteem, belief and confidence. The children respond well to opportunities to draw, which seems to make it easier for them to engage with the focus of the learning e.g. getting along with others. In some respects, the approach is more important than the material prompting discussion
• As the  Wellbeing Leader, I use ‘Exchange Counselling Service Resilience’ cards with the Service children and utilise my training
• in Emotional Coaching
• Eco-maps to have a better understanding of relationships within a family and the children’s network of support (Example: eco map guidance and template)
• Emotion boxes can be accessed easily around the school, where children place notes regarding any concerns they have
• One of the Service children has been using a Worry Monster to place any worries or concerns they have inside.