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behaviour support. Each young person is treated with dignity and respect. All
staff wear a uniform so that young people understand they are there to help.
The school uses a range of both proactive and reactive strategies to support
young people in learning to self-manage behaviour. All behaviour is seen as a
form of communication and is managed in a positive way by teaching young
people to substitute more appropriate behaviour. We do not use punitive
methods or sanctions.
There is considerable expertise within the Positive Behaviour Support, therapy,
senior management and wider staff teams in supporting challenging behaviour.
Each young person has a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Plan which includes
proactive and reactive strategies to support them in learning to self-manage
behaviour and ensures a consistent approach is employed throughout the Waking
Day. It is reviewed regularly by the Positive Behaviour Support team, Home
Manager, Keyworker, Class Teacher, Therapists and other professionals within
Prior's Court School. Strategies are carefully considered by all staff concerned,
often in consultation with parents. We have had considerable success with our
young people in this area.
We have adopted the Team-Teach approach using de-escalation and positive
management techniques, further details of which may be obtained from the
Director of Education & Lifelong Learning or the Director of Care Services.
A key element in supporting behaviour is the use of the TEACCH system of
structured teaching with structure in the organisation of the day and the layout
of classroom and living spaces. Regular exercise and the use of areas of space
within Prior's Court School campus are also part of the strategies to reduce
anxieties and learn to self-calm.
Further support:
The residential and education departments are supported by an extremely
experienced Senior Leadership team and onsite multi-disciplinary teams. See
section two for further details.
Supporting the young person to make choices and give their views:
Choice-making and expression of views can be difficult for many of the young
people at Prior's Court and therefore self-advocacy is seen as an important skill
that often needs to be taught.
Young people are encouraged to make choices in everyday
situations such as what to wear, in selecting preferred
leisure activities and through the 'choice' option within their
schedules.
Strategies including Choice Mats and Talking Walls help
young people comment on their lives, communicate their
likes and dislikes in a number of areas as well as enabling
them to express who they would like to work with to
support them. Young people are able to add pictures,
symbols, photographs and small objects which helps to
create a concrete and visual system through which the
young people can express themselves.