Pictured: Head teacher Aileen Hart (left) and Service Manager Kerry Drinnan (right) talk to Chief Executive Kenneth Lawrie (right) about Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC).
Shouting and the laughter could be heard as soon as you stepped into the playground. Crowded round a new piece of sporting equipment, five pupils and their teachers eagerly watch the table tennis match to see who will score the winning point.
Ping, pong, ping pong … back and forth the ball goes. A mishit by the teacher followed by a split second of silence as the ball falls and bounces on the concrete. A celebratory roar erupts from the pupils as they congratulate their friend, and the teacher gracefully accepts defeat.
Buoyed by the win, the pupils say hello to Chief Executive Kenneth Lawrie before heading back inside to learn about aerodynamics with the help of a toy aeroplane. The activities, all part of a Science Technology Maths and Engineering (STEM) Day, were designed to engage the children and young people who attend the Inclusion and Wellbeing Service (IWBS) in Laurieston.
Philosophy
The IWBS takes a holistic approach to learning, mental health and wellbeing. It encourages resilience and self-responsibility. Its dedicated and passionate staff work closely with each pupil and their families and carers to build on their individual strengths and find coping mechanisms that work for them.
As well as providing outreach services - where IWBS staff currently support 500 children and young people in mainstream schools - the service provides specialist in-reach primary and secondary provision at its base in Laurieston. It's here that the staff support 42 pupils who have been assessed as having social, emotional or behavioural needs that cannot be managed full-time in a traditional school setting.
Pictured: Kenneth (left), Hayley Addy, Principal Teacher for Primary (centre) and Aileen (right) discuss the Scottish Government's investment in early learning and the impact it has had on children most in need of support.
Individual needs
At the campus, the children and young people access small group or 1-1 provision and a curriculum structured around their needs. They also have access to highly supportive pastoral care designed to safeguard their physical and emotional welfare.
Aileen Hart, Head teacher, explained: "The young people we work with are all fabulous. We recognise many have very individual needs and that they all bring with them different abilities, experiences and family circumstances. Often, they need additional support because their behaviour can be challenging. By offering them a safe and secure environment with a positive ethos, we provide pupils with individual support that is responsive to their changing needs."
Kerry Drinnan, Service Manager, Children’s Services added: “There is a belief that the IWBS is a therapeutic service that can “fix” a child. That is not what we do; that is not our ethos. We support and help understand the needs of the children and young people we work with. That allows us to build a curriculum around them which helps them achieve in a supportive, stable and positive environment.”
Pictured: Kenneth watches pupils learn how physical activity affects their heart rate as part of a STEM day.
Achievement
During the 2021/22 academic year, pupils supported by the IWBS achieved the highest number of formal qualifications than ever before – over 400 SQA qualifications were achieved by 20 young people from S1 to S5.
But academic achievement isn't the only measurement of success at the IWBS. How far a pupil has come on their own personal and emotional development journey is key – and that includes teaching them how to control their emotions.
"Our focus is on behavioural regulation and emotional understanding, underpinned by literacy and numeracy," Aileen said. “Together with our young people we figure out the strategies that will work for them, as they are all individuals with different needs.
“Amongst other coping mechanisms, we help the young people recognise when their emotions start to get heightened, and how they can self-regulated using an emotional scale of one to five. If they near a three the strategies we have taught them start to kick in.”
As well as providing core subjects such as Maths, English and Science, the pupils take part in a wide range of activities that provide learning opportunities in a less traditional way – from tending the school garden to visiting Equine Outreach and taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.
Aileen said: “We also have a bike academy. Taking pupils out on bikes gives us an opportunity to speak to them outside of school in a safe environment. The academy also provides pupils with a way to learn new skills by dismantling and building their own bikes.
“It’s about using different techniques to focus their energy and spark an interest, gain skills and build self-confidence. Our pupils are some of the most disadvantaged who, for a whole host of complex reasons, lack support and a family network. Our role is to give them support and provide as many opportunities as we can to help them reach their full potential.”
Pictured: Kenneth (left) speaks with Craig Hutchinson, Principal Teacher Secondary (right), about the vital work of the IWBS and the role the staff have in helping children and young people achieve.
Kenneth said:
"Visiting the service gave me a greater understanding of the tools and techniques staff use to help pupils build self-confidence and channel their energy into learning and personal development. Every member of staff I spoke to was passionate about their work and what could be done to better support pupils at the base and in mainstream schools. They understand the pressure that is on the service - and the Council - and the challenges the children and young people face. Their drive, dedication, care and commitment shone through, as did the positive influence they have on the pupils that they work with."