Background
The personal support offered to pupils in Scottish schools has long been a strength of the system. In pre-school settings, primary and special schools, class teachers and practitioners have always assumed a caring role towards children and young people and have contributed greatly to their personal development and to their support in times of difficulty.
In secondary schools, guidance teachers have taken a much valued specialist role in supporting young people and in working with other agencies for the benefit of young people.
What is personal support?
The main purpose of early years settings and schools is to help children and young people learn.
During their time at school they experience a period of constant and sometimes rapid development. At times this is very challenging for children and young people and uses a lot of their physical and emotional energy, which may reduce their capacity to learn.
All children and young people at all stages of education should be able to expect a high quality of personal support. Schools should offer to help them with their personal development, and assist them to deal with decisions and concerns throughout their time in the school.
We should also offer help to those with particular needs, which are sometimes best dealt with through partnership working with other agencies. Effective personal support leads to better achievement.
Who should offer personal support in school?
Parents, relatives and friends are invaluable in offering support to children and young people, both for their normal day-to-day experiences and also when life is more challenging.
All staff in schools also have a role to play in personal support. They can do this by helping children and young people develop the skills and qualities they need to mature and to help them with decisions that will affect their future.
Staff also play a vital role when specific difficulties arise, whether they are the normal difficulties associated with growing up or the more complex problems of a particular individual.
All school staff have a part to play in personal support through getting to know children and young people and responding sensitively to them. Teachers who take the time to do this can have an enormous impact on pupils' development into confident individuals. Pupils whose personal needs are met are more likely to learn well.
Children and young people also have an important part to play in offering support to others in the school and through doing so can develop a greater individual maturity.
Better Behaviour - Better Learning
The report of the Discipline Task Group, ‘Better Behaviour - Better Learning’ (Scottish Executive, 2001), acknowledged the wide-ranging issues facing staff in schools and confirmed the importance of early intervention at nursery and primary school.
Among its 36 recommendations was a review of the nature and purpose of guidance at primary and secondary school levels and the training of guidance staff. It also recommended the integration of different kinds of support provided in school through learning support, behaviour support and guidance.
As a result the Scottish Executive set up a National Review Group on Guidance.
Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential
‘Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential: the National Review of Guidance’ was published by the Scottish Executive in February 2005. It is equally relevant to primary, special and secondary schools.
‘Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential’:
- describes the principles for the development of personal support in schools
- sets out 10 standards for personal support in schools that all young people can expect from primary, special and secondary schools
- clarifies the roles of school staff and local authorities in the provision and development of support to pupils
- recognises the role of partner agencies in supporting pupils and assisting staff in schools to provide support
- gives examples of different approaches to providing personal support in school.
Curriculum for Excellence
Every child and young person is entitled to personal support to enable them to gain as much as possible from the opportunities which Curriculum for Excellence can provide.
- review their learning and plans for next steps
- gain access to learning activities which will meet their needs
- plan for opportunities for personal achievement
- prepare for changes and choice and be supported through changes and choices.
For more information check out Building the Curriculum 3.
Health and Wellbeing
Curriculum for Excellence has an important role to play in promoting the health and wellbeing of children and young people and of all of those in the educational communitiess to which they belong. There are strong connections between effective, successful learning and health. All staff have a responsibility for health and wellbeing. Further information is available on the Curriculum for Excellence website's section on Health and wellbeing.