2024 Age 9-11: Year 5/6 Feedback from Day 3

Sutton

Child 1

A school refuser who attended for 6 days during the first half of the Spring Term and 4 days during the second half of the Spring Term. As he stopped coming to school altogether, his mother took him out of the school.

Child 2

A girl with ASD and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). She comes from a trauma background. The school have been a steady base for her for years. Her mother told her that she might go to another school.

The girl destroyed the classroom, attacked the Head Teacher and destroyed relationships with adults and peers before she left the school.

Child 3

A boy with anger and anxiety. He never used to go on play dates but has grown in independence. He obtained a place in the local grammar school. The boy, who had a violent outburst about this, shared with staff that he had been told he couldn’t cry.

Staff helped him to know that he could show vulnerability; they showed him a video from footballer Ronaldo, who said, ‘Tears are my strength not my weakness’ when he was commenting on missing a goal. The boy successfully moved to the local high school, where his needs were met and where he felt more comfortable.

Child 4

A boy with undiagnosed autism. At times he had to be carried out of the classroom due to his outbursts. The parents didn’t agree that he was on the autistic spectrum until he was in Year 6.

The class teacher found that short, sharp, clear language helped. He has built a good relationship with the class teacher and has begun to respond to her.

Child 5

A boy with ADHD. He had a disruptive home life and was disruptive in class. He did handstands in the classroom and threw paper.

A male teaching assistant worked well with the boy. He also has his own learning station. He receives incentives to work hard. The boy told his previous teacher that he was proud of being less disruptive now.

Child 6

A child who had English as an additional language (EAL) and who struggled with instructions. They appeared to make no effort in school. The teachers reframed the lack of effort as being caused by anxiety.

Over a period of six months, a change in talk partners was used strategically and engagement began to increase. Effort also increased, alongside awareness of struggles, response to feedback and willingness to improve. Giving targeted feedback noticeably improved self-efficacy.