Sutton
Foundation Stage
Three teachers helped children with panic or anger attacks to breathe. This led to the children feeling calmer during the time of struggling and after it. It also provided the children with the breathing strategy to use when they needed to in the future.
All three teachers recognised that it is helpful and not a sign of vulnerability to tag team and to call on other adults. This really helped them to manage difficult behaviours and to avoid a situation becoming heightened.
They also found that giving time and space to children at the right moment allowed both the child and the adult to regulate. It stopped the cycle of adult and child both projecting their emotions into each other. As a result, the children were able to think about and understand what they were experiencing.
In my school, we implemented another adult stepping in when a class teacher, TA or Learning Support Assistant (LSA) was having 1-1 time with a distressed or dysregulated child.
This allowed the adult who was replaced to have time to regulate her emotions and to avoid projecting her own distress into the child. Awareness of how other adults may be feeling has increased in the school.
Charlotte Manser Beddington Infants’ School
Year 1/2
Four teachers acknowledged children’s emotion when children were displaying difficult behaviour. They did this calmly by using language like ‘I can see that you are feeling…’ They found that this contained not just the children’s emotions but also their own.
They also all used predictable routines, visual timetables and a calm corner where distressed children could go to calm down. Fidget toys and sensory toys were available to use. This made the children less stressed and helped them to build their ability to self-control.
The teachers debriefed with the whole class after an incident. They made room for discussions in the class. This made all the children feel listened to and allowed them to move forward as well as the child who had had the incident.
Teachers found that reflective thinking was supportive and helpful for them. It was good to hear different points of view and to consider next steps.
A Year 2 boy who is one of the youngest in the class has a boisterous group of friends who are continually squabbling but within the normal range of what would be expected. This boy’s reaction is to sob, especially when he knows he is in the wrong.
I talked to him with one of the following phrases:
‘I can see you are very upset and I sense you are sorry for what has happened.’
‘I can see you are very upset. Shall we go to the sensory room?’
Then I distracted him by talking about learning or other activities.
Once he was calm, I was able to address the issue. He was then very willing to discuss the event. Together we thought about how we could put things right. I thanked him for sharing with me. I assured him that he could talk to me or any other trusted adult when he was feeling upset. We have built a good connection and the time taken to regulate is decreasing.
Tracy Caswell, St Dunstan’s C of E School, Cheam