From vision to reality: Strengthening social, emotional and behavioural inclusion in a UK mainstream state secondary school

LAURA HORTON, PASTORAL SUPPORT MANAGER, CENTRAL FOUNDATION GIRLS’ SCHOOL, UK 

This case study examines the design and implementation of an enhanced pastoral support system at a mainstream inner-city state secondary school. The strategy aims to encourage adaptive, inclusive practice around social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, looking beyond the traditional scope of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It aims for wider social and emotional inclusionAn approach where a school aims to ensure that all children are educated together, with support for those who require it to access the full curriculum and contribute to and participate in all aspects of school life in a secondary school context, with a strong emphasis on Quality First Teaching and without using full-time internal alternative provision.

The end product: Student Support Services

The result of this strategy was the crystallisation of the Student Support Services (SSS) department. SSS provides regular one-on-one or small-group interventions to students with SEMH needs. Referrals are made through an online form completed by staff, and each referral is triaged to ensure that it is matched with the most appropriate intervention. Sessions are scheduled during the school day as 50-minute timetabled interventions, which are time-limited and take place in meeting rooms or in a designated space called ‘Flourish’, a large open-plan classroom and office.

The ‘why’

Prior to the design and implementation of this strategy, the school faced challenges typical of the national landscape of pastoral and behavioural issues in education (DfEDepartment for Education - a ministerial department responsible for children’s services and education in England, 2024a). Research has highlighted the economic and moral imperatives for reducing school suspensions and exclusions (Gill et al., 2024). Evidence suggests that students who experience suspension are more likely to end up not in education, employment or training by age 24 (Joseph and Crenna-Jennings, 2024). Moreover, poor behaviour in schools is often linked to the teacher recruitment and retention crisis (DfE, 2024b). Enhancing pastoral systems in mainstream schools can play a role in alleviating these issues, as studies have shown that the development of social and emotional skills leads to improved academic engagement, better social behaviours and lower rates of psychological distress (Greenberg, 2023). Ultimately, children with stronger social and emotional competencies are more likely to succeed academically and in life.

The ‘how’

I used ideas from the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) implementation guide to embed evidence-informed approaches to realise my vision of improvement, structuring my plans around its ‘Explore, Prepare, Deliver, Sustain’ cycle (Sharples et al., 2024, p. 20). I created a strategic plan for the formation of the new SSS department, which is used as a continuous evaluation tool.

Explore (January 2024)

The ‘Explore’ phase involved understanding the student population’s needs. Meetings were held with heads of year to discuss students’ needs, supplemented by observations and cross-referencing with the SEND register and safeguarding records. This identified 123 students (about 10 per cent of the student body) with significant SEMH needs who did not have an education, health and care plan. A review of existing provision was conducted with key staff members, including the SENDCo (SEND coordinator), parent outreach workers, attendance officers and the safeguarding lead. This collaborative work helped me to identify a set of provisions, which I aimed to expand and adapt to better meet the needs of students identified in the cohort. Figure 1 outlines the various programmes delivered by the SSS department, categorised by five major values.

Prepare (February to April 2024) 

The ‘Prepare’ stage focused on academic research, staff training and communication. Important sources of research included the Anna Freud Centre, the EEF and the Institute of Education, along with pedagogical texts such as Dix’s When the Adults Change (2017) and Sherrington’s Rosenshine’s Principles in Action (2019). This research grounded the strategy in Quality First Teaching. To support this, CPD (continuing professional development) sessions were held during team meetings to train behaviour support assistants on lesson design, based on Rosenshine’s (2010) principles. I also led INSET workshops on SEMH-focused teaching. External agencies, such as the Tower Hamlets Behaviour and Attendance Support Service, trained staff in Emotion Coaching and attachment theory. Finally, an online referral form was developed to identify and address evolving student needs.

Deliver (May 2024 to present) 

The ‘Deliver’ phase focused on creating and teaching schemes of work while building relationships with external providers and professionals. Each scheme was structured similarly, using evidence-based approaches from the ‘Prepare’ phase:

• Students complete a pre-intervention assessment, with teacher and parent input when needed
• Four or five lessons are taught, based on Rosenshine’s principles
• Students complete a post-intervention assessment, with follow-up questionnaires for teachers and parents.

The assessments and questionnaires are compared to measure progress. The staff member leading the intervention writes a progress summary and may suggest further action – for example,  a referral to specialist services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. For quality assurance, I review schemes before delivery and observe lessons.

The lesson design itself follows Sherrington’s (2019) synthesis of Rosenshine’s principles:

1. Reviewing material: The lesson starts with a review of prior learning. For instance, in the ‘Anger Alchemy’ programme, students recall the ‘Firework Model’ (adapted from Novaco’s (1976) model for anger arousal).
2. Modelling and scaffoldingProgressively introducing students to new concepts to support their learning: Hypothetical scenarios are modelled before addressing personal issues, often using the ‘I do, we do, you do’ structure. In the ‘Anxiety Gremlin’ programme (Collins-Donnelly, 2013), students work in a small group on an ‘exposure ladder’ to help a fictional student re-enter lessons, ultimately creating one for their own anxiety.
3. Questioning: Questioning techniques are crucial for engaging all students, including strategies such as ‘say it again, better’, ‘think, pair, share’, whole-class responses using whiteboards, and ‘probing’.
4. Sequencing concepts: Each scheme of work is broken into small, manageable steps, becoming increasingly personal. For example, the educational psychologist’s Nurture Group progresses weekly from emotional literacy and psychoeducation to reflecting on students’ own self-esteem and self-compassion skills.
5. Stages of practice: While some of this takes place in the classroom through questioning and live verbal feedback from the staff member, much occurs outside the classroom as students apply what they’ve learned. In the ‘Regulate’ programme, students track their self-control throughout the week with a behaviour report card, then share the results to reflect on their progress during the next week’s session.

To make this approach successful in a small-group SEMH setting, I adapted some of Rosenshine’s principles. For instance, cold-calling and ‘no opt-out’ questioning were unsuitable techniques, due to the sometimes-sensitive emotional content. I trained staff to use professional judgment when modelling, as personal responses may not always be appropriate. Additionally, learning outside the classroom became more critical than it may be in the academic curriculum for embedding SEMH skills in students’ daily lives.

I took over the oversight of on-site NHS educational mental health practitioners and school psychotherapists, and recruited student Kindness Ambassadors to assist with friendship issues. A teaching and learning enquiry group was established, combining trauma-informed practices with Rosenshine’s principles, where curriculum activities are trialled, evaluated and shared every half-term.

Finally, I developed a partnership with the school’s mental health lead and SENDCo, enabling use of the school’s educational psychologist and student mental health ambassadors for transition support for students post-SEMH intervention.

Sustain (continuous cycle throughout the process)

The initiative’s sustainability is assessed through regular evaluations and adjustments. Pastoral data is analysed each half-term, and the strategic plan is reviewed during fortnightly line management meetings. The EEF’s sustainability checklist guides this process (Sharples et al., 2024). Lessons and schemes of work are reviewed regularly, leading to units such as the ‘Self-Esteem Thief’ (Collins-Donnelly, 2014) being simplified to improve student understanding. To ensure long-term sustainability, staff champions from each faculty will share findings and continue CPD initiatives.

If student issues persist after engaging in a programme, they can be referred to Tier 3 SEMH interventions through the whole-school pastoral multi-tiered system of supports.

Did it work?

The findings show a positive effect on student progress. Comparing teacher-recorded behaviour incidents, suspensions and exclusions from autumn term 2023 to 2024, the data shows these following changes:

• a 25 per cent reduction in lost learning days due to external suspension
• a 67 per cent reduction in bullying incidents
• a 33 per cent reduction in physical fights
• a 29 per cent reduction in cyberbullying and social media issues
• a 37 per cent increase in achievement points for resilience.

However, limitations exist. The provision launched in January 2024, so long-term data is lacking. Future evaluations will incorporate parent and student feedback as well as teacher-reported data.

Overall, the enhanced pastoral support system has had a real impact, without relying on full-time internal alternative provision. This approach shows the importance of structured pastoral care in fostering an inclusive school environment. Despite targeting around 10 per cent of the student body, the SSS provision’s effects are felt indirectly across the entire school, as evidenced by the improvements in whole-school trends.