Establishing consistency

The following techniques are built on the bedrock of trauma-informed and identity-informed approaches and aim to help students to feel welcome, in control and settled in the classroom.

Firstly, you learn about strategies that establish consistency and then you read about suggestions for positive behaviour management.

1. Orientation in school and in the community

Orientation around the school campus should be given in an understandable way to newcomers to show amenities like toilets and dining halls but also services like the school counsellor, reception and bus stop – using translators, if possible. A basic school map with translations or multilingual signs can be a great help to newcomers.

Students should be paired with another student who is on a similar timetable for the first few weeks until they can navigate the school independently. Students should be directed to support services and facilities like prayer rooms, if appropriate.

2. Buddy and mentoring schemes

Buddy schemes work best when they are properly structured with aims and objectives, are overseen by staff with regular check-ins, and reward students for taking part. Students should be paired up by a staff lead who will oversee the buddy programme.

A clear structure and objectives for the programme should be shared with students, parents, and other staff. Staff should carefully oversee the programme, meeting regularly with students involved in pairs and in groups. A strong focus on social emotional learning competencies can be embedded using the IRC Games Bank [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] and Lesson Plan Bank.

Rewards and certificates should be given to amplify the significance of the programme. Before the programme starts, all mentees should receive foundational training about the services the school provides, how to report safeguarding issues, brief information about the student, and key steps to being an effective mentor. Download our Being a Buddy Pack.

3. Exit cards and designated safe spaces

Provide children with an exit card and explain to them that if they are feeling overwhelmed or panicked, they can show the card to any teacher, and they will be given time in a designated safe space with a member of staff to calm down.

This space should be equipped with mindfulness posters, toys and objects to calm down and drawing facilities. The member of staff should be trained in Psychological First Aid.

If you are interested in this topic, in your own time, you can check out this free course on the FutureLearn platform: Psychological First Aid: Supporting Children and Young People.

4. Embed social and emotional learning (SEL)

Social and Emotional learning (SEL) is proven to help mitigate against the impacts of toxic stress to help children recover. It is also useful for preparing all children to become emotionally intelligent adults who can cope with stress and adversity. The IRC provides a SEL Games Bank and Lesson Plan Bank for use in schools.

The IRC SEL resources focus on conflict resolution, brain building, social skills, perseverance and emotion regulation. In your own time, take time to read through the free resources and use them in assemblies, classroom activities, PE, and break times to teach SEL in a fun, interactive and effective way.

5. Assigned pastoral staff with trauma training

Ensure as many staff as possible have completed online psychological first aid training and trauma-informed practice training. The Healing Classrooms approach and the CPD course you are currently studying on is an example of such training.

Pastoral staff and designated safeguarding leads should be completing regular trauma training and have a strong awareness of refugee experiences to ensure children’s needs are being met. This can be done by reaching out to local refugee support groups or national organisations. To find local groups, search refugee support online in your local area or ask your local council for a list of organisations.

Mindfulness should be used with children across the school alongside social emotional learning games and lessons (IRC, 2019) – use the free SEL Games Bank and Lesson Plan Bank from the IRC.

Pastoral staff should also be seeking to build strong ties with new families, using translators, if necessary, enable families to collaborate with school to support their child’s education and to signpost families to basic services such as healthcare, English language support, and employment opportunities if they are unaware of this support.

6. Consistent routines

Ensure you have clear routines in the classroom for greeting students (try using home languages too), reviewing the visual timetable for each day, checking in with pupils, lining up and entering the room calmly, classroom roles, for example, book monitors, activities at break and lunch to facilitate friendships and calm transition between lessons using buddies.