Through the Pivotal Blog, we are publishing in full "Views from the Bridge" a book about the Bridge Project in Chesterfield.
We are publishing this book in chapters. Every week a new chapter will be uploaded to the blog. So make sure you bookmark this page or subscribe to the RSS feed.
If you have questions for the authors, please contact us and we will pass them on.
Get up to date before you begin this chapter.
We have already published the following:
Project Headlines and Foreword
Chapter 7
Chapter 10
The Daily Programme
This section could simply list the way the daily and weekly activities were arranged into time slots but that would be to underplay the importance of all the learning experiences.
In Chapter 9: From Intuition to Method, we described how Bridge staff built on an approach based on their personal qualities and experiences to develop one which was much more planned and methodical. In this chapter we describe in more detail what that planning involved, answering the question, "So what did you actually do each day?"
The Boxall Profile described in the previous chapter has been in use for quite a few years and formed the basis for assessing each young person and for planning how to develop their skills.
Many children in school are insecure about their worth, often not able to articulate their feelings. Instead they show their discomfort by withdrawal, achieving much less than they could, not making good relationships. Others may act out their feelings of anger and failure by minor or major acts of disrupting the progress of others. Whatever, they do not get positively engaged in education. Understanding what lies behind this can make all teachers much more confident in their class management which is where the Boxall Profile comes in.
As the head teacher of one of the first junior schools to set up a nurture group wrote of the Profile
We gained a sort of positive language. To identify where a child is in different areas in its development was quite tough; there was no history or training or background to doing that. It helped people to look more perceptively, to think where does this behaviour come from? It put some structure into teachers' thinking and reporting Benathan M and Boxall M (1996) Effective Intervention in Primary Schools. Nurture Groups, London: David Fulton
The Profile has two sections, each consisting of a list of 34 descriptive items to be completed by a member of staff who knows the child well in class
For further information about the Boxall Profile read chapter 8 on assessment and/or contact info@nurturegroups.org
The Bridge Project day was arranged as follows:
9.00 - 9.30 a.m. Breakfast and Good News (See Chapter 3)
9.30 - 10.30 a.m. Literacy and numeracy
10.30 - 10.50 a.m. Break
10.50 - 12.00 midday Individual Time
12.00 - 12.45 p.m. Lunch
12.45 - 1.15p.m. Awarding points and Circle Time
1.15 - 2.15 p.m. Afternoon session
2.15 - 2.30 p.m. Awarding points for the afternoon and Star Points
On two afternoons Art and Music were taught by two Youth Workers and the whole group went swimming in a local pool one afternoon each week.(see Chapter 5: Turning Points)
Each of these sessions had its individual focus but in the real work was on Boxall Profile targets and the work was built around these.
Let me use one strand as an example - Strand A: Gives purposeful attention - described in this way by Boxall:
- Listens with interest when adult explains something to group
- Makes appropriate and purposeful use of materials provided by the adult without the need for continuing direct support.
- Listens, attends and does what is required when the adult addresses a simple positive request specifically to him/her.
- Is adequately competent and self reliant in managing basic personal needs. (e.g. hygiene, PE changing)
- Participates in adult led activities. (discussion, performance)
- Ensure eye contact and attention, then break instructions down into simple steps
- Staff try using hand signals/gestures, non verbal communication
- Make tasks short and achievable and gradually extend
- Use a timer
- Visual timetable to ensure student is aware of daily structure
- Use rewards points to encourage (with appropriate rewards)
- Attract students' attention by saying their name before an instruction, repeating name until you have their attention
- Play group games involving listening, communication and memory (Guess who? Last word) In pairs/trio's picture memory game;1 looks at picture and describes to 2 who draws or describes to 3 who draws. Draughts, Scrabble/Upwords, Yes-No. Build a Lego model from instructions.
- Tasks to help, following adult instruction (washing up, cooking, shopping, setting table).
- Group story. Reading during Literacy lesson.
- Circle time-with a focus on listening and concentrating.
- Barrier games - e.g. drawing.
- Ensure eye contact and attention, then break instructions down into simple steps
- Attract students' attention by saying their name before an instruction, repeating name until you have their attention
Across the day, we will see that Bridge staff employed all of these strategies, although I never saw a timer used other than the clock.
A visual timetable was displayed and referred to every day at breakfast. All of the other activities were built into the rest of each day's programme.
The literacy and numeracy sessions were divided into three sections (as per three part lesson). The first part involved reading, either by the young person or the adult. This was followed by written work using school-type materials or revision guides and the session finished with the playing of word based games such as Scrabble or Boggle.
Numeracy followed a similar pattern starting with puzzles and lateral thinking scenarios and finishing with number games.
Other strategies from the list above came into play across the day and week. In the previous chapter I also mentioned that the Lead Teacher already employed some worthwhile strategies such as "take-up time". This features in Strategy G: to follow instructions, conform to rules and to accept the closure of an activity.
- Give plenty of prior warning to an activities end.
- Give time to stop and tidy up after and activity.
- Reward compliance.
- Reward/ verbally reward students who are listening and paying attention when some are not.
- Make tasks short and achievable and gradually extend.
Every day reward points were used for encouragement and "Star Points" were brought in to reward something done by the youngster "over and above' their actual target - this could be volunteering for something rather than waiting to be asked. All young people helped in turn to prepare the lunch and there was a rota for washing up which the adults regularly joined.
In similar fashion, aimed at making improvements on
Strand B - Strategies: Develop turn taking and sharing - we would see:
- Share good news every day
- Discuss news stories (in first part of literacy session)
- Activities that involve working with another encouraging when to take turns, share e.g. Battleships, Mastermind, Downfall, Connect4, Draughts
At breaks
Drinks would be made and passed around by pupils with some choosing to continue a game started in the literacy or numeracy session.
In Individual Time
As the name suggests, the young people worked on their own with a member of staff on programmes selected to meet their individual need. This might be in response to something that had arisen such as when that one lad did not recognise the signs or warnings that staff wanted his disruptive behaviour to stop. For him, that became a focus of work in Individual Time for a while. In the main, the activities were generated in response to the individual child's Boxall Profile, focussing on the strands in turn or where there was a particular lack. Many involved some form of self-esteem work - a common need for in Bridge attendees. A very useful set of resources can be found in the Boxall Handbook.
One popular activity for a particular group - it varied over the two years - was building models such as a castle or a vehicle, sometimes from Lego but also from other materials. Interest in these self-generated projects lasted for many days and the lads who were keen often spent some of their own time on this work. This activity and other Individual Time work helped with Strand C -Building self esteem, confidence and encouraging motivation.
Lunch time
The preparation, serving and clearing up at lunchtimes provided a number of opportunities to address various strands e.g.
I Responds constructively to others by "encouraging good table manners" and fulfilling lunchtime rotas.
H Accommodates to others by turn taking, looking after visitors.
Lunchtimes also involved other informal activities which came and went in popularity in season. Some groups loved to kick a ball around in the spacious hall, others played tennis with a soft ball, while British Bulldog was popular for a while.
Positive Support was successfully introduced by a TA despite the fairly cramped conditions in the room. More information on this Derbyshire initiative can be found at http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/attendance_behaviour_welfare/support/positive_play/default.asp
Art Therapy was also introduced in the second year of operation and one can see that strands in the Diagnostic Profile - Self Limiting Features, Undeveloped Behaviour and Unsupported Development may get attention here. For more see http://www.baat.org/art_therapy.html
Circle Time
The pupils gathered together on sofas after lunch for circle time. There were cuddly toys available, used as a "talking object", but quite often they were just held by these thirteen year old boys! In the early days Circle Time went very well, providing opportunities for discussing feelings and reviewing targets.
The positives were that through regularly speaking in front of others etc and repetition of the rules (eye contact, listening, respecting others' opinions etc) students were able to become more confident at expressing themselves in small groups. After students had been attending the Bridge for a while they developed longer, more detailed and meaningful responses. Circle Time also allowed opportunities for sessions that were important for the whole group, perhaps in response to a current issue for the group, for instance someone getting bullied by the others. It gave a forum to verbalise some of the points around the issue e.g. "How would it make you feel? How might you react?"
However, a higher priority should have been given to ensuring there was sufficient time to plan the sessions properly and to research how to use the vast amount of resources that are available for circle time. It was also a struggle with certain groups in the afternoons due to diminished concentration so it was moved to earlier in the day for some groups.
For more see http://www.circle-time.co.uk/
Art and Music
As mentioned elsewhere, these activities were led by Youth Workers. At first the young people were sent in small groups of up to four at a time to learn from the Youth Worker who is a talented young musician, in the excellent music facilities. Some youngsters responded very readily to what was offered - guitar playing and drumming - but others, finding it difficult, wanted to give up quite quickly. After thinking back to how music tuition was arranged in schools the system was changed to good effect to one where individuals went for tuition, as they might have done in mainstream to a peripatetic music instructor. This individual attention paid off as any lack of confidence shown at the challenge of -say - mastering chords on the guitar could be overcome. I observed one of the most difficult of the young people the Bridge had experienced sitting for quite a long time repeatedly shifting his fingers across the guitar strings as he memorised several chord sequences. Another lad took to drumming very quickly and showed he had a natural aptitude - much to his pleasure.
Others could show talent and get satisfaction from art. Here the Youth Worker made a good choice of activity, selecting projects which had "street cred" and were achievable within a reasonable timeframe. Quite often the young people would stay after hours or return in the evenings to pursue work in art and music begun during the day. Cartoon drawing software and a rap project worked particularly well.
The descriptions of these young people by their schools might lead you to think they were switched off from learning - they were not. Learning in school was encumbered by everything else in the school experience. Given the right conditions, they were keen to experience the pleasure in mastering new skills.
The youth workers used the same encouraging language and referred to the same targets derived from the Boxall Profiles as the core staff did. This gave their work the same therapeutic purpose as the rest of the daily work.
The end of the day
The youngsters and staff met at the end of every day to review. Together they took a final look at the individual targets and there was opportunity to bid for Star Points. The young people were asked how well they thought they had succeeded in their targets and whether they had done anything meritorious deserving of a Star Point.
The pupils entered the points awarded into their record books and these were signed by staff, giving a further chance for praise. These positive reports and comments were then taken home.
In summary
In this chapter I have tried to describe how the Bridge staff built method into their work, taking every opportunity to help the young people make progress in all of the Boxall Profile strands. I gave detailed examples at the beginning from the Boxall Profile of what the "strands" look like and of the strategies which might be used to make improvements in them.
The reader can find more detail by going to www.nurturegroups.org
Finally, I remember my own pupils often greeting me at the start of my lessons by asking, "Are we having a discussion today or are we doing work?"
As regards the Bridge, the question might be, "Are Bridge pupils going to play with Lego and Scrabble, make lunch for each other and have discussions or will they do work?"
My hope is that the reader now understands that virtually every activity in the Bridge was work - work on addressing the lack of nurture that these young people had experienced in their lives, work on building capabilities and confidence.