Personal support in schools
Why offer personal support in schools?
The main purpose of schools is to help children and young people learn. During pupils' time at school they experience a period of constant and sometimes rapid development. At times this is very challenging for young people and uses a lot of their physical and emotional energy, which may reduce their capacity to learn.
Who should offer support?
Parents, relatives and friends are invaluable in offering support when life is challenging. Staff in schools also have a particular role to play in personal support. They can do this by helping all young people to acquire skills and qualities that are fundamental to their development and maturity and to assist them with decisions that will affect their future. Staff also play a vital role when specific difficulties arise, whether they are the normal difficulties associated with growing up or the more complex problems of a particular individual.
All school staff have a part to play in personal support through getting to know young people and responding sensitively to them. Teachers who take the time to do this can have an enormous impact on pupils' development into confident individuals. Pupils whose personal needs are met are more likely to learn well.
What can children and young people expect?
'Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential: the Report of the National Review of Guidance' (Scottish Executive, 2005) outlines 10 standards for personal support that all young people can expect from primary, special and secondary schools.
Why an implementation project?
'Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential' confirms the importance of personal support. Good teachers have always realised this and have developed considerable good practice around the country. The implementation project will attempt to bring this good practice together for the benefit of all schools, so that they can further develop their effectiveness.
Is this another initiative?
No. The further development of personal support in schools sits firmly within the context of Curriculum for Excellence and is fundamental to its success. Personal support and learning are interdependent.
Work of the implementation project
The Scottish Executive continues to have a strong commitment to improving personal support in schools through setting up and supporting this project. It is being led by Aberdeen City Council in partnership with Aberdeenshire and Moray councils.
The project implementation team are Terry Ashton, Adviser (Guidance and Careers) in Aberdeen City and two national development officers, Gill Scott and John MacBean, who have been seconded from schools.
The project is as much about what happens in the classroom as it is about the role of specialist staff. It is supporting councils through a national network and councils will in turn support their schools. The project will collect and collate practice and ideas from across the country and promote good practice through national seminars and conferences.
Links
There are strong links between the Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential project and A Curriculum for Excellence. The 10 standards for personal support will assist in the development of the four capacities. Other links are being established with the Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit and the Better Behaviour Better Learning team. We are also supporting work on the review of personal and social education.
Effective personal support enhances learning and you can make a difference.
Contact us
Email the Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential project team: personal.support@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Lead officer
Terry Ashton
Email: Terry Ashton
TAshton@aberdeencity.gov.uk
National Development Officer
Gill Scott
Email: Gill Scott
GiScott@aberdeencity.gov.uk
National Development Officer
John MacBean
Email: John MacBean
JMacBean@aberdeencity.gov.uk
