Support for pupils

Support for pupils' personal, social and emotional development has long been a focus of professional commitment and growing expertise in Scottish schools. The role of personal support in school is to meet the care and welfare needs of all children and young people so that they achieve their fullest potential.

'Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential: A Standard of Support for Children and Young People in Scottish Schools: The Report of the National Review of Guidance 2004' (Scottish Executive, 2005) underlines the importance of personal support in schools. This report also:

• describes common principles for the development of personal support in Scottish schools
• sets out a standard of support for pupils and parents
• clarifies the respective roles of school staff and authorities in the provision and development of support to pupils
• recognises the role of partner agencies in supporting pupils and assisting staff in schools to provide support
• points to current practices in Scotland which exemplify different approaches emerging to providing personal support in school.

A project team has been established to implement Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential and more information about their work is on the Personal support in schools page.

Teachers make a difference

By getting to know pupils and responding sensitively to them as individuals, teachers can have an enormous impact, helping them to develop and thrive. In difficult circumstances teachers can make a difference in helping young people to cope and to develop resilience.

Relationships between pupils and all school staff will flourish in a school community that has clearly visible values, positive attitudes and relationships. With a school ethos of security, acceptance and recognition of achievement, where support is a permanent feature of day-to-day life, challenges are less likely to become entrenched problems.

Schools should work with pupils to help them resolve any challenges they face and also work with the wider school community, including parents and other agencies, to provide support.

Standards for personal support in schools

'Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential' sets out 10 standards of personal support in school under three broad themes:

• learning for life
• review of individual progress
• access to support.       

The standards for schools are as follows. A supportive school:

1. makes opportunities for developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes that children and young people need to enable them to seek information and support throughout life
2. provides access to information to help children and young people make informed decisions and choices
3. makes opportunities for children's citizenship and participation – through involvement in their school community, their neighbourhoods and in democratic society
4. provides regular reviews of progress in learning and in personal and social development (PSD)
5. helps with transitions between stages in education and between different providers of education and personal development opportunities
6. helps to plan for the future
7. provides access to staff by children and parents who want support
8. coordinates support between agencies and schools, wherever learning takes place
9. respects confidentiality
10. ensures time and space to seek help.

The report also sets out what outcome each of these standards should have for pupils and outlines some practice issues that may arise while implementing them.