Understanding and Supporting Behaviour

The number of permanent and fixed rate exclusions across state funded primary, secondary, and special schools has increased year on year from 2014 to 2018 in the UK. Persistent disruptive behaviour (PDA) remains the most common reason for permanent exclusions and suspensions. Other reasons include bullying, damage, physical assault and abuse. A profile of pupil exclusions in England found that pupils with a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) received a higher rate of permanent/fixed-term exclusions than other pupils without SEN. As pupils with SEN are 7 times more likely to receive a permanent exclusion, it is the job of an educational professional to identify and prevent the cause(s) of inappropriate behaviours in the classroom.

Some learners have social or cognitive developmental needs that make it harder to regulate their emotions and control their impulses. A pupil with autism, for instance, may be triggered by a loud noise and lash out as a way of coping with the sensory overload. A pupil with ADHD may have periods of hyperactivity when it is harder to follow instructions or participate cooperatively in a group. All children have a right to education so learning how to understand the causes of challenging behaviour will enable you to modulate triggers and cultivate positive behaviours and self-regulation skills.

This course aims to develop the knowledge, skills and practice of all education professionals working with vulnerable children and young people (CYP) displaying challenging behaviours. You will assess the Behaviour for learning policies and practices in your setting before you develop a support plan consisting of SMART goals and interventions, which you will implement and later review to determine how well it has met the learner’s developmental needs.

The course content relates to learners in compulsory education (4-18 years) with or without an EHCP. The theory, assessment and intervention strategies can be contextualised and implemented at home or in an early years setting too.

This course responds to the information needs of the whole community centred around supporting the child/young person with behaviour difficulties. Parents and carers benefit from raised awareness of their child’s needs and how to manage their behaviours. Advisory teachers, therapists and educational psychologists gain access to evidence-based CPD resources that can be used to strengthen capacity in their local authority and schools. Schools can use this course to train individuals or groups of teachers and teaching support staff as part of a school’s improvement plan or a whole-school initiative. NQTs/RQTs also build a secure knowledge of the graduated approach at the start of their career.

Our courses are structured into four sections. Click on the section headings to reveal page titles and some example content.