Attachment Disorder

[MyfavouritesareRoses]

With respect to Looked After Children.

Do teachers receive any training on Attachment Disorders? They differentiate for SEND but in my experience have completely no idea around the differences children with different attachments will display in behaviours. A secondary school with an extremely behaviourist approach just doesn't 'get it' and understand that for a very traumatised child just doing the sanctions/sanctions/sanctions for every misdemeanour will not suddenly improve behaviour overnight.

Generally speaking no they don’t get any training but many schools do have a more nurturing ethos so are open to learning and applying bee approaches. I would consider an alternative school in this circumstance and you are not likely to change their whole approach.

New not bee

No training is given in teacher training. It is something that a school would have to seek out.
There is a
course where practitioners can train to become a n attachment lead coordinator within their school and are expected to roll out training to other staff and implement attachment aware and trauma informed policy across their school. This is becoming more freely available through Touchbase.
touchbase.org.uk/

It's a shame that it is not more widely accessed.

Some schools are very clued up, others have no idea.

I don't know how main stream secondaries could accommodate, to be honest. The number of kids and teachers would make it hard to address individual needs, I'd imagine. I suppose they could have a system where sanctions given could be swapped out, for the children they aren't suitable for

This is something that Pupil Premium Plus can and arguably should be used for

This surely what the LA LAC education team is trained in, and they would be the ones supporting schools to support those children with attachment disorder that come to them.

@Mycircusmymonkey

Generally speaking no they don’t get any training but many schools do have a more nurturing ethos so are open to learning and applying bee approaches. I would consider an alternative school in this circumstance and you are not likely to change their whole approach.

Many thanks.

@nemeton

This surely what the LA LAC education team is trained in, and they would be the ones supporting schools to support those children with attachment disorder that come to them.

You would assume so. Some schools don't appear to listen though.

Oh well thanks for responses as an adoptive parent will just keep on bashing away and try to get them to listen and change approach to suit individuals rather than treating all the same.

Foster to adopt here. I didn't realise that the biggest hurdle would be the school

Your school is claiming PPP on behalf of your child, presumably?

They should be engaging with you on what it’s spent on.

I’m just curious as to what you expect the school to do that they aren’t doing?

In terms of behaviour management, schools generally have clear policies and reward and punishment systems.

Social workers often have a good idea about which schools are best for these issues. It isn't always the 'successful' schools.

Is it a new school for the D.C.?

@JoJoSM2

I’m just curious as to what you expect the school to do that they aren’t doing?

In terms of behaviour management, schools generally have clear policies and reward and punishment systems.

The behaviour resultant from attachment disorder often should be managed differently, as the root causes are very different (even if the behaviour appears the same)

Generalised policies don’t often cover this... nor does generalised training.

In answer to you question, what should schools do differently?

Specialised training, funded by Pupil Premium Plus, as I mentioned previously is one option.

reward and punishment

This is an example of a system that is unlikely to yield positive results with children who suffer from attachment disorder.

Not to be goady, but is a mainstream school definitely the best setting for a child who can’t cope with school rules? Obviously schools do differentiate academically and make adjustments for children to support a very broad range of needs but if the needs are too great then other settings might be more appropriate.

And I am genuinely wondering as I’m still not clear what you’d like the school to do other than train staff. How would the needs be addressed in a class of 30?

🤣🤣🤣

Yes, because it’s that simple to get a child accepted in a non mainstream setting

You may not intend to be goady but it’s clear you don’t know much about Attachment Disorder.

In the same way if my child had ADHD, or a broken leg, I’d full expect the school to make reasonable adjustments, the OP is completely entitled to expect the school make reasonable adjustment in the case of attachment disorder.

Every child matters?

The specific needs to be addressed depend entirely on the child, and can be as minor as ensuring they sit next to a teacher in class so they have an attachment figure close by, to making sure they have visual timetables to help cope with transitions.

Hardly unreasonable or non-mainstream setting worthy, is it? 🙄

What behaviours is your child displaying? How old are they (year group)? What are the expectations, and what has been asked of them that they are struggling to comply with? Perhaps we can think of some strategies, particularly if you know what your child can/cannot manage?

@BetteTwoShoes

Thank you for giving examples. They sound like perfectly reasonable adjustments to make. And no, I’m not an educational psychologist to have detailed knowledge of attachment disorder.

Some schools do have well trained SEND departments and a kinder more child centred approach and will make adjustments. Often they have a very mixed intake and aren't Outstanding. We had to move to get our child away from a zero tolerance school. Unfortunately the sibling didn't cope with the move so we fixed one problem and got another. The new school are still lovely. There's some good private Facebook groups for attachment/adoption if you're interested.

I meant to say, the school won't change. If they were any good they would be coming to you with suggestions, not slapping the child with sanctions.

The Beacon House materials are excellent to download and share. Really good graphic explanations of why sending a child with attachment issues into a "shame" state will result in worse behaviour, not better, because they go into survival mode.

Agree with the others that it's what the PP should be spent on, and it is absolutely a "reasonable adjustment" under the Equalities Act (as attachment disorder is a long-term condition with serious impacts) to expect an adjusted interpretation of the behaviour management system - of course the standards of behaviour need to be consistent but the communication, the support and the consequences may need to be adjusted in order to put your child on an equal footing to other children.

I’m an EP and do a lot of work with schools in this area. Some mainstream schools are fantastic, some not copied up but are open to change, some just not.

Several Local Authorities run attachment aware schools/ trauma perceptive practice training and accreditation. Schools who have this background will have a much better understanding. Several of the schools I work in have overhauled their behaviour strategies to focus on communicative/ relational models and this makes a huge difference to the ethos of the school and accessibility for vulnerable kids.