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The nursing team offer the following training for staff:
Outside services provide the following:
At Amwell View we ensure that our autism practice is consistent and meaningful for our pupils with a diagnosis. At the start of every academic year the Autism Lead teacher updates and highlights the school’s autism guidelines with teachers and their class teams. In addition, class teams and other staff members have access and read through the school’s Autism Handbook. Throughout each school year a rolling programme of training is delivered to small groups of identified staff who attend a two week after school training session, where in a smaller group can examine the autism guidelines in more detail, look at and discuss the theories of autism and agree on what good autism practice looks like at Amwell View and why it is so important.
All staff receive training in CPR and Emergency life support skills at the start of every academic year. The course includes dealing with the conscious and unconscious casualty, choking, bleeding and cardiac arrest. In addition some staff chose to take a more detailed First Aid course within their own time which provides a further qualification which is valid for 3 years.
At Amwell View School and Specialist Sports College we believe that pupils need to be safe, to know how to behave, and to know that the adults around them are able to manage them safely and confidently. Only for a very small minority of pupils will the use of physical intervention be needed. On such occasions, acceptable forms of intervention are used.
The majority of pupils behave well and conform to the expectations of our school. We have responsibility to operate an effective behaviour policy (which can be found in About Us – Key Policies) that encompasses preventative strategies for tackling inappropriate behaviour in relation to the whole school, each class, and individual pupils.
All school staff need to feel that they are able to manage inappropriate behaviour, and to have an understanding of what challenging behaviours might be communicating. They need to know what options are available for managing behaviour, and they need to be free of undue worries about the risks of legal action against them if they use appropriate physical intervention. Parents need to know that their children are safe with us, and they need to be properly informed if their child is the subject of a Restrictive Physical Intervention, including the nature of the intervention, and the rationale for its use.
“Restrictive Physical Intervention” is the term used to describe interventions where bodily contact using force is used to control or manage a child’s behaviour. It refers to any instance in which a teacher or other adult authorised by the Headteacher has to use “reasonable force” to control or restrain pupils in circumstances that meet the following legally defined criteria.
– To prevent a child from committing a criminal offence (this applies even if the child is below the age of criminal responsibility)
– To prevent a child from injuring self or others
– To prevent or stop a child from causing serious damage to property (including the child’s own property)
– To stop the child from engaging in any behaviour which is prejudicial to maintain the good order and discipline at the school.
There is no legal definition of “reasonable force”. However, there are two relevant considerations:
– the use of force can be regarded as reasonable only if the circumstances of an incident warrant it;
– the degree of force must be in proportion to the circumstances of the incident and the seriousness of the behaviour or consequences it is intended to prevent.
The definition of physical force also includes the use of mechanical devices (eg splints on the pupil prescribed by medical colleagues to prevent self-injury), forcible seclusion or use of locked doors. It is important for staff to note that, although no physical contact may be made in the latter situations, this is still regarded as a Restrictive Physical Intervention.
Restrictive Physical Interventions will be used when all other strategies have failed, and therefore only as a last resort. However there are other situations when physical handling may be necessary, for example in a situation of clear danger or extreme urgency. Certain pupils may become distressed, agitated, and out of control, and need calming with a brief Restrictive Physical Intervention that is un-resisted after a few seconds.
The safety and well-being of all staff and pupils are important considerations. Under certain conditions this duty must be an over-riding factor.
Hertfordshire STEPS
Steps is not an acronym but was drawn from Norfolk County Council’s inclusion statement.
“The process of taking necessary steps to ensure that every young person is given an equality of opportunity to develop socially, to learn and to enjoy community life.”
Hertfordshire Steps is owned solely by Hertfordshire County Council. Responsibility for training and practice within services is the responsibility of Head Teacher and Governors of Amwell View School.
Amwell View currently has 6 trainers who ensure every member of staff working with children is trained and that they receive refresher training every year. Each trainer is available at any point to consult, provide additional training and support where necessary based on audited need. A designated person within the team of trainers checks that all paperwork is completed and a process of reflection is continuous.
We provide training to staff for a wide range of software and hardware, both industry standard office automation technologies and specialised educational solutions. This training is continually reviewed and reapplied as new software and hardware are introduced to the school. Additional training is available on request to satisfy the requirements of individual staff members and to support all pupils to access the curriculum and engage in learning.
At Amwell View School we share an ethos of total communication. Makaton signs are used to support our pupils in developing their language comprehension and expression. We sign key words alongside speech. Care is taken to provide our pupils with opportunities to understand, copy and learn each sign in a variety of contexts.
Makaton signs are practiced by all staff in our whole school staff briefings each week.
Tips from Makaton’s website
• Using Makaton is fun!
• Use signs and symbols as much and as often as you can.
• Always speak as you sign or use symbols.
• Offer lots of encouragement.
• Don’t give up! It may take a while but it is worth it in the end.
The BBC’s award-winning Something Special children’s programme features Mr Tumble, played by Justin Fletcher, who uses Makaton symbols and signs to support speech throughout each programme.”
Tactile signing may be appropriate, especially for pupils with sensory impairments. An agreed key vocabulary of tactile signs is used with individual pupils as appropriate e.g. ‘hello’; ‘finished’ and ‘next’.
The legal definition of manual handling in terms of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHOR), is ‘any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or by bodily force’.
Up to one third of all accidents at work are caused by moving and handling loads. These accidents may result in strain injuries to all parts of the body, but the back is the area most vulnerable to damage.
Other areas of the body which may sustain injury are the hands, feet, arms and shoulders. Injuries may also be caused if a load is dropped, for example, on the foot. Some injuries arise from accumulated strain over a number of years and are never reported as accidents.
It is both ours and Hertfordshire’s policy that employees avoid manual handling at work as far as is reasonably practicable. Where manual handling is a necessity it is our responsibility to ensure that the task is assessed and the risks to health and safety are minimised, as far as is reasonably practicable. This is supported by the provision of suitable lifting equipment, annual training and regularly reviewing safe systems of work.
When moving or assisting to move a child, Care plans should include details of any equipment used, such as the use of a wheelchair or mobile hoist or an evacuation chair in an emergency. Suitable training is given annually to staff and through the induction process for new staff.
We currently have three members of staff who are trainers and regularly carry out training to ensure everyone is aware of policy, legislation and understand the safe practice expected which keeps pupils and staff safe.
Staff who teach swimming or support swimming lessons on a regular basis take a pool safety qualification to ensure the safe supervision of pool based programmed swimming activities. This is called the “National Award for swimming teachers and coaches” and is valid for 2 years. The course requires an understanding of pool safety operating procedures, knowledge of class management, and awareness of risk assessment. In addition staff are required to demonstrate their ability to perform rescue aquatic skills and confirm their knowledge of swimming pool emergency First Aid.
All staff working with pupils in the school pool are made aware of general pool safety and the emergency operating procedure.
Each new staff member receives Stage One Safeguarding training. All staff members receive annual safeguarding refresher training delivered by the school's Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy DSLs. Every three years all staff members receive Stage One Safeguarding Children Training (2 hours) delivery by a CPSLO (Child Protection Schools/Colleges Liaison Officers.
The outcomes of this training include:
Whistleblowing training is delivered on an annual basis by the Headteacher. The aim of this training is to understand that all employees have a duty to report any concerns about the safety and welfare of pupils and staff.
