Course

  • 9 Modules

    Memories – Ideas and Resources to Support Bereavement and Grief for Pupils with PMLD

    The course focusses on ideas around bereavement but the ideas and resources can be adapted to aid any transitions eg starting or leaving school, new home. Our pupils need sensory resources because that is how they access information from the world around them. However, as we all do, they need to honour memories of people who have died. We need to find ways to communicate and express ourselves without words or with concrete resources to support the spoken word. 
  • 8 Modules

    An Introduction to PDA or Demand Avoidance. A Parent and Carers’ Guide

    In this course you will learn about the characteristics of PDA, a profile of the autism spectrum. x Children who present as demand avoidant will also have high levels of anxiety, making everyday tasks seem overwhelming to them and result in refusing, withdrawing or shutting down to avoid doing things. This can be very challenging as a parent and is often be overlooked or misinterpreted. We will look at all the ways that a child may present with PDA and how to spot the triggers alongside strategies to help support these children. While autism approaches may be helpful for addressing sensory issues we will also look at the flexible and collaborative approaches that are needed for the child who is demand avoidant. This course will help you to learn new creative strategies and knowledge to support the child at home and how to understand our children and support them in a way that works for them.
  • 6 Modules

    Why are so Many Autistic Girls Missed in School?

    In this course we explore why it can be hard to pick up on autism in girls.  We then consider some of the warning signs we can be looking out for and the practical steps we can take to support a girl if we believe she may be autistic. This on-demand course was inspired by a learn live session run by Pooky which over a thousand people registered to attend.
  • 10 Modules

    Support Students Who Self-Harm: 8 Ideas That Work

    In this course Pooky will walk you through eight practical ideas and approaches to enable you to better support students who are currently self-harming.  This will aid your understanding and your confidence. The course is suitable for anyone working with or supporting a young person who is self-harming in any way.  These videos could also make a useful focus for team INSET.
  • 15 Modules

    An Introduction to Managing Behaviour

    This pathway is split into three sections.  

    1. Routines, rewards and sanctions: Matt offers practical, sensible advice on how to manage student behaviour in the classroom. He shares seven easy-to-implement strategies and emphasises the importance of establishing good routines to limit the amount of time spent off-task.
    2. Motivation and engagement: Matt talks about the importance of motivation and engagement as a means of preventing poor behaviour. 
    3. Principles and presence: Matt shares ten top tips for managing behaviour, shares three principles to guide your behaviour management approaches, and articulates the importance of developing a presence in the classroom to exude authority and control. 

    As well as being useful for individual CPD for teachers, this course could form the basis of whole-school training or one to one coaching. The ideas could be adapted and used across phases and is suitable for a wide range of staff including newer staff and support staff.

  • 8 Modules

    Effectively Work with Other Adults in School

    This is a great course for all teaching assistants, especially those new to the role or new to a school, and helpful for supporting and training colleagues. Here we look at the expectations around how teaching assistants engage with other adults, within the school community and those visiting. We take a look at how we need to be mindful of what knowledge can be shared and when, and how to engage effectively with other, being mindful of the sensitivity of some situations and conversations. 

  • 7 Modules

    Look After Yourself Whilst Looking After Others

    Here we look at 5 ways to maintain wellbeing during the school day around our roles and activities. Although term time is fraught and days are busy, by taking just a few moments to ‘notice’ or ‘connecting’ with others, you can change your own behaviours into good wellbeing habits which will not only benefit you but impact on those around you.  This course is especially suitable for anyone supporting pupils with special or additional needs, but there are useful ideas in here for everyone! 
  • 6 Modules

    Lead a Team of Support Staff – Being a Team Player

    The aim of this course is for those new or experienced leading a team of support staff in school. It focuses on how to be a team player, as often the transition to a leader from being a team member yourself, can be fraught with challenges. Here we look at different methods of enabling a team to be effective and choosing a method of working with the team, which supports your aims and keeps you in control. We look at how keeping a child centred approach, enables you to monitor impact and challenge performance. 
  • 6 Modules

    Lead a Team of Support Staff – Leadership Skills

    The aim of this course is for those new or experienced leading a team of support staff in school. It’s about standing back from the day to day actions and engagements to reflect on the kind of leader you really want to be. Looking at the qualities of great leaders, you will be encouraged to reflect on your own existing skills and skills you may want to develop. Some of the pitfalls such as losing confidence in yourself or struggling with the challenging conversations are also addressed, giving you food for thought and clear areas for personal development.
  • 10 Modules

    Improve Children’s Sleep With These Top Tips

    Sleep is absolutely vital for positive physical and emotional wellbeing. This course will give you an understanding of how sleep works and why it’s so important. We will look at some of the potential barriers to getting a good quality night’s sleep and then give you some practical strategies and tips to help improve sleep. If you are a parent this course will also help you to understand a bit more about supporting your child to get a good night’s sleep.
  • 1 Module

    Getting Parents with a Fear of School Onsite and Onside

    This is a recording of a past webinar, Pooky explore 5 simple ideas for engaging with parents and carers whose personal experiences of schools mean that they are fearful or untrusting of school and are less likely to engage. There is no quick win, but these simple ideas which don't need to cost anything to implement have worked well in many schools.”
  • 8 Modules

    Protect Children from and Responding to Incidents of Female Genital Mutilation

    Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a very serious form of abuse that affects women and girls across the globe and within the United Kingdom. This course will equip you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to identify and seek help for women and girls that may have been a victim of FGM, or are at risk of undergoing FGM. This is an introductory course for all staff and volunteers working directly with children in schools.
  • 9 Modules

    Understand the Risks Posed to Children by Radicalisation and Extremism and the Prevent Duty

    This course is essential for anyone working or volunteering in a school. It will equip you with the skills to understand the risks posed by radicalisation and extremism, what to look out for in your context and how to respond to concerns. The course will also ensure that you understand the legal duties placed on professionals in relation to radicalisation and extremism and give you the confidence to respond appropriately to incidents in your setting.
  • 9 Modules

    Help Children Enjoy Lunchtimes

    Working with pupils during the school lunchtime can be one of the most challenging roles in school. With children having the most freedom and space during this unstructured time, behaviours can deteriorate, which can lead to a whole host of difficulties for staff. These films are therefore aimed at providing a basis for understanding how and why pupils behave in particular ways and how as adults, our behaviours are crucial to changing a culture.  
  • 12 Modules

    Spot and Support Return-to-School Wellbeing Challenges

    There are a whole series of issues that we can expect to see in our pupils in the coming months.  To help you spot the signs and take appropriate action, I’ve outlined a range of potential concerns, when to worry and suggested next steps.  
  • 11 Modules

    Establish Relationships Quickly with Students You Don’t Know

    Supply teaching, NQTs, trainees, cover supervisors, Covid19 lockdown rotas and ‘oh, Sue’s away – can you just cover her year 9s period 4?’…throughout our teaching careers there are many times that we will be required to cover classes and teach lessons that we may have had little or no time to prepare for. This course gives you an overview and practical solutions to establishing relationships with pupils when you might only have 47 mins with 34 of them.
  • 8 Modules

    Promote Resilience Using Pooky’s 4Ps

    During this course, Pooky summarises a simple, evidence-based approach to promoting resilience in the face of adversity.  You’ll learn about the evidence underpinning the approach and how the 4Ps of parents, peers, problem-solving and passion can be used as a framework for promoting resilience in the children in your care using a very simple action planning template which focuses on both risk and protective factors. This course has been developed by Dr Pooky Knightsmith, an internationally recognised mental health expert and author. The content is based on a paper commissioned by Health Education England and Young Minds as part of the ‘Addressing Adversity’ project.  Pooky has run workshops on the 4Ps approach across the UK and internationally and this simple, evidence based approach has provided a practical focus colleagues from across a wide range of settings.
  • 8 Modules

    Lead A High Quality Intervention

    This is a great course for all teaching assistants, especially those new to the role, or new to a school and helpful for supporting and training colleagues. With the majority of teaching assistants expected to lead an intervention at some point during the week, it is often the case that no formal training has been given. Here we take a step by step walk through the key areas that need to be considered in order to run a successful intervention and give you the confidence to adapt and amend plans for the benefit of your pupils.

  • 8 Modules

    Simple Ideas to Support with Eating Disorders

    Eating disorders are really hard to understand and can leave us very worried about doing and saying the wrong thing, fearful that we’ll make things worse. Consequently, many people do not try to help at all. In this course I’ve tried to help you build your current strengths and understanding to give you some ideas about how to support a child or young person with an eating disorder even though you’re not an expert. You won’t get it right all the time, none of us do… but these simple ideas will build your confidence and enable you to make a difference to any child you are working with or caring for regardless of your role and experience.
  • 8 Modules

    How to Create a Personal Wellbeing Action Plan

    Wellbeing action plans are an evidence-based approach to promoting wellbeing.  They can be used by children or adults and give a clear, simple framework for staying well. This course gives you an overview of the different elements of a wellbeing action plan and some clear pointers for developing an effective plan.  The framework provided can help to clarify your thoughts and actions whether it’s your own wellbeing that you’re looking to promote or if you’re supporting a pupil or colleague.  The process of writing the plan is every bit as important as actually implementing it and this is especially true when it comes to planning ahead for the holidays with more vulnerable pupils. This course is suitable for anyone interested in developing a wellbeing action plan for themselves or in supporting a child or adult to write one. The course has been developed and delivered by Dr Pooky Knightsmith, a mental health expert who has supported hundreds of adults and children to develop wellbeing action plans through workshops and also through her book “The Mentally Health Schools Workbook” which has an entire chapter dedicated to supporting staff to develop wellbeing action plans.