1. Scottish Attachment in Action
27th March 2015
Lio Moscardini and Heather Baldry

2. Learning Together about Making Choices
Developing and sustaining an inclusive model of support for children with attachment issues as they move through school: a longitudinal study

3. Scene setting
What do you understand to be the teacher’s experience of unmet attachment needs in the classroom?

4. Teachers are facing behaviours which cannot be sorted by a strategy.
Toolkit approach problematic
Starting with the child

5. Management or understanding ?
Self-regulation
- able to alter their behaviour
make choices supported by reward systems etc.
can learn to fit behaviour to the occasion
learn to select behaviours
unable to make choices
no internal dialogue
behaviour is instinctive and self-protective
unaware of their own behaviour
or that of others
they need help to become aware of what they are doing
specific help to self-regulate
and eventually to make choices
behaviour management strategies exacerbate the problem

6. Outline of project 2011-2014 Two urban primary schools –
Small group of children moving from Jeely Nursery to schools
Focus on building capacity - developing teachers’ knowledge and understanding to support all children
Development activities focussed on whole school and linking theoretical knowledge to practice – and policy
Key role of a liaison person
Lessons learned and acted upon part of ongoing process

7. Child-school
Parent/carer-school
Child-parent
Year 1
Investigating: Culture - Policies - Practice
Expectations/ aspirations
Adversity / protective environment
Coping with change
Holiday periods
Establish role of DofL
Transition from JN- Primary
Classroom practices
School support measures
Teachers’ knowledge and beliefs
Children’s experiences
Evidence of development of secure attachment
Establish role of DofL 
Expectations
Experiences
Year 2
Transition
- change of class/teacher
- reproduction of transition process
Ongoing support measures
Ongoing evidence of continuation of development of secure attachment
Communication
Involvement
Continuation in response to critical action research model
Year 3
Continuation of transition process in response to critical action research model

8. Lessons from the Jeely Nursery
The Jeely Nursery provided children with a narrative to their own lives and experiences which enabled them to see themselves as actors in their own daily lived experience. They learned to detach themselves from unthinking emotional action and reaction which governed their behaviour (which was disruptive and destructive), to stand back and become accepting to the idea that in each situation they could present themselves with a choice about what they might do next. The choice was taught by key workers over time. The narrative of their own lives now provided the basis for growing autonomy and self-directedness. They were taught how to gain control and were aware of, and gained satisfaction from, doing it. The parents learned the same lessons and their own understanding grew.

9. Underlying all activities in the JN was the aim to provide children with the opportunities to come as close as possible to achieving the secure, confident, autonomous state which is the inheritance of those who achieved a secure attachment base when they were very young. In addition, if progress made is to be sustained, close links with the family need to be maintained and familial adults also need to understand the significance of relationships and their role in the life of their child. Work in this area similarly contributes to the extrinsic factors identified in the GIRFEC resilience matrix.

10. Five interlocking principles for a secure base for learning
Establish a positive relationship based on informed action, a real interchange,
rethinking set patterns of relationship between the teacher and the child. (pedagogy and
knowledge & beliefs)
Be sensitive and responsive, recognizing that individual children are entitled to have their feelings recognized and acknowledged. Recognise this as an opportunity for teachers’ own learning. (relationships, interaction and ethos)
Recognise children as individuals and explicitly acknowledge their dignity, value and capability. (relationships, interaction and ethos)
Recognising parents as individuals, rethinking patterns of relationships and acknowledge their dignity, value and capacity. (parents)
The above principles to be recognized in an agreed, whole school commitment to the help and support of children who have experienced negative attachment, developed from a shared understanding that is consistently monitored and addressed. This culture to be inclusive of both teachers and parents. A whole school approach to teacher learning. (support systems)
Adapted from Cairns, K. (2002) Attachment, trauma and resilence: Therapeutic caring for children. London; BAAF.

11. Investigating culture, policy and practice
Pedagogy and knowledge & beliefs
Relationships, interaction and ethos
Parents
Support frameworks

12. Pedagogy and knowledge & beliefs
Teachers stated initially unsure how to differentiate between ‘naughty’ behaviour and behaviour caused by unmet attachment needs.
Some teachers had previous training on nurture in which they stated they also learned about attachment Consistently some people commented they could not make the link between theory and practice. August
‘I’ve found that since working with (Liaison person) it’s effected … I’m thinking more about what I’m saying to children. I’ve found the positive affirmations of what they’re doing really interesting.
I found the whole thing about the play being child-led and not asking questions and directing the child play, I found that really interesting and that’s kind of affected how I’m interacting with kids.’

13. Relationships and ethos
 Referring to project-
‘It’s opened up discussion you know and it’s nice for all these teachers that have these children to know that they can chat about the project and about children and we feel as if there’s a network of support, you know it’s good.’
‘There was a lot of discussion when we had the evening session because we felt as if it was very, very beneficial for us. There was quite a lot of discussion followed that yeah.’
‘Previously I recognised children with acting out behaviours. Now I am more aware of withdrawn behaviours, particularly with girls. It has helped me identify children that I would now be more concerned about. Before I would just have said that they are quiet and withdrawn now I think more about how to bring them in.’

14. Parents and carers
This is a challenging area. Issues of communication and information sharing. Shift from early years to primary school. Continued to work on this for duration of project. Building relationships with parents/carers takes time. Attitudinal barriers and presumptions but also some examples of stronger links between schools and particular parents. Example of C’s mum

15. Support frameworks Gaps in communication and sharing of information
Knowledge of support systems
- GIRFEC and Staged Intervention
Consistency of practice
Systems led
– lack of connection between theory, policy and practice
‘ someone else will be dealing with it…’

16. Supporting teacher learning
Cautious about overgeneralising Connecting theory – practice – policy Policy is no guarantee of practice it is what individual teachers know, believe and do that matters Teachers highly responsive Able to use new knowledge

17. Afternoon discussion
This group of vulnerable children remain hidden in the primary school. Knowledge, skills and understanding required to identify and interpret underlying behaviours Getting through the masking

18. Professional noticing
Attending to child/ young person’s strategies
Interpreting child/ young person’s understandings
Deciding how to respond on basis of child/ young person’s understanding
Adapted from:
Jacobs, V. R., Lamb, L.L.C., & Philipp, R. A. (2010). Professional noticing of children’s mathematical thinking, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, (41), 2,

19. Interpreting
This is dependent on the depth of knowledge of individuals teachers. This learning takes time and is linked to teachers’ confidence and self-efficacy. The liaison person had a crucial role here. She was not a teacher.

20. Is there anything that you do, or could do, that supports teachers’ practice in this area?
Emerging issues from project to consider:
- Teachers’ knowledge and beliefs
- Teachers’ confidence
- Shared understandings and values
- Communication
- Collaboration with parents/carers
Leadership
Support structures

21. Lessons learned and materials that have been developed in collaboration with the schools over the course of the three year project will be drawn together and made available to the schools in a functional format.
Scaling up In order to achieve deep and lasting change we recognise the need to engage with school systems and their cultures and to avoid superficiality and mere programme innovation. In scaling up the project we will continue to use an enquiring approach in which we will work collaboratively with school staff, parents and other professionals utilising a relational framework which considers: inclusive policies; inclusive practices and inclusive cultures.