Our Training

Our trainers travel to your setting to train your staff in using effective de-escalation and diffusion strategies and safe positive handling holds for youngsters.

There are three main aims:

• keeping children safe,
• keeping staff safe and equipping them with knowledge and understanding, and
• promoting a safe and calm learning environment.

We must ensure the training we provide is conducted in a professional and safe manner; applying the same standards you would expect of any quality CPD your staff participate in.

Pre-training
Discussion and scoping the schools existing approaches to behaviour management – what do you want to achieve moving forward?

There are several pre-training elements to cover prior to the actual training taking place, which the Lead Co-ordinator will guide you through.  First, we will discuss your schools’ individual requirements with you, and look at how positive handling will fit in with your existing policies and procedures (if it does not currently).  This is a good opportunity for school senior leaders to review how ‘visible’ de-escalation and positive handling protocols are going to be – will they form an integral part of the schools graduated response?  Have thorough reporting and de-briefing mechanisms been considered should you need to place a child in a hold?  If this is the first time your setting and staff are engaging in positive handling this is essential, as it must be reflected in your whole school approach to behaviour and the policies that underpin this.  How effectively you communicate this with your staff, governing body and stakeholders will make a significant difference at the implementation phase and you will find it much easier to incorporate these strategies into your existing management of pupil discipline.  Generally, when a school successfully promotes positive pupil behaviour and attitudes through a clearly structured graduated response, it generates a cumulative effect and greater stakeholder ‘buy in’.

The Lead coordinator will then guide you through the pre-course requirements such as staff and training environment risk assessments, medical questionnaire, training room(s) and ICT requirements.  All delegates are required to wear appropriate footwear and clothing for the duration of the training session.  Booking arrangements are confirmed and training dates secured at this stage using an electronic order form.  The Tees Valley Finance Team will make contact with you to set up a Purchase Order, so payment can be made via BACS transfer.

Training session
On the day of training, our team of trainers will arrive at an agreed time.  The team usually factor in sufficient time for any final preparation, ICT set-up, meet with school co-ordinator and ask staff to sign the attendance register.  A quick warm up exercise and group welcome marks the beginning of the session.

Typically, most training sessions (theory and practical) can be delivered in one twilight session.  Our trainers will work through a training presentation and also provide staff with course materials and literature for them to retain and refer to for future reference.  Upon completion, all delegates are asked to complete a short quiz to test knowledge.  Finally, a post-course questionnaire is handed out to delegates, and we encourage everyone to complete this honestly – this really helps us in our practice and delivery of excellence.

Post-training
All staff who took part in the training and signed the register will receive their certificate.  Staff will be certified for 2 years from the date of certificate.  The Lead coordinator will also contact the setting to ascertain overall views of the standard of training, as this feedback helps with our own practice, future development and learning.