[senco-forum] how to keep a pupil calm

class and someone (me) has been sent to collect her ?Janice WraySecondary

The way we coped with a tall, well-built boy in Y6 who did this from time
to time was recommended by the CAMHS [Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Service] team who worked with him.  If he was endangering others by
throwing things, we cleared the children out of the room and one/two
adults stayed with him, saying nothing or muttering calming "nothings", as
the occasion indicated, until he burst into tears, which was usually
indicative of his having regained control.

If he was shouting/swearing etc but physically not endangering anyone, the
person "calming" - me, the HT, or Deputy, depending on circumstances -
would talk quietly, inviting him to come to a quiet place for a while.  If
he did not respond, we waited until he was ready, when he usually did
come.

This child had severe difficulties with anger management, stemming from
his witnessing violence towards his mother by his father.  By the time he
left us, he had improved his control immensely and is now a model Y7
pupil.  We have used these tactics with other children successfully; there
were times when I felt that I was "whispering" children!

I also went on a training course in Emotional Literacy with Adrian Faupel,
who has done a lot of work in Southampton, I believe.  The main point that
he wanted to get over was that, when a child started to spiral out of
control, he/she could be headed off at certain points on the upward climb
[once you knew the pattern for that child], but once they reached the
"point of no return", nothing could stop the explosion and the child would
be beyond reason, probably unaware of what they were saying or doing.  All
you could do was wait for them to come back down, which could take up to
an hour for them to be back to normal.

Hope this is of some help.

Jean

Primary SENCO S Wales

 Anyone got top tips for calming a pupil down who has really lost it in a
> class and someone (me) has been sent to collect her ?Janice WraySecondary
> SENCO, Herts
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