• How do children experience living with a parent with mental illness?
• How do children manage this experience?
• What are the outcomes for children in the school environment?
• How can schools support children whose parents have mental health issues?

As a school counsellor one of the areas of my work is supporting students whose parents have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Over the years I have dealt with students whose lives have changed fundamentally because of their parent’s mental health.

Tim’s Story

(The name of the student has been changed for confidentiality)

Tim was a bright student, hard working, well behaved with good attendance. In June 2010 Tim’s life would change after his father had a mental breakdown two days before his first GCSE science exam. He phoned me, he had not come to school but wanted to speak with me urgently, he told me he was coming with his mum – it was Friday morning.

When they both arrived, mum was concerned that the school was aware that Tim might not turn up to his exam on Monday morning, because dad was having a mental breakdown, this had started the previous night, he was saying negative things, being threatening to mum and threatening Tim. On their arrival at school they were both concerned about dad’s welfare because he had left home and they did not know where he was. Mum wanted Tim to do his exams, because she knew how important they were to and Tim had been working hard revising and staying after school for revision classes.

Tim was more worried about mum and what might happen to mum if dad came home, I realized that Tim had moved from being a child to being his mother’s protector, this is not to say that he was not concerned about what was happening to his father. During my conversation with Tim the phone rang, it was his sister telling him that dad had returned to the house, Tim and mum left immediately.

I informed both the child protection office and the pastoral deputy head about the situation, and spoke to the examination officer to see what could be done for Tim if he was unable to take the exam. Before I left work I phoned Mum to inform her of the steps I had taken to support Tim through his exams and to get a better idea of what was happening with the family, the police were called and dad had been arrested for trying to assault the police.
On Monday morning I went to the exam hall to see if Tim came to school, he was there and on time, I asked him to come and see me after the exam, he wasn’t looking good, I could see that he hadn’t slept well and was looking pale and drawn.

Over the weekend dad had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and sent to hospital for one week. Tim felt safe, dad wanted to come home, mum wanted dad home but Tim didn’t want dad home, he was scared, he had seen what dad could do, besides it wasn’t his dad anymore this was a different person, someone he didn’t know.

One week later dad was allowed home. Mum was pleased and worried at the same time; she loved him and had supported him for many years. Tim was scared, he slept with a baseball bat beside his bed in case dad attacked him, I asked him how he would feel if he hurt his father seriously with the baseball bat, he had mixed feelings he didn’t want to hurt his dad because he loved him, but this man wasn’t the dad he knew.

I discussed with Tim my concerns for his safety, and told him that I had no choice but to report the matter to social services, this was a child protection issue and that I had to follow procedure. I discussed the matter with the school’s child protection officer and filled in the ‘first response form’ so that social services could move Tim to a place of safety. Tim did not want to leave mum, he felt that he needed to be there to protect her he was worried that she would have a nervous breakdown, he also wanted to watch dad.

Mum and the medical profession made decisions about dad’s future he was finally put into hospital under the provision of the Mental Health Act, he was hospitalised for 3 months before being allowed home with medication and further therapy. Tim was allowed home again and he was able to focus again knowing that dad was being looked after, mum was less stressed and he was safe.

On his return to school in September, he was the first student I saw on the first day back, we discussed the summer holiday.

Tim had learned a lot about his family history in relation to mental health.

• His biggest fear was for the future, would he have mental health problems as he got older?
• If he had children could they, would they inherit the condition?

Tim has left school now he took his GCSEs and was successful, gaining A-C grades in 8 subjects he is at a further education college doing A levels in ICT and languages, he would like to go to university to study computer science.

Over the years I have worked with many children like Tim, each individual child will manage this experience differently some are carers to their parents, these children may have poor attendance, this in turn affects their learning, or their relationships with their teachers and their peers. Others display emotional and behaviour issues, such as ongoing conflict either with teachers, their peers or both.

Children do not particularly want teachers or their peers to know what is going on at home, through fear of being judged.

For some, school is their only respite, it is their safe heaven because they have another focus and can be a child again for a short while before home time.
There are many Tims in schools through out England, some are known, others are not.

At the beginning of this article I asked four questions I have give some answers to the first three, I would be interested in readers’ answers to the fourth question:

How can schools support children whose parents have mental health issues?

Paula Spencer
NAPCE

1. Phil welcome to members to the meeting.
2. Minutes of 2011 AGM.
   The minutes were accepted as a true record subject to one amendment.
3. Matters arising
   Item 9 – If the NEC wish to pursue a link with the Caspari Foundation, information can be found on www.caspari.org.uk
4. Resolutions from the 2011 AGM
5. Reports:

Chair / Secretary Report

Our first task is to thank Jill Robson for her 5 years of sterling work as Chair of the Association, a period during which the Association saw many changes including transfer of the Association from its Warwick Base, the appointment of a new administrator and a change of publisher for the Journal. Jill efficiently and effectively supported the Association and successfully led it through unsettled times and we are grateful to her.

A recent article in the Times Educational Supplement with the title, “You’ll miss us if we perish, warn subject associations” reported on falling membership and the challenges associations are facing to support teachers. The National Association for Pastoral Care in Education finds itself facing similar challenges and much of the work of the association during the year has been focused on reflecting on what the Association is about and what is should be doing to meet the needs of members.

It is 30 years since the National Association for Pastoral Care in Education was founded. It was founded to bring together people who shared similar values about the importance of education in supporting the personal and social development of learners. In those early days of the Association, educational professionals attended meetings in their local area to share ideas and views about new initiatives. There was always a close link between theory and practice with the Association having a journal where academic debate took place about issues relevant to the association and used by members to support and guide them in their daily work with young people. The National Executive Committee was there to link together all the local groups and people who shared and valued this interest in the personal and social development of students. There have been great changes in the 30 year history of the Association with the introduction of new technology and the impact this has had on daily life and education. Good practice and news about the latest developments in education used to be shared at courses and conferences and networking took place through personal contact. The Association now finds itself having to reflect on its role in the age of the internet and to consider whether the original values and beliefs of the Association are still relevant.

During the year the NEC has met three times and the future of the Association has been at the forefront of discussion. One outcome of the debate was a restatement of a vision for NAPCE which included

• Share theory and practice about pastoral care
• Encourage research and the sharing of ideas about pastoral care
• Influence practice in pastoral care to improve the experience of young people in education
• To share views and opinions on how pastoral care can be effective in improving the educational experience of young people
• Influence and respond to policy at national level
• To make a difference in the lives of young people by ensuring that pastoral care and its provision in educational institutions supports the personal/academic development of learners
• To promote a proactive approach to pastoral care in educational institutions with the aim of improving the educational experience and the life chances of young people

There are probably more initiatives and proposed changes in the education system than there were when it was felt that there was a need to form the Association 30 years ago. The Association remains a way in which educational professionals who share similar values and beliefs about the importance of personal and social education can have a voice about proposed changes in practice and policy. There is no certainty that the views of an Association will change policy but they are more likely to be listened to than the single voice of an educational professional. If the National Association for Pastoral Care is to participate in consultations and share its values and beliefs it needs to be able to demonstrate that it represents the views of a large membership across the country at a time when similar Associations are facing falling membership. A questionnaire has been placed on the website and copies circulated to all members requesting feedback as to what members would like to see from the Association and from the website.

The Association remains well served by its Journal which continues to flourish and has gained respect worldwide as a leader in the field of debate about personal/social/emotional education. It has included a wide range of articles and authors and continues to influence debate in the field at both a national and increasingly at international level. The publishers report a healthy readership of articles as evidenced by the number of downloads that are made.
There is an opportunity for the Association to use the ideas and enthusiasm of its members to decide how it should be developed to meet the needs of educational professionals in the 21st century and to include others with a genuine interest in ensuring that the experience of learning is a positive one. An important question to be considered is how to involve more people with an interest in the values and beliefs of the Association to contribute their ideas and energy to its future development. People live in an age of change and uncertainty where the opportunity to share ideas and concerns provides valuable support and maintains belief that it is the people involved in the process of education that matter. This is the challenge that the Association faces and it modernisation to meet the demands of the educational world of the 21st century can be achieved by evolution not overnight revolution because it can build on the solid foundations and values that the Association has had during its history.

• Phil Jones (Chair)
• Margaret Roberts (Secretary)

The contents of the report were considered and discussed. Boosting membership is a clear focus for the NEC and strategies have been discussed on how to achieve this. It was agreed that the constitution should be reviewed. A strategy has already been agreed to review the composition of the National Executive Committee. The NEC needs to reflect on the work of the Association based on current discussions and the opinions expressed by those who responded to the questionnaire. It also needs to consider the success of the Association in ways which can be quantified e.g. the changed nature of NEC meetings, the success of information mornings/evenings, the effectiveness of communication with people, membership etc.

In conclusion Phil suggested that the NEC was aware of the issues and was working towards moving forward.

Treasurer’s Report Jan-Dec 2011

Ethel reported that overall income has increased but subscriptions have declined as a result of reduction in membership. The purchase of the Principality bond should ensure that the bank interest rate will improve in the future.

In response to a query about royalties, Colleen confirmed that they remained unchanged as part of the contract agreement with Routledge.

It was agreed that some money should be spent in a positive way to invest in developing the Association.

Journal Editor’s Report

The Journal is in a very strong position and Stan wishes to acknowledge the hard work of Taylor and Francis in promoting the Journal. There has been an increase in downloads and consequently an increase in income. Journal articles have been used in specific campaigns e.g. bullying in schools.

48 articles were received in 2011 and to date 16 have been received this year. This places the Journal in a very healthy position and it is perceived as a popular journal. There is an acceptance rate of 60% which is slightly higher than the norm for journals. It is planned that all accepted articles will be published online before inclusion in the journal.

He is very grateful to Vicky for the way she has worked with Taylor Francis to proactively promote the Journal. e.g. through inclusion of articles in a compilation of journals and through increased downloads. Early online publishing of papers has been well received, especially since authors get credit in the current REF (Research Excellence Framework) exercise for these submissions. Stan was pleased with the response from International Associate Editors for his request for papers and these formed the basis for a special edition.

The journal also has an exceptionally good turn around period for articles. Stan thanked members of the Board who refereed articles for the part they played in achieving this.

The future of the Journal is about maintaining quality and it was suggested that there was a need for debate about standards in countries abroad where authors were not familiar with the UK system and where cultural issues are significant. This would also impact on the work of International Associate Editors.
The next edition of the Journal will be a special edition focussing on the issue of violence and aggression in schools. Three of the six papers are written from an international perspective.

The report was accepted and Phil thanked Stan for his support of the Association.

5. Report on NEC elections

Mike Calvert will remain as Vice Chair and Paula Spencer was re-elected onto the Committee. There are two vacancies.

6. New resolutions from the 2012 AGM

The following resolution was proposed by Colleen McLoughlin and seconded by Jae Bray.

“The NEC should reconsider the Constitution of the Association”

The resolution was agreed.

AOB

Jae Bray reported on the sad death of Filomena Blyth who had contributed much to the Association in the early years of its development. Jae had attended the funeral and was able to represent NAPCE.

Phil Jones
Chair of NAPCE

This year it is 30 years since the National Association for Pastoral Care in Education was founded. It was founded to bring together people who shared similar values about the importance of education supporting the personal and social development of learners. In those early days of the Association, Educational professionals attended meetings in their local area to share ideas and views about the new initiatives and challenges that were relevant to the personal and social development of young people engaged in education. There was always a close link between theory and practice with the Association having a journal where academic debate took place about issues relevant to the association and used by members to support and guide them in their daily work with young people. The National Executive Committee was there to link together all the local groups and people who shared and valued this interest in the personal and social development of students.

There have been great changes in the 30 year History of the Association with the introduction of new technology and the impact this has had on daily life and education. It is now much easier for people to keep in contact with each other 24 hours a day for 365 days a year. There is no need for educational professionals to drive themselves to a local meeting at the end of a hard day at work to find out about the latest developments in education. There is less incentive to invest a hard earned Saturday to attend a conference to ensure that you fully understand the impact of new initiatives in education and share ideas about how the professionals in education should respond to them in the best interests of students. The Association finds itself having to consider its role in the age of the internet and is the original values and beliefs of the Association still relevant and is it still important to support the personal and social development of students engaged in learning.

One way of answering this question might be to consider why people are interested in education and why many people want to work in education. Is this not the same as 30 years ago, that most people are driven to make a contribution to education because they want to make a difference in the lives of other people and improve their life chances? It can be argued that there is now a greater need for an Association to support and promote the impact of Pastoral Care in education to support the personal and social development of students engaged in learning. The vision for the ‘Big Society’ is for people working together to improve the quality of life and the life chances of other people through self – help initiatives that make a real impact on daily life. Spending cuts are forcing educational professionals to be creative to find ways to continue supporting learners in their personal development to enable them to reach their full potential. One of the biggest impacts is on Pastoral Care with support staff being the first professionals being under threat when schools and educational institutions have to balance the books. Another casualty of the spending cuts is often opportunities for Continual Professional Development and training especially if there is no obvious link with improving an institutions standing in the league tables.

A recent article in the Times Educational Supplement with the title, “You’ll miss us if we perish, warn subject associations” reported on the challenges they are facing to support teachers at a time when they feel they are needed more than ever. They argue that despite the need for teachers to work together to raise standards membership is falling they suggest because of insecurity about jobs and cuts in school training budgets mean that teachers and support staff in schools are no longer attending training or access other services offered by the subject Associations. The National Association for Pastoral Care in Education finds itself with similar challenges. There are probably more initiatives and proposed changes in the education than there were when it was felt that there was a need to form the Association 30 years ago. The Association is a way that educational professionals who share similar values and beliefs about the importance of personal and social education can have a voice about proposed changes in practice and policy. The move to no notice inspections gains support in the popular media but in the consultation that is going to take place there needs to be some recognition of the possible negative impact of having staff living under this constant threat and the impact it could have on students well -being. As the Observer Newspaper reports on 29th January 2012, schools are facing a revolution, with for profit making companies playing a key role in the UK education system. Who can predict what the implications of this will be for people who work in education or for the students. There is no guarantee that the views of an Association will change policy but they are more likely to be listened to than the single voice of an educational professional. The National Association for Pastoral Care to participate in consultations and its shared values and beliefs needs to be able to demonstrate that it represents the views of a large membership across the country at a time when similar Associations are facing falling membership.

This is the challenge for the National Association for Pastoral Care in Education. Is there a need to promote the importance of personal and social education as part of a person’s educational experience in the modern world, how does the Association achieve this goal in the ‘Big Society’ of 2012 and how does the Association increase its membership to enable it to be able to represent the voice of educational professionals? If it is felt that there is a role for a Pastoral Care Association in the future then it is worth educational professionals investing some time in contributing their ideas on. The more ideas, suggestions and questions we have the more likely we are to find a way that we can continue to work together as educational professionals to find ways to support students and improve their future life chances. Please send any contributions or ideas to the NAPCE base by e mail to thorough the contacts page on the web site or to the administrative officer Mellissa O’Grady at the following Address:

National Association of Pastoral Care in Education (NAPCE), PO Box 6005, Nuneaton, CV11 9GY. (Telephone: 07531 453670)

This important discussion will take place at the Annual General Meeting which will be held at The Imperial Hotel in London at 12-45pm on Saturday 28th April 2012.

Alison Boyd
Head of Education Support Team for Medical Absence ESTMA, Hertfordshire until Sept 2011

In an article by Kerra Maddern in the TES 14th October, she comments on the risk of failure of local authorities to be able to fulfil the requirements of the Children, Schools and Families Act 2010 which extends the duty of local authorities to provide full time education for pupils missing education because of illness and exclusion.

I would like to separate the 2 categories of children, those with illness and those excluded. Children with illness should in my opinion be maintained in their schools and on the school roll wherever possible. A child who is truly unwell – as opposed to being unwilling to attend school, is unlikely to be able to attend any provision full time as demanded by Mr Gove during a period of illness, no matter how long they are unwell.

For 23 years I was involved in the educational provision of pupils with medical conditions unable to attend school full time. We worked very closely with schools supporting them to ensure the best possible provision for these pupils maintaining them in their home school where possible. We found that targeting any teaching support to very specific areas highlighted by the pupils themselves, we were able to encourage them back into their favourite subjects in school. Friendships were key to their recovery and reintegration and helped support them back into school, along with supportive key staff.

We were cost effective, reducing our budget as a result of good practice and efficient working. Effective multi-agency working was the key to our success, particularly the close liaison with medical practitioners.

Taking pupils out of their schools and requiring them to attend full time education is an unrealistic and backwards step and costly. Children with Medical Conditions should not be ‘lumped together’ with those who are excluded.

Margaret Roberts

At the time of writing children and young people are returning to schools and colleges and students are anticipating the start of the university year. It should be a time of hope and optimism and for many it is. They have the confidence to cope with whatever comes their way and their self esteem is high. Definitions of self esteem vary in their breadth and sophistication but all agree that it involves appreciation of self and personal worth. High self esteem gives rise to a positive outlook and a confidence in ability to succeed.

When driving past schools recently I have been struck by how many of them have banners publishing their percentage of grades A*-C passes in this year’s GCSE examinations. “Best in borough”, “double last year’s pass rate” they proudly proclaim.

I visited one such school which only two years ago was described as a “sink school” with falling rolls. Since then they have doubled their A*-C pass rate, including English and maths, and are oversubscribed. When I enquired what had changed I was told “now the teachers can teach. Parents and pupils know that we are serious about our sanctions and realise that exclusion is a realistic outcome should their child continue to cause problems”. Their main deterrent seems to involve a series of detentions culminating in a Saturday detention of five hours. The school which claims to be “best in borough” is not popular with a large group of parents who feel that the staff are unapproachable and don’t make much effort to resolve problems. In contrast when talking to Anna who has just started in year 7 in a high school she was thrilled with everything including the lunch time clubs, the teachers, her new friends and her tutor who was lovely. Her school certainly didn’t have a banner outside but it had done an excellent job in making an anxious new pupil feel confident about her future at the school.

Pastoral systems occasionally get banner headlines when schools quote extracts from an Ofsted report “The school provides outstanding care, guidance and support for its students” but too often their contribution is overlooked. This was highlighted for me by a researcher who recently sent an enquiry to NAPCE asking for information about the role of the tutor. She writes

I am currently researching on the role and function of the tutor in Pastoral care in UK secondary schools. I have found a dearth of published material lately, apart from your journal, and wonder if members think that the whole area of Pastoral Care is a dying one, or if a revival will be on its way once the government realise that the academic curriculum cannot be delivered without a support system for the whole developing adolescent.

Are UK secondary schools so good at Pastoral Care now that the tutor role is null and void? Has what has replaced it worked? Where is it going? I realize how busy you all are, but I am aghast at the low priority given to the area of education that I consider the most vital!

The role of the tutor certainly continues to evolve and in some instances is scarcely recognisable as such. The time that teachers spend with their tutor groups should be an important element of any day. Despite the fact that the role is still clearly defined in many school handbooks and teachers are accountable for their performance in such a role, it is clear that commitment to the role of form/house tutor varies greatly from person to person. Some thrive on the chance it offers to get to know a group of pupils well and to support their development, while for others it’s an unwelcome intrusion into their subject specific work and is a stressful time for both themselves and their unfortunate tutees. In turn, the values form tutors exhibit will be reflected in the conduct, demeanour and sense of well-being of their form.

At best the tutor will provide a positive role model to the tutees, will have expert knowledge of the pupil’s social as well as academic experience and can access help as needed. As Michael Marland frequently stated “A Form Tutor is a teacher whose subject is the pupil herself”. Pupils will achieve best when they have high self esteem, feel part of a community that cares for them and feel that they can relate to someone who will, if needed, help them overcome barriers to learning consequent on their social or personal situation. The role of the tutor, therefore, remains critical in ensuring that a pupil’s school experience is successful however that may be defined.

The researcher has set us a challenge! What is the state of tutoring in your school? If you are willing to respond and give her a realistic appraisal of the tutor role in your institution please do so by sending your comments in an email to NAPCE at napce1@hotmail.co.uk and your comments will be forwarded.

Jill Robson

I read with interest last month’s web article by Jae Bray entitled “When good teaching and behaviour management strategies are not enough” which recorded a school’s attempts to deal with a minority of students who were badly behaved and disrupting the learning of others. It seemed particularly timely when the last month seems to have been monopolized in the press by the “riots” in London and other cities.

We have been subjected to news and debate over the so called “broken society” and the variety of opinion over the causes and solutions have gone on unabated for several weeks. The general agreement however seems to be that both the cause and the remedies of the situation are extremely complex and cannot be explained or solved simply. What we must remember is that as in school, the disruption came from a small minority, for every rioter there are many more young people who would never contemplate participating in crime.

However the sight of very young children, some as young as seven, taking part in activities such as smashing shop windows and looting is undoubtedly very disturbing. Many of the youngsters, who were filmed robbing and rioting seemed to fit the stereotype of angry and disengaged young people, whose indifference and disassociation from society will only lead to further trouble, if not addressed.

Sooner or later in issues where young people figure, the responsibility of the school and the education system, inevitably comes into the debate. I have listened to and read comment about the complete breakdown of discipline in schools which as teacher I don’t recognize. Admittedly I don’t work in any of the effected cities but through my educational networking, I know colleagues who do and they have never expressed the view, that their school was in such crisis.

Dr Rowan Williams the Archbishop of Canterbury was one of those who criticized England’s education system by arguing that children are being drilled to pass too many tests and exams at the expense of a rounded education. “Over the last two decades, many would agree that our educational philosophy at every level has been more and more dominated by an instrumentalist model; less and less concerned with a building of virtue, character and citizenship. One of the most significant questions that we ought to be addressing in the wake of these deplorable events is what kind of education we are interested in, for what kind of society. Are we prepared to think not only about discipline in classrooms, but also about the content and ethos of our educational institutions- asking can we once again build a society which takes seriously the task of educating its citizens, not consumers, not cogs in an economic system but citizens?”

There are many members in NAPCE who would echo his concerns. The work of the association over it’s entire existence has been to promote the personal and social aspects of education not at the expense of exam results but to support and enhance the student chances of achieving them. Eileen Donelly in her web article of November 2010 gives a detailed explanation of the teacher’s role in empowering young people to make the transition from adolescence to adulthood in order to assist their learning. It is this connection with our youngsters that we must succeed in making, if we are going to instill in them, a sense of their own worth.

It is likely that the younger rioters were driven, not totally, by the desire for a free pair of Nikes, an iPad or a Blackberry, but by the need for respect and acceptance by their peers. They want to be accepted, valued and included by others, as we all do, but in the absence of inclusion by society in general, they will seek it from “gang” membership.

The riots were a wake up call to society that there are too many people living on its margins and if we fail to include them and to ignore their needs then we do so at our peril. Whether our political leaders recognize the need for an inclusive approach in which young people’s varied skills, abilities and talents are recognized and valued remains to be seen. We as educators, need to continue to battle to gain the recognition that educating the heart, is as important as educating the mind.