NAPCE Awards 2023 – ENTRY NOW OPEN

Entry for the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2023 is now open.

The Awards is the first and only scheme based in the UK to recognise great practice of pastoral care providers in the education sector and is now in its fourth year.

We have been delighted with the success of the NAPCE Awards since we launched in 2020 and the initiative continues to go from strength to strength.

We hosted a packed in-person Presentation Evening at Worcestershire County Cricket Club in 2022 and we are planning to hold the 2023 event in September next year.

The closing date for all categories this year will be Wednesday 19th April, 2023, but there’s no reason to wait, get your entries in now.

Just like in previous years, the finalists of the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education will be selected by an independent judging panel and invited to attend the ceremony to share the experience with peers and find out who wins each Award.

NAPCE is inviting nominations in the following categories;

Pastoral School of the Year
Pastoral Team of the Year
Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year
Pastoral Leader of the Year
Pastoral Development of the Year
Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care
Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care
International Contribution to Pastoral Care

You can enter the NAPCE categories here Enter here

Nominations are encouraged for awards in different categories from schools and educational establishments and you DO NOT need to currently be a member of NAPCE to take part.

NAPCE Awards 2023 is an excellent opportunity to share good practice in pastoral care and through our social media, website and those of our partners, the Awards raises awareness of where pastoral support is making a real difference in the educational experience of young people.

The Awards also encourages new initiatives and ideas in pastoral care and will recognise the contributions being made to developing policy and practice in pastoral support.

This is an opportunity to recognise the impact the work of pastoral staff is having on the achievement and well being of young people.

The decisions about prize winners in each category will be made by a panel of invited professionals who work in pastoral care.

There will be a prize of £100.00 for the school or institution for the winners of each category and individuals will also be recognised for their achievements.

The criteria for the NAPCE awards are;

•Pastoral School of the Year
A school that can demonstrate a commitment to pastoral care and support for learners that makes a real difference in the progress and personal development of young people in the school

•Pastoral Team of the Year
A team that works in pastoral care and can demonstrate a determination to support young people to achieve their full potential and a positive impact on the young people they work with

•Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year
A member of staff who works in pastoral care and who always makes the extra effort to support young people to enable them to become effective learners and achieve success

•Pastoral Leader of the Year
Has a passion for pastoral care that is shared with colleagues to inspire and motivate them to make a real difference in the lives of the young people they work with

•Pastoral Development of the Year
A pastoral initiative or idea that has achieved positive outcomes and has improved the learning experience and future life chances, for young people

•Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care
An individual, group or organisation who through their actions have raised awareness about pastoral care or pastoral issues and encouraged positive improvements for the benefit of young people

•Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care
A person, group or organisation that has made a real difference for the benefit of young people in the area of pastoral care

•International Contribution to Pastoral CareAn international school, organisation outside of the UK or an individual working in research or in an international school outside of the UK, that has promoted or delivered high quality pastoral care.

Nominations for the NAPCE Awards are welcome from member schools and institutions and from schools and institutions that are not currently members of NAPCE.

NAPCE News – June 2020

NAPCE News – June 2020
Making a positive difference to young people through pastoral care

Pastoral care in schools across the UK and further afield is proven to be critically linked to the academic and personal-social development of young people. NAPCE continues to support education providers in the process of pastoral care implementation and development. It is here that we share important news of our latest activities, events and best practice guidance.

FEATURE ARTICLE: NAPCE Chair Phil Jones on effectively handling “Pastoral Leadership In A Crisis”

It can be argued that when everything is going to plan leadership is easy! It is when you are faced with difficulties or a crisis that leadership becomes challenging.

Most pastoral leaders would probably agree that this happens every day in their role.

When I was a senior teacher, I had a middle leader come to me and complain about the performance of one member of their team. I think they were expecting me to summon the member of staff to my office and tell them off for not performing as expected.

My response was to point out that there may have be reasons why this member of staff was not performing as well at that time and that as a leader they needed to earn their money by finding out the details about the situation and provide support when things were not going well and it is not just about taking the credit, when the team is performing to expectations.

The middle leader was not aware that the member of staff was going through a difficult divorce and although they did not want their private life to become public knowledge it was making it more difficult for them to meet deadlines at work.

It is a much easier task for leaders to develop structures and systems and to implement strategies and developments, but the real challenge comes in leading the people involved in the process. Leaders need empathy to understand the feelings and pressures people are experiencing and to find ways to enable them to make a positive contribution.

“The most powerful thing you can do in a pastoral role is to give someone your understanding” (Daniel Sobel)

This is especially true when there is a crisis.

Pastoral leaders will be under pressure themselves, but this is when their leadership skills and qualities will really be needed and tested.

It is in these situations where it is important for leaders to build trust. It is an important part of the role for all leaders, that they take every opportunity to build trust, as this will be an investment for when they are facing a crisis or other difficulties.

It is not possible for any leader to please everybody with the decisions they make but to build trust it is important that they always make every effort to act with integrity. With an ethical approach to leadership it can be demonstrated that all decisions are taken in the best interest of the organisation, the people in the organisation and its vision and values.

To achieve this, it is important that leaders are prepared to reflect on their actions and acknowledge where they have not gone to plan and achieved their intended outcomes. It is not about blame but creating a culture which builds trust, where everybody including leaders are encouraged to learn from experiences.

Pastoral leaders need to reflect on the appropriate style of leadership required in a crisis. A crisis can encourage a ‘knee jerk’ response from leaders, but this is a time when careful considered approaches to leadership, are more likely to be effective and achieve sustained outcomes.

“Involving all the people who are going to be affected by the change provides them with a basis for understanding what is going on and an opportunity to influence the change which in turn can generate ownership of it and a commitment to it”. (Daniel Sorbel)

An important role of pastoral leaders which becomes a greater priority during a crisis is to provide a safe learning environment.

This is extremely relevant during the current pandemic where the organisation of schools must change from what learners recognise and know.

The physical environment impacts on how safe people feel and this becomes incredibly challenging when actions must be taken for health reasons, that means normal interaction between people is not possible and buildings do not feel as warm and welcoming,

Safeguarding is a priority for pastoral leaders and this is because feeling safe is an important ingredient for effective learning to take place.

“When you think about a child’s mental, emotional and psychological health we need to prioritise their feeling safe, as they can be a major driving force of mental health disintegration” (Daniel Sorbel)

Changes in the organisation of the school and expectations about behaviours must be explained carefully and in a way that builds trust in the people, who are providing care and leadership for them.

There is an emerging view during the current pandemic, that the educational agenda that has focused on raising standards in recent years is widening its focus to include the socialisation of young people as an important part of a young person’s educational experience.

It has been recognised that the socialisation and personal development of young people has been damaged during the period where schools have not been fully open and that pastoral care needs to be a priority, as learners return to the classroom.

“School are aware that some pupils require additional emotional and pastoral support when they return to school, so making time for pastoral care is a priority”.
(Department for Education)

It has been acknowledged in government guidance to schools that pastoral support is an important part of the support that schools can provide for young people.

“It is up to schools to decide how they want to use face to face support in the best interest of their pupils as additional pastoral support, academic support or a combination”
(Guidance for Secondary School provision from 15^th June 2020)

An article from Glasgow University published in April 2020 points out that, “apart from the obvious disruption to learning, school closures are likely to have far reaching negative effects”. (University of Glasgow of Education)

Pastoral leaders will have to plan how to use available resources to meet the pastoral needs of learners and this is likely to be a priority for some time into the future.

“When schools return teachers will be tasked with not simply resuming normal classes but with supporting their students’ emotional wellbeing”. (University of Glasgow School of Education)

The article calls on schools to make the development of resilience a priority to enable young people to cope with shocks in life whether they come from Covid 19 or other threats.

Pastoral support in school is likely to become more relevant, in supporting young people during and after the pandemic and this will encourage a greater understanding of its importance to the learning experience of all young people.

“Pastoral care is not simply a sub plot in the central story of curriculum, teaching and learning but rather a foundation stone upon which everything else in school can take place”
(Daniel Sorbel)

The experience of leadership during a crisis, encourages leaders to reflect on priorities. It is likely that pastoral leaders will look to focus on the whole person in planning and delivering pastoral support in schools.

In a crisis the importance of developing the whole person is highlighted and encourages a focus on developing resilience and positive attitudes in young people, so they can cope and face challenges in their daily lives.

“There are few who would question that developing the whole human being is a legitimate part of the school’s work”. (Les Bell and Peter Maher)

Effective pastoral support will not be a ‘firefighting’ reaction to problems, but it will become a structure and system for preparing young people for challenges in their lives.

Primitive views of pastoral care, being responsible for maintaining discipline, may not be relevant in schools after the pandemic and pastoral leaders will need to explore how available resources can be deployed, to meet the different needs of all learners in the ‘new normal’.

There will be implications for curriculum planning and more emphasis may have to be given to developing and implementing a planned pastoral curriculum, to support learners in making sense of their learning and the challenges they are likely to face.

It was a founder member of the National Association for Pastoral Care in Education (NAPCE), Michael Marland, who first introduced the concept of a pastoral curriculum being needed in schools. For Marland the Pastoral Curriculum was part of the whole school curriculum.

“It was that part of the curriculum which more or less dealt with the development of the whole person”. (Les Bell and Peter Maher)

An approach to pastoral care that focuses on the needs of the whole person will become relevant in schools after the pandemic.

“For those who saw pastoral care as an emergency first aid system to deal with discipline problems Marland’s’ introduction of the term pastoral curriculum is certainly a quantum leap”. (Les Bell and Peter Maher)

A quantum leap will be required from pastoral leaders to respond to all the pastoral needs of young people during and after the pandemic and a planned proactive approach will be required that resists the temptation to not a react to problems as they arise.

The current crisis should encourage pastoral leaders to reflect on the role of the form tutor. Effective tutoring can help young people to make sense of their learning and support them in coping with the challenges that they face.

In the uncertain times that schools find themselves in, which is likely to continue for some time, they should reinvest in form tutors and value the important contribution that they can make.

“Where problems arise the form tutor is well placed to offer help and encouragement”.
(Les Bell and Peter Maher)

There has in the past been some tension from some staff about their role as a form tutor. Pastoral leaders need to make it clear how tutors can have a positive impact on achievement and make sure that the most important resource for this process the staff engaged in the role have the training and support they need to be effective.

Finding time for academic mentoring, could be a positive investment for pastoral leaders to identify gaps in students understanding and barriers to their achievement.

This could be one example of a positive outcome from the crisis that pastoral leaders can use to improve future pastoral support for learners in schools.

Phil Jones
National Chair
National Association for Pastoral Care (NAPCE)
June 2020

References
Bell, P and Maher, P. 1986 “Leading a Pastoral Team” Blackwell Marland, M. 1980 “The Department for Education. 2020 “Guidance for Secondary School Provision from June 15^th, 2020”, GOV.UK website
Department for Education. 2020 “Pastoral Care in the Curriculum. How schools can provide additional emotional and pastoral support for pupils when they return to school following the coronavirus (COVID19) outbreak”, GOV.UK website
Pastoral Curriculum”.in Best, R. Ribbins, P. and Jarvis, C. (eds) 1980,
Perspectives on Pastoral Care, Heinemann
Sobel, D. 2019 “Leading on Pastoral Care”, Bloomsbury
University of Glasgow School of Education. 2020 “Supporting Resilient Learning in the Face of Covid-19”, University of Glasgow School of Education Website

ARTICLE: Bridging the Lockdown Learning Gap for Children (Part 1) by NAPCE Officer Noel Purdy

Dr Noel Purdy is a member of the NAPCE National Executive Committee and Director of the Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement at Stranmillis University College, Belfast.

This article, written by Mr Purdy, is the first in a two-part series focusing on Bridging the Lockdown Learning Gap, following the societal social distancing restrictions because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last Friday afternoon (5th June 2020) 369 educators from across Northern Ireland took part in a ground-breaking
webinar on the theme of ‘Charting the Way: Conversations on education in NI ahead of September 2020’.

It was by far the largest and most relevant-to-practice webinar on which I have ever had the privilege of being a panellist, and is a remarkable testament to the innovation of the @Blended_NI team who organised it in less than a week. In its sheer scale, it was also a clear sign of the thirst among dedicated classroom teachers for practical guidance, support and reassurance as they face the challenge of an educational earthquake (revolutions are planned after all) that no one could have predicted even six months ago.

The webinar discussion was wide-ranging but one of the key issues to emerge was the likelihood of a ‘lockdown learning gap’ arising from the current pandemic crisis during which the vast majority of children are not being educated at school.

In response I would suggest that there are three key questions to consider: (1) Is there a lockdown learning gap? (2) What does the lockdown learning gap look like? and (3) What steps can we take to bridge the lockdown learning gap? In the first instalment of this blog I will address questions 1 and 2. In the second instalment I will consider question 3.

IS THERE A LOCKDOWN LEARNING GAP?

The short answer to this is that we can’t know yet for sure, as we don’t have reliable evidence from large-scale assessment tests to tell us the long-term impact. That will doubtless come over the coming months.

In the meantime, we can however look at likely indicators from a number of recent studies: for instance, the pre-lockdown Ofcom survey revealed that online access is mediated by family background and that children in working class homes are less likely than those in middle class homes to access the internet via either a tablet (59% vs. 72%) or a mobile phone (49% vs. 62%); the early-lockdown Sutton Trust Report in April confirmed what I had predicted in an earlier blog that the lockdown has exacerbated existing inequalities in our education system with children from poorer backgrounds having less access to online resources and parental support, spending less time learning, and submitting less work than their less disadvantaged peers and those attending private schools. A month later, a report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies found that children from better-off families are spending 30% more time on home learning each week (amounting to more than two additional school weeks in total, assuming schools re-open here in late August/September) and have more access to individualised online resources than those from poorer families.

On 20 May our own Stranmillis report on Home-Schooling in Northern Ireland during the COVID-19 Crisisreported on a survey of over 2000 parents and found wide disparities in parental experiences of home-schooling, often mediated by their level of education and employment status.

Experiences ranged from, on the one hand, confident, highly educated parents relishing the opportunity to spend more time learning alongside their children, safely cocooned from the pandemic threat, to, on the other hand, highly stressed working parents struggling to access resources, lacking confidence in their own abilities and battling to motivate their children to engage in learning during the ‘nightmare’ of lockdown.

Based on these robust research reports, it is clear that there will undoubtedly be a lockdown learning gap. I would further suggest that the gap is likely to be wider than the traditional loss of learning experienced during the summer months, because unlike the normal two-month summer vacation, there will not have been such widely divergent experiences between children who have effectively been home-tutored by degree-educated parents and children who, through no fault of their own, have engaged in little or no learning at all.

WHAT DOES THE LOCKDOWN LEARNING GAP LOOK LIKE?

A report published earlier this month by the Education Endowment Foundation has attempted to predict the impact of school closures on the attainment gap, based on a rapid evidence assessment of a total of 11 previous studies of learning loss carried out since 1995.

The EEF predictions suggest that the current closures will widen the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers by a median estimate of 36% (with a range between 11% and 75%). The authors acknowledge the limitations of their review which (inevitably) is based on studies of summer learning gaps rather than the experiences of previous current pandemic crises. The report notes that sustained effort will be required over the coming months to help disadvantaged pupils catch up.

There has been much general discussion of learning needs but little specific about the particular learning needs of pupils on their return to school. Consequently, I have developed a typology of learning needs (see below), beginning with the need for teachers to address pre-lockdown learning which may be lost (and needs reteaching) or rusty (and needs refreshing) as might be expected after a lengthy break from traditional schooling of 5 months.

This experience is similar to what might normally be expected following the summer vacation, and teachers are already skilled at recapping and refreshing knowledge and skills in September before moving on to new learning material.

A TYPOLOGY OF LOCKDOWN LEARNING NEEDS

While this might represent relatively familiar ground for teachers, the particular features of lockdown learning loss are different: based on the studies cited above, we can also expect many children to have missedlockdown learning where there was little or no engagement at all with learning activities since March (through no fault of their own) and where catch-up teaching is required; shaky lockdown learning (requiring consolidation) where lockdown learning has been partial, incomplete or insecure, the result of a range of possible factors including poor or miscomprehension, lack of pupil motivation, inadequate parental support, and limited opportunities for individualised teaching and/or feedback; and minimal lockdown learning (needing extension) where learning has been rudimentary, covering minimum content but falling short of the wealth of differentiated extension activities that would normally have been provided in school.

The fundamental consequence of this is that additional time and investment will undoubtedly be required to identify and address the various learning needs of individual pupils over the coming months. So let’s not imagine for a moment that this is going to be ‘business as usual’ in August/September. With the prospect of widely divergent attainment levels following more than three months of widely divergent home learning experiences, teachers will need to draw on all of their professional expertise to meet the challenges ahead.

So, I would argue that there will undoubtedly be a lockdown learning gap come August/September, and that it will be wider than what might be experienced after the customary two-month summer vacation.

Furthermore, I would contend that the nature of the learning deficit will be more varied and differentiated than ever before, including lost, rusty, missed, shaky and minimal learning, all of which need to be addressed by professional, dedicated and compassionate teachers. In the second instalment of this blog, I will consider the third and most significant key question: what steps can we take to bridge the lockdown learning gap?

***JOURNAL:* *Stan Tucker, the Editor of NAPCE’s globally renowned publication shares an excerpt from a recent edition – “Lost time***“

Lost Time

It has been almost impossible to miss the debate over the recent on/off opening up of schools in the United Kingdom.

Debates about social distancing, classroom size and children’s safety are clearly very important.

Yet for all children and young people their return to school will be marked by a significant loss of educational time.

For me, one of the major concerns now revolves around the impact that ‘lockdown’ will have on the personal, social and emotional development of the young.

I have noted with interest the protestations of the Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, concerning the potentially uneven and detrimental impact of Covid-19 on particular children and their families.

I have written in the recent past a short piece, for this newsletter, about homeless children and their families living in hotel accommodation; of course I still remain concerned about the educational, social and health outcomes for this group of young people.

However, the passage of time has greatly increased the likelihood of more young people experiencing significant problems on their return to school.

For some, loss of friends; contact with teachers; a daily routine; school meals and the prospect of forthcoming public examinations and SATs is likely have a very real impact.

What about significant transition points between, for example, primary into secondary, or secondary into FE (an issue we have debated extensively in our journal Pastoral Care in Education)?

All of this points to the need for the development of a robust and resourced strategic plan for when children and young people return to school. Children will need space to talk about and reflect on their experiences.

Catch up programmes of study may well be required. Some may need targeted interventions. Whatever the need, a failure to think carefully and plan appropriately will only serve to cause further damage to the lives of many children and young people.

Stan Tucker
Emeritus Professor of Education
Editor of Pastoral Care in Education

***AWARDS:* *First NAPCE Awards ceremony moved online because of Covid-19 Social Distancing measures***

The first National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education Awards presentation event is now to take place online later this year.

Despite plans for a winners ceremony in Birmingham, organisers of the NAPCE Awards 2020 have confirmed that the September celebration is now happening virtually because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The online presentation is expected to take place on September 24th at 7pm.

Finalists for the inaugural Awards were announced in May but, sadly, the winners will no longer be invited to a physical event because of potential risks and restrictions around social distancing.

It is fully expected that an in-person event will be held in 2021 and beyond.

Phil Jones, Chair of NAPCE, said: “The recent announcement that schools will not return fully until September at the earliest led us thinking very carefully about the planned presentation event for the Awards which was due to take place in Birmingham on September 26th.“We now think that this means that it is unlikely that school staff will be in a position to travel for an event in September with the current Government advice that all off site activities should not take place.

“We feel that it would not be responsible for NAPCE, as an respected organisation, to go ahead with a physical event in 2020 and we are now putting all of our efforts into organising a quality virtual event to announce the winner of the 2020 awards.”

The Finalists

Pastoral Development of the Year – Sponsored by NAPCE

(A pastoral initiative or idea that has achieved positive outcomes and has improved the learning experience and future life chances, for young people)

ACS International School, Boarding – Cobham, Surrey

Anneliese Walker, Nidderdale High School – Harrogate, North Yorkshire

Dan Midgley, Malet Lambert School – Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire

Malet Lambert , Peer Mentoring Scheme – Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire

Mr Shaun Easton, All Saints Catholic School and Technology College, Dagenham, Essex

Pastoral Leader Of The Year – Sponsored by Taylor and Francis

(Has a passion for pastoral care that is shared with colleagues to inspire and motivate them to make a real difference in the lives of the young people they work with)

Rebecca Finn, Cardinal Newman Catholic High School – Warrington, Cheshire

Dave Richardson, Kingdown School – Warminster, Wiltshire

Lena Dhrona, North London Grammar School – Hendon, London

Sarah Freeman, The Park Community School – Barnstaple, Devon

Laura Howieson, St Michael’s Middle School –Colehill, Dorset

Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year – Sponsored by TES

(A member of staff who works in pastoral care and who always makes the extra effort to support young people to enable them to become effective learners and achieve success)

Ms Ceri Ellis, Rhyl High School –North Wales

Sunita Mall, Morecambe Road School – Lancashire

Mr Dominic Riste, All Saints Catholic School and Technology College – Dagenham, Essex

Melanie Ennis, Archway Learning Trust- Nottingham

Deborah Mason, Silver Spring Primary Academy – Stalybridge, Greater Manchester

Pastoral School of The Year – Sponsored by BlueSky Education

(A school that can demonstrate a commitment to pastoral care and support for learners that makes a real difference in the progress and personal development of young people in the school)

The Grove School – Tottenham, London

Shaftesbury High School – Harrow, Middlesex

The Stanway School – Colchester Essex

All Saints Catholic School and Technology College- Dagenham Essex

Brighton Hill Community School – Hampshire

Pastoral Team of the Year – Sponsored by The Thrive Approach

(A team that works in pastoral care and can demonstrate a determination to support young people to achieve their full potential and a positive impact on the young people they work with)

Moor End Academy – Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

Pastoral Support Team – Cardinal Newman Catholic High School – Warrington, Cheshire

Guidance Team – Churchill Community College – Wallsend, Tyne and Wear

Pastoral Managers- Julie Ayres, Hannah Jolly, Gieves La Fosse and Lauren Koster, – The Ramsey Academy, Halstead, Essex

Silver Springs Primary Academy – Stalybridge, Cheshire

Raising Awareness About Pastoral Care – Sponsored by Association of School and College Leaders

(An individual, group or organisation who through their actions have raised awareness about pastoral care or pastoral issues and encouraged positive improvements for the benefit of young people)

Sean Henn – The Berne Institute – Kegworth, Derby

Pat Sowa – Starfish – Harrogate, North Yorkshire

Dr Bronagh McKee – Stranmillis University College, Belfast, Northern Ireland

King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls – Handsworth, Birmingham

Glenlola Collegiate School Pastoral Care Team – Glenlola Collegiate School, Bangor , Northern Ireland

Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care – Sponsored by NAPCE

(A person, group or organisation that has made a real difference for the benefit of young people in the area of pastoral care)

Glenlola Collegiate School – Bangor, Northern Ireland

Jackie O’Hanlon, Shaftesbury High School –Harrow, Middlesex

Eileen Pavey, Litcham School – Kings Lynn, Norfolk

Tor Bank School, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Ann Armstrong, All Saints Catholic School and Technology College – Dagenham, Essex

The Awards ceremony was originally scheduled to take place in July but has been postponed because of the Covid-19 crisis.

NAPCE has made tentative plans to host an event in September 2020, but is also looking at back up plans to announce the winners online if a physical event is not feasible within the chosen timeframe.

There will be a prize of £100 for the school or institution for the winners of each category and individuals will also be recognised for their achievements.

NAPCE Awards 2020 – Finalists Announced

The finalists of the first National Awards For Pastoral Care In Education have been announced.

A total of five deserving nominees have been unveiled in each category following decisions by an independent judging panel of educational experts and a tranche of impressive entries for the inaugural event.

The Awards was launched by NAPCE in 2019 and is the first UK-wide scheme to recognise outstanding achievements across pastoral care in education settings.

A host of influential organisations have lined up to support the first National Awards For Pastoral Care In Education by sponsoring categories including TES, Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), Blue Sky Education, The Thrive Approach and Taylor and Francis.

This is the first time ever an event has been organised to recognise the fantastic achievements across schools in the UK on pastoral care.

It has been created to provide much deserved recognition for the people and schools who are doing great work and to shine a light on good practice in pastoral care.

The Awards is an excellent opportunity to share good practice in pastoral care and to raise awareness of where pastoral support is making a real difference in the educational experience of young people.

It also encourages new initiatives and ideas in pastoral care and recognises the contributions being made to developing policy and practice in pastoral support.

Phil Jones, Chair of NAPCE and a member of the independent judging panel said: “We received so many brilliant entries for the first National Awards For Pastoral Care In Education and I want to thank everyone who took part.

“The Awards has become established very quickly and we hope to now be able to offer it for many years to come.

“Thank you again to all of our fantastic sponsors and, of course, huge congratulations to the finalists in each category.

“Standards of entry were extremely high which underlines the achievement you have made in making the finals.

“I wish you all luck for the big event later in the year, whether that’s able to take place in person or online.”

The Finalists

Pastoral Development of the Year – Sponsored by NAPCE

(A pastoral initiative or idea that has achieved positive outcomes and has improved the learning experience and future life chances, for young people)

ACS International School, Boarding – Cobham, Surrey

Anneliese Walker, Nidderdale High School – Harrogate, North Yorkshire

Dan Midgley, Malet Lambert School – Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire

Malet Lambert , Peer Mentoring Scheme – Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire

Mr Shaun Easton, All Saints Catholic School and Technology College, Dagenham, Essex

Pastoral Leader Of The Year – Sponsored by Taylor and Francis

(Has a passion for pastoral care that is shared with colleagues to inspire and motivate them to make a real difference in the lives of the young people they work with)

Rebecca Finn, Cardinal Newman Catholic High School – Warrington, Cheshire

Dave Richardson, Kingdown School – Warminster, Wiltshire

Lena Dhrona, North London Grammar School – Hendon, London

Sarah Freeman, The Park Community School – Barnstaple, Devon

Laura Howieson, St Michael’s Middle School –Colehill, Dorset

Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year – Sponsored by TES

(A member of staff who works in pastoral care and who always makes the extra effort to support young people to enable them to become effective learners and achieve success)

Ms Ceri Ellis, Rhyl High School –North Wales

Sunita Mall, Morecambe Road School – Lancashire

Mr Dominic Riste, All Saints Catholic School and Technology College – Dagenham, Essex

Melanie Ennis, Archway Learning Trust- Nottingham

Deborah Mason, Silver Spring Primary Academy – Stalybridge, Greater Manchester

Pastoral School of The Year – Sponsored by Blue Sky Education

(A school that can demonstrate a commitment to pastoral care and support for learners that makes a real difference in the progress and personal development of young people in the school)

The Grove School – Tottenham, London

Shaftesbury High School – Harrow, Middlesex

The Stanway School – Colchester Essex

All Saints Catholic School and Technology College- Dagenham Essex

Brighton Hill Community School – Hampshire

Pastoral Team of the Year – Sponsored by The Thrive Approach

(A team that works in pastoral care and can demonstrate a determination to support young people to achieve their full potential and a positive impact on the young people they work with)

Moor End Academy – Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

Pastoral Support Team – Cardinal Newman Catholic High School – Warrington, Cheshire

Guidance Team – Churchill Community College – Wallsend, Tyne and Wear

Pastoral Managers- Julie Ayres, Hannah Jolly, Gieves La Fosse and Lauren Koster, – The Ramsey Academy, Halstead, Essex

Silver Springs Primary Academy – Stalybridge, Cheshire

Raising Awareness About Pastoral Care – Sponsored by Association of School and College Leaders

(An individual, group or organisation who through their actions have raised awareness about pastoral care or pastoral issues and encouraged positive improvements for the benefit of young people)

Sean Henn – The Berne Institute – Kegworth, Derby

Pat Sowa – Starfish – Harrogate, North Yorkshire

Dr Bronagh McKee – Stranmillis University College, Belfast, Northern Ireland

King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls – Handsworth, Birmingham

Glenlola Collegiate School Pastoral Care Team – Glenlola Collegiate School, Bangor , Northern Ireland

Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care – Sponsored by NAPCE

(A person, group or organisation that has made a real difference for the benefit of young people in the area of pastoral care)

Glenlola Collegiate School – Bangor, Northern Ireland

Jackie O’Hanlon, Shaftesbury High School –Harrow, Middlesex

Eileen Pavey, Litcham School – Kings Lynn, Norfolk

Tor Bank School, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Ann Armstrong, All Saints Catholic School and Technology College – Dagenham, Essex

The Awards ceremony was originally scheduled to take place in July but has been postponed because of the Covid-19 crisis.

NAPCE has made tentative plans to host an event in September 2020, but is also looking at back up plans to announce the winners online if a physical event is not feasible within the chosen timeframe.

There will be a prize of £100 for the school or institution for the winners of each category and individuals will also be recognised for their achievements.

NAPCE News – January 2020

NAPCE News – January 2020. Making a positive difference to young people through pastoral care. Pastoral care in schools across the UK and further afield is proven to be critically linked to the academic and personal-social development of young people. NAPCE continues to support education providers in the process of pastoral care implementation and development. It is here that we share important news of our latest activities, events and best practice guidance.

FEATURE ARTICLE: NAPCE Officer & School Counsellor Paula Spencer discusses managing GCSE exam stress & supporting students

GCSE Exam stress and student support It was interesting to read the article by Tim Roome and C.A. Soan; published in the recent edition of NAPCE’S quarterly journal Pastoral Care in Education ‘GCSE exam stress: student’s perceptions of the effects on wellbeing and performance.’

(Vol.37, NO. 4,297-315. December 2019)

They explored the views of students who had recently taken GCSE exams, how they felt their GCSE experiences affected their wellbeing and performance, factors that contributed to or alleviated their levels of exam stress, and whether theories relating to exam stress such as Achievement Goal Theory could be used to explain the individual differences in levels of exam stress. (p297)

Since the start of the school year in September, several year 11 students have self-referred to the school’s student counselling service to talk about their thoughts, feelings and concerns about year 11, before moving into further education. Teacher training days have focused on raising year 11 achievement and putting strategies in place to support different students both academically and emotionally.

Students who use the counselling service talk about their fears, anxieties, concerns and how the pressure of GCSEs affect them. One student explained ‘GCSEs are scary. Before GCSE year I didn’t have panic attacks, it’s a fear of failure, teachers tell us if we don’t get GCSEs we won’t get this job or that job, it is not okay to fail, this is the message we get a lot from teachers’.

Another student said ‘I can’t stand year 11, everything about it is horrible. There is one subject that is driving me crazy, I hate this subject and the teacher, and this is the subject that stresses me out the most. The taster lesson made it seem that it was interesting. In fact, the reality is starting to get to me, I am starting to panic about finishing course work and revision. Each subject comes with its own stresses, I am genuinely scared of failing, and I won’t even have the qualifications to work in McDonalds. Then there are the constant reminders from teachers and counting down the weeks before the start of exams’.

One student told me that she had no worries about GCSEs for now ‘it just hasn’t hit me yet’. Others describe difficulty sleeping, those who sleep sometime talk about their dreams where they get exam results and have failed. Some put off doing course work and homework because they believe that they have already failed and will not do well, they are revising but not sure what they are revising, or not knowing how to revise. Some students from different cultural backgrounds describe feeling anxious about parental and cultural expectations, not wanting to let their parents down, while others talk about wanting to do well because failure will impact on their career choices or where they continue their further education and A Level options. While stress is a normal part of everyday life, the extra pressure caused by GCSEs clearly affects students mental and emotional wellbeing, some more than others.

The research by Roome and Soan highlighted ‘the need for school staff to provide support specifically for students who have high levels of or are susceptible to exam stress….School staff would benefit from training to increase awareness of how they can contribute to or alleviate stress… Advice for students could be offered by school staff or specialist in mental health, such as educational psychologist…students should have an awareness of their goal mindset orientations and given strategies to cope with exam stress. (P311-312)

The students who use the counselling service often welcome the opportunities to say how and what they are feeling and what they are thinking. I work with each student to develop a range of individual coping strategies to help them deal with their anxieties. Sometimes this can involve working with parents who have their own anxieties, they too often feel helpless, they are not sure what strategies to use to support their child.

Anxiety affects performance and performance affects the future.

The organisations listed below provide information and strategies to cope exam stress, the NHS site has a page for parents.

www.studentminds.org.uk

www.anxietyuk.org.uk

www.youngminds.org.uk

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

www.childline.org.uk

www.nhs.uk

Paula Spencer
NAPCE Officer & School Counsellor

AWARDS: Sponsors line up to support first National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education

A host of influential organisations have lined up to support the first National Awards For Pastoral Care In Education which launched last year.

Each of the four entities have put their name to one of the Awards for the scheme, which is a collaboration between NAPCE and UK Pastoral Chat.

Staff performance software pioneers Blue Sky Education will sponsor the Pastoral School of the Year category.

The award-winning company is celebrating its 20th anniversary inn 2020 and successfully continues to roll out its universal time saving software solution in schools across the UK.

The Pastoral Team of the Year accolade is being backed by The Thrive Approachwhich offers online and in-school training to help teaching staff to develop an education setting to engender healthy, happy children.

Their training model is supported by neuroscience and focuses on individual child development.

Taylor and Francis, one of the world’s leading publishers of scholarly journals, books, eBooks, text books and reference works, is sponsoring the Pastoral Leader of the Year award.

Taylor & Francis Group publishes more than 2,600 journals and over 5,000 new books each year including NAPCE’s quarterly journal Pastoral Care in Education.

The Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care Award is being supported by ASCL, the Association of School and College Leaders.

ASCL is the leading professional association and trade union for all school and college leaders.

They support and represent more than 19,000 school and college leaders of primary, secondary and post-16 education from across the UK.The team at ASCL works to shape national education policy, provides advice and support to our members and deliver first-class professional development.

Welcoming each of the four sponsors on board Chair of NAPCE Phil Jones said: “We are absolutely delighted that each of these four fantastic organisations is supporting the awards and we are very grateful for their support.

“The reaction to the first National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education has be very encouraging and to have such prestigious and credible organisations involved gives the awards even more of a boost.

“We have received some great entries so far but would like to receive many more so please encourage your school or team to get involved if you’d like to be in with a chance of winning one of these prestigious awards and the one hundred pound prize.”

If you work for an organisation that would be interesting in sponsoring the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education please contact philjoneseducation@gmail.com

About the Awards and How to Enter

This is the first time ever an event has being organised to recognise the fantastic achievements across schools in the UK on pastoral care.

It has been created to provide much deserved recognition to the people and schools who are doing great work and to shine a light on good practice in pastoral care.

There are seven categories to enter in the NAPCE Awards and 11 under the UK Pastoral Chat scheme.

Entry for both sets of awards is separate, although the closing date for both is Monday 2^ndMarch, 2020.

Both organisations will work in partnership to organise the first ever National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education under one awards ceremony which will take place in 2020.

You can enter the NAPCE awards now here: https://napceawards.wufoo.com/forms/zxzr4y71g2ofzi/

NAPCE is inviting nominations in the following categories;

Pastoral School of the Year
Pastoral Team of the Year
Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year
Pastoral Leader of the Year
Pastoral Development of the Year
Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care
Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care

Nominations are encouraged for awards in different categories from schools and educational institutions.

UK Pastoral Chat is inviting nominations for awards in the following categories;

SLT
Head of Year (Including Head of 6^thForm)
Head of House/Head of Boarding
PSHE Lead
Nurse/ Counsellor
Pastoral Support Staff (including Learning Mentor)
Tutor/Classroom teacher
Unsung Hero
Guidance teacher
DSL/CP Co-ordinator
Governor

Details about how to make nominations can be found on the UK Pastoral Chat Twitter pages.

The Awards will be an excellent opportunity to share good practice in pastoral care and through the social media and websites of both organisations to raise awareness of where pastoral support is making a real difference in the educational experience of young people.

The awards will encourage new initiatives and ideas in pastoral care and will recognise the contributions being made to developing policy and practice in pastoral support.

This is an opportunity to recognise the impact the work of pastoral staff is having on the achievement and well being of young people. The decisions about prize winners in each category will be made by a panel of invited professionals who work in pastoral care.

There will be a prize of £100.00 for the school or institution for the winners of each category and individuals will also be recognised for their achievements.

The criteria for the NAPCE awards are;
Award Criteria

Pastoral School of the Year

A school that can demonstrate a commitment to pastoral care and support for learners that makes a real difference in the progress and personal development of young people in the school

Pastoral Team of the Year

A team that works in pastoral care and can demonstrate a determination to support young people to achieve their full potential and a positive impact on the young people they work with.

Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year

A member of staff who works in pastoral care and who always makes the extra effort to support young people to enable them to become effective learners and achieve success.

Pastoral Leader of the Year

Has a passion for pastoral care that is shared with colleagues to inspire and motivate them to make a real difference in the lives of the young people they work with.

Pastoral Development of the Year

A pastoral initiative or idea that has achieved positive outcomes and has improved the learning experience and future life chances, for young people.

Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care

An individual, group or organisation who through their actions have raised awareness about pastoral care or pastoral issues and encouraged positive improvements for the benefit of young people.

Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care

A person, group or organisation that has made a real difference for the benefit of young people in the area of pastoral care.Nominations for the NAPCE Awards are welcome from member schools and institutions and from schools and institutions that are not currently members of NAPCE.

Nominations can be made online via this link:

https://napceawards.wufoo.com/forms/zxzr4y71g2ofzi/

You can also enter by e-mail to NAPCE Base at admin@napce.org.uk or they can be sent by post to National Association for Pastoral Care in Education, (NAPCE), PO BOX 60005, Nuneaton, CV11 9GY, with the following information:

Award __________________________________________

Nomination __________________________________________
Support for nomination (maximum 100 words)

Nominated by _______________________________________________

Email contact _______________________________________________

The Awards Programme and partnership with UK Pastoral Chat is an exciting opportunity to raise the profile of Pastoral Care and give hard working pastoral staff and schools with positive approaches to supporting learners the recognition that they deserve.

Please be part of this process by sending your nominations.

Phil Jones
National Chair
National Association for Pastoral Care in Education

***ARTICLE:* *Fabricated or Induced Illness – A matter for schools? By Andrew Martin of Safeguarding Network***

NAPCE recently teamed up with Safeguarding Network to publish a series of articles concerned with keeping children and young people safe in the school environment.

We are now delighted to bring you the second instalment, which focuses on the subject of Fabricated or Induced Illness.

Safeguarding Network was established in 2017 by John Woodhouse and Andrew Martin, two social workers with more than 40 years combined experience working with children and young people.

The organisation is concerned with the increasing requirement on schools to fill the void left by decreasing social care budgets and the sparse support available for schools when responding to a matter not deemed to meet the social care thresholds.

Fabricated or induced illness: a matter for schools? By Andrew Martin

Why do I need to know about fabricated or induced illness (in 60 seconds)

Fabricated or induced illness (previously commonly known as Munchausen’s by proxy) is a lesser known form of physical abuse. Although the illness is primarily a health issue, there are significant implications for schools. Fabricated or induced illness is considered to cover a spectrum of issues, ranging from over anxious parents to parents who are deliberately harming their children for their own gain.

As professionals working with children and young people daily, staff in schools are in a prime position to identify inconsistencies in what they are being told about the needs of the child versus how the child is presenting. Numerous Serious Case Reviews tell us that there is also a need for schools to maintain a respectful uncertainty and ensure that they challenge where necessary – including challenging the parent and health professionals, regardless of where they may be on the perceived hierarchy within the health system.

School staff are also best placed to hear the voice of the child – something which is often lost in cases of fabricated or induced illness.

Introduction

Due to the nature and levels of workloads that as professionals we must deal with daily, as soon as we see the word illness there is a natural response to classify that as a health issue and – at most – make a mental note to speak to the school nurse. Therefore, to be considering fabricated or induced illness as an issue for schools we have to be aware that we may be pushing at a closed mental door. As we will see however it is something that we do need to be aware of.

Indeed, this sense of illness being a health issues is, in some sense reinforced by the Department for Education. If you search through Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018 for the term, or its shorthand of FII, you will find only one mention in the “Additional advice and support” section of Annex A, simply a link to the 2008 government guidance, Safeguarding children in whom illness is fabricated or induced. Fabricated or induced illness is also briefly mentioned in Ofsted guidance for inspectors as an area where safeguarding action may be required to protect children and learners, but again little there is substance behind it.

Physical abuse

This lack of emphasis on fabricated or induced illness may be due to research suggesting that FII is a rare form of abuse. The NHS cites a widely quoted study from 2000 which estimated the number of cases of FII at just 89 per 100,000 over a two year period. When compared to figures from 2016/17 for sexual offences against under 18’s which equate to around 500 per 100,000 in a one year period, this does show why it is considered rare. However, as the research itself identifies, there are a number of caveats to the 89 per 100,000 figure, and there is consensus that the true figure may be higher.

Although not specifically referenced in the body of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018, all staff should be aware of FII through its inclusion in the definition of physical abuse in Part one of the document:

Physical abuse: a form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child. (para 43, p.14, Part one, Keeping Children Safe in Education, 2018 – emphasis added)

Defining fabricated or induced illness

Most documents on FII do not provide a definition of fabricated or induced illness, instead talking about the ways in which it may occur. The pan-London child protection procedures do however offer the following definition:

Fabricated or induced illness is a condition whereby a child has suffered, or is likely to suffer, significant harm through the deliberate action of their parent and which is attributed by the parent to another cause.

The deliberate actions of a parent or parents that tend to centre around them lying about or making up health issues fall into three main groupings:

Fabrication of signs and symptoms – this may include making up or altering past medical histories.
Fabrication of signs and symptoms along with falsification of hospital records / charts / letters and other documents. In some cases, parents may also go so far as to falsify specimens of bodily fluids.
Induction of illness through a variety of means, which may include poisoning and other ways.

You may hear people still refer to Munchausen’s or Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy – this term was replaced with the current fabricated or induced illness as Munchausen’s refers to a psychiatric illness and there was concern that this was meaning that parents who harmed their children in this way were being labelled with a psychiatric illness that they may not have.

EXAMPLE	WAY IN WHICH PARENT PRESENTS	UNDERLYING FACTORS	LEVEL OF PARENTAL INSIGHT	LEVEL OF RISK
1.	Simple anxiety, lack of knowledge about illness, over interpretation of normal features of childhood that may in some cases be linked to depression in carer.	Carer may be affected by issues such as inability to cope with other personal or social stresses, for example mental ill health.	Carer can usually be reassured although likely to come back in the future.	Seldom reaches level of significant harm
2.	Symptoms are misinterpreted by carer or may be perpetuated / reinforced by the carer. Carer may genuinely believe that their child is ill or have fixed beliefs about illness.	The ‘illness’ may be serving a function for the carer and potentially older children (referred to as secondary gains).	Carer can be difficult to reassure. Carer and professionals may not agree on the cause of the symptoms and/or need to investigate further.	Some risk of significant harm including emotional harm, impact on education or social isolation.
3.	Carer actively promotes sick role by exaggeration, non-treatment of real problems, fabrication (lying) or falsification of signs, and/or induction of illness.	There may be a history of frequent use of, or dependence on, health services. The ‘illness’ may be serving a purpose for the carer or meeting their own mental health needs.	Carer cannot be reassured, and their objectives are often diametrically opposed to those of professionals.	High risk of harm, always because of over intervention and often severe.
4.	Carer suffers from diagnosable psychiatric illness (e.g. delusional disorder) which leads them to believe the child is ill.	The carer’s mental health is the primary underlying issue.	Carer lacks insight into their involvement in the child’s reported illness.	May be a risk of harm.
5.	There are genuine unrecognised medical issues which become apparent after initial investigation around possible FII.	–	Carer’s behaviour will usually be appropriate for the signs displayed by the child, although this may change if there are child protection interventions.	Risk of harm due to delay in correct diagnosis and following child protection routes.

Whilst most of us can identify parents who fit the detail in example 1 (and not just in relation to medical needs), the greatest risk is presented by those parents who fit the detail in example 3.

Impact on schooling

Whilst research shows that the most severe and dramatic events are usually seen in children under the age of five, FII is seen in children of all ages (NSPCC, 2011). Arguably, the reason for the greater severity in under 5’s is that FII requires acts to be done to children (either by the parent or by doctors) and therefore as a child gets older they are more likely to ask questions and start to challenge the “perceived wisdom” of the parent. However, as identified by the NSPCC (ibid.) some children can become so indoctrinated in their “sick” persona that they may go on to simulate their own illnesses or start to act in a way that supports their parents’ position (as seen in this Serious Case Review). Cases are also seen where the description of the child and their illness does not fit the child that is seen in school.

Any child’s medical needs can have an impact on their day to day schooling, however in cases of fabricated or induced illness, the impact is likely to be significant. Schools may find themselves having to adjust premises, routines, etc. to ensure that they are compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and Equality Act 2010, and that they have staff who are trained in various medical procedures. A child’s attendance at school may be severely disrupted due to medical appointments or having days off due to being unwell. Cases often identify that the abuser can be highly manipulative and frequently well informed about the different features of the ‘illness’, meaning that they are very hard to challenge.

As a school there is therefore a need to be aware of patterns of absence (does your data manager / business manager regularly report any concerns?), and whether staff asking questions leads to increased absence. Schools should also be aware of cases where there are multiple moves of school or the suggestion of home schooling for an ill child and should question what the reason for this may be. Evidence suggesting that this is part of the pattern when there are cases of fabricated or induced illness.

Respectful uncertainty

Respectful uncertainty was introduced as a concept by Lord Laming in his enquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié.

The concept of “respectful uncertainty” should lie at the heart of the relationship between the social worker and the family. It does not require social workers constantly to interrogate their clients, but it does involve the critical evaluation of information that they are given. People who abuse their children are unlikely to inform social workers of the fact. For this reason at least, social workers must keep an open mind. (para 6.602, p.205, The Victoria Climbie Enquiry)

For our purposes, the term “social workers” can be replaced by “professionals”. This approach is key when considering cases of suspected fabricated or induced illness.

Serious Case Reviews demonstrate that often there is a mismatch between information being presented to one agency and information being presented to another. Schools see the children for prolonged periods of time throughout the year. During this time there can be significant differences between what the parents report as happening whilst the children are in their care and what the staff see daily.

Another term that can be applied here is professional dangerousness. The term is attributed to Tony Morrison (1990) and describes the process where the behaviour of professionals involved in child protection work means that they inadvertently collude with the family they are working with or act in a way that increases the dangerous dynamics that are present. In cases of fabricated illness there is a risk that human nature will mean that subconsciously we do not want to countenance the idea that parents, and particularly mothers, would want to seek medical assistance that would harm their child. For most parents, the natural response would be to only agree to what can be highly invasive procedures if they were convinced that they were absolutely necessary. Therefore if a procedure is being recommended and the parents are agreeing to it, it is natural to think it must be necessary.

Daniel Pelka

A lack of respectful uncertainty was seen in the case of Daniel Pelka. Whilst the case is more commonly known for the alcohol misuse and domestic abuse in his mother’s relationships and the physical abuse of Daniel, there was also a lesser identified element of fabricated or induced illness present.

The Serious Case Review identified that although Daniel was only at school for two terms before he died, in that time there were concerns that he was scavenging for food in bins and craving for food (he was stealing food from other children’s lunchboxes and eating secretively). When the mother was challenged about this she stated that he had a health condition and requested that the school supported her in making sure that he only ate what was in his lunchbox. However, Daniel’s reported obsession with food did not match up to what staff were seeing in relation to his appearance – one member of staff telling the subsequent criminal trial that he appeared to be “wasting away”. The Serious Case Review found that assumptions were “too readily made that his problems were medically based”. The suggestion is that the mother was falsifying the health condition to cover up the abuse that was happening at home, and that she and her partner were inducing medical problems by force feeding him salt, with this being planned as a punishment if he was considered to have been eating too much.

Disguised compliance

Common themes which potentially evidence disguised compliance include the focus on improving one issue to deflect attention from other areas, being critical of professionals, and not engaging with services or avoiding contact with professionals. In cases of fabricated or induced illness one or more of these traits is often seen, for example:

Parents will pick up prescriptions but then not give the medication to the child.
Telling health professionals that the child’s school is not supporting the care plan, whilst telling school that none of he health professionals are able to attend meetings.
Parents not agreeing to referrals being made or services being provided or agreeing and then withdrawing their consent / not attending.
Parents blocking access to the child or making sure that they are always present when the child is seen.

It is therefore important that we focus on the question “what does this mean for the child?”, and if we are concerned about something the parent is doing, are we concerned about significant harm?

Challenge

Alongside questioning what a parent’s behaviour means for a child, we also the need to feel able to challenge fellow professionals. Within many systems there are hierarchies; however safeguarding network are strongly of the view that there is no such thing as a hierarchy in safeguarding and child protection. Very often it is the person who perceives themselves to be at the bottom of the hierarchy and believes that they have the least knowledge who has the most contact with the child and is best placed to know if there is something happening that is concerning.

In relation to fabricated or induced illness the power associated with the hierarchy within health can go across agencies, with other agencies deferring to the power and knowledge of others deemed to be “more experienced in these matters”. For example, one Serious Case Review found that because the child was receiving medical care from a “centre of excellence” everyone involved relied on their skills to manage the treatment and concerns that were present in education and other health sectors were not flagged up because the involvement of the specialist service added a confirmation bias (e.g. when we want something to be true we will look for things that confirm it is true). In this case the bias was that professionals did not want to believe that the mother was harming her children and the involvement of a specialist centre meant that the child must genuinely be ill. No-one involved was questioning what they were being told and the situation had been manipulated by the mother. This case review also found that the school had not made a referral to Children’s Social Care because they felt that on the basis of their concerns alone, the threshold for involvement of a social worker would not be met. The review argued that the referral should have been made and then a discussion held.

Voice of the child

As with many other forms of abuse, evidence suggests that the voice of the child is often lost in cases of FII. In one case that went to review the children stated:

Health professionals appeared very reliant on what their mother was saying, and they felt they “were not an important part of the conversation”.
One child knew they were having unnecessary treatment but did not feel that they had the opportunity to tell anyone.
Another child spoke of not wanting the treatment and being scared, but then feeling that it was OK because their mother was there.

Whilst some of these comments can be levelled arguably at health professionals, the child who did not feel that they had the opportunity to tell anyone was a school-age child and did attend school on a frequent basis. Did he not feel able to approach school staff? Perhaps he felt / believed he should not talk to school staff about his health issues?

In summary

Fabricated or induced illness is not as common a form of abuse as others we may see; however, there is often a significant impact for the child and their family and, in some cases the risk of harm is significant. As non-medical professionals we may not feel able to challenge consultants and other medical professionals about specific health issues. However, as with other forms of abuse school staff will know the children they work with and will be able to identify if what they are told and what they see are not adding up. This inconsistent information then needs to be followed up in the same way as other concerns are – and escalated if necessary.

A common message from Serious Case Reviews on this matter (including those mentioned in this article) is that where there are significant, ongoing medical issues the school should be in direct contact with the relevant health professionals to talk through the issues and any concerns, and professionals should not rely on the parents to convey messages.

For further information and advice on what do you do next, visit Safeguarding Network here: https://safeguarding.network/fabricated-or-induced-illness/

MEDIA WATCH: A round-up of the latest news stories involving pastoral care in education

At NAPCE we work very hard to stay across the national and international news media to store and share the latest stories involving pastoral care in education on our own platforms.

In this new feature for NAPCE News, we are sharing with you a selection of the biggest stories hitting the headlines this month with the aim that some of these reported developments may provide useful context within your work as a strategist or practitioner of pastoral support.

Here is a summary for January 2020.

“A school looking after its children – and their families” from BBC News

Read here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-50843474

“Teenage girls self-harm three times as much as boys ‘because they tend to internalise problems and blame themselves more often'” from Mail Online

Read here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7807867/Nearly-three-four-14-year-olds-admitted-self-harming-girls-study.html

“‘I was angry I couldn’t even say the word’: UK teens refuse to be silent about periods” from The Guardian

Read here: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jan/07/uk-teens-refuse-silent-about-periods

“Putting pupils in isolation ‘drives poor behaviour'” from BBC News

Read here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-51034121

“Schools in deprived areas become ‘dumping grounds’ for struggling children, Ofsted report suggests” from The Independent

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/ofsted-report-underperforming-schools-pupils-dumping-ground-deprived-areas-research-a9274091.html

“Social media data needed for ‘harm’ research, say doctors” from BBC News

Read here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51134545

“Period poverty: Schools urged to order free menstrual products”” from BBC News

Read here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51167487

“Exclusions for racism in primary schools in England up more than 40%” from BBC News

Read here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-50331687

NAPCE News – June 2020 Making a positive difference to young people through pastoral care