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Day in the life
Calming influence
Mike McKeon describes the rewards and challenges of working as a behaviour support adviser for the London Borough of Newham and as a self-employed consultant.
I work with school staff who work with children who have social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Common problems include defiant and disruptive behaviours such as calling out, arriving late, walking out or being verbally abusive.
I advise on how to remain calm and communicate with young people using language, tone and volume that effects positive outcomes. I teach staff how to organise their workplaces to ensure learning can take place in a calm way, and may also deliver training on managing violent situations.
Following a referral, I visit a school and observe a pupil, class, year group or department, then offer advice on how staff can manage some pupils’ behaviour. Sometimes I also give advice to pupils and their parents. There’s no such thing as a typical day, which is why I love my job!
As part of my work for Newham, I help in the running of pastoral support plans to support pupils at risk of exclusion. I may also advise on behaviour management policies, or support a school preparing for or responding to an Ofsted inspection.
I began my career in an independent children’s home. I cared for the children as well as teaching in the home’s education unit for those who did not go to the local school. After that, I taught in two special schools for children aged seven to 16 with emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD) – specialising in teaching science, though I also taught most other subjects. I then ran a pilot Learning Support Unit in the late nineties to prevent the exclusion of vulnerable young students with EBD.
After a brief spell working in a secondary school, I was recruited to my current post, which I have held for 12 years. During that time I have been a Senco and worked as a special needs officer.
To others interested in getting into similar work I would advise starting by training in your current role and offering to work with experienced trainers on Inset days. Then move on to delivering workshops at conferences and perhaps publishing some of your good practice or mentoring young teachers. It’s important to take on work that challenges you and takes you outside your comfort zone.
The best part of the job is having a teacher tell me the strategies I suggested have worked. The most difficult aspect is explaining to head teachers that they and/or their staff are not being consistent in their behaviour management.
Since the implementation of the current Government’s cuts and austerity measures our team in Newham has been halved, with no drop in referrals. It’s crazy that I now spend time in Europe explaining how inclusion can be developed, while at home the Government is dismantling the infrastructure that supports it.
I fear local authorities will not be with us for much longer. Once schools realise that the local authority workers who used to advise and train their staff have gone, I expect I will be doing similar work as a freelance adviser.