VIEWS & OPINION


Look beyond the behaviour


Comment by NICOLA MARSHALL, BraveHeart Education


For many vulnerable children, such as looked after, adopted or those in difficult home environments, school can be challenging. Having to meet the expectations of others, building relationships and trusting others, being able to quiet down their anxieties enough to be able to learn can be near impossible. Children and young people who’ve experienced early trauma, and who


show signs of Attachment Difficulties as a result, are not like other children. They have lived (and sometimes still live) in a topsy turvy world. Their early experiences can have an impact on their current behaviours over which they have little control. They may have been VERY hungry and continue to be frightened that their basic needs won’t be met. They might be paranoid about what people think about them and about making friends, they constantly agonise about not being able to follow the instructions of others.


They basically live in fear. Then they come into our schools, where there’s lots of sensory stimulation


– people, noises, movement, tastes, sounds, smells. All can trigger those early experiences of neglect and/or abuse. Forgetting to ask your Mum to sign your planner can lead to extreme anxiety, being called names by other children can lead to extreme anxiety and meeting unrealistic expectations of learning can lead to extreme anxiety.


All of which leads to ‘bad’ behaviour. As an education community we need to see that ALL behaviour


communicates something to us. Many children when they are in the survival part of their brain, cannot process well, they don’t understand cause and effect and they are stuck in shame. Being able to make good choices about how they behave is not an option to them if they do not know how to do that.


So what might their behaviour be communicating to us? Children with insecure attachments, as a result of early experiences,


express them in three different ways. They may be avoidant, which means their main aim in life is to not be noticed. These children tend to be compliant in the classroom, very helpful, self-reliant, yet are anxious, deeply distrustful and struggle to engage and connect with those around them. Ambivalent children on the other hard are desperate for attention – they need to be seen and noticed in order to feel safe. We all know these children and, whilst challenging in their behaviour, they tend to be endearing too. Finally, a disorganised child has no strategy to cope – they are unpredictable and controlling. Whichever style you may see in a child they all come from a place of fear.


How can we help vulnerable children in our classrooms? Firstly, we need to acknowledge their needs. See that behaviour as


communication and try to connect with them before we look to correct any behaviour. Secondly, understand that relationships are key above anything else. For


many children relationships are where things have broken down so this is where we need to build things up. Finally, look to create an Attachment Focused culture where ALL children feel safe and calm enough to be able to learn.


January 2017


Plugging the funding gap: why students are turning to risky forms of finance


Comment by BRIAN NORTON, CEO and co-founder, Future Finance


For most students, going to university to complete an undergraduate degree is a steep learning curve in every sense. Not only is it the first time many have lived away from home in different surroundings with new friends, but it’s also the first time they have to stand on their own feet financially. To get them through their time at university, the government


offers students grants and loans to fund their studies. However, for many the amount available is not enough. According to NUS data, students face an average annual funding gap of more than £7,600 when factoring in their living costs on top of tuition fees. To plug this gap, many students are turning to risky forms of credit, which is a real concern. At Future Finance, the UK’s largest specialist student lender, we


recently conducted research with YouGov in to the financial habits of university students. We found that 70% of students do not think their government loan is enough to cover all of their expenses at university – perhaps a catalyst for them seeking out riskier forms of funding, such as credit cards.


Financial literacy Worryingly, a third of students we spoke to rely on credit cards, overdrafts and even payday loans to fund their university education. Worse still, almost a quarter of students do not even consider these risky forms of finance to be debt. This reveals a significant lack of financial awareness among young adults. Although 63% of those students surveyed consider themselves to possess a good understanding of finance, 40% of them do not know what APR stands for. This is not their fault. By the time they go off to university, they simply haven’t been given sufficient collective support to equip them for an independent adult life. As part of our research, we also spoke to the parents of students.


The results suggested that parents should be doing more to impart a positive financial example to their children. 81% of parents believe they are qualified to financially educate their children – yet just 39% of students cite their parents as their main financial influence.


Students need support The fact that students are relying on financial products that are not tailored to them or to the lifecycle of higher education is very concerning and we would encourage students to research all financial options available to them before choosing which form of credit they need to help them through their university life. At Future Finance, we believe that the responsibility for supporting


students to make these decisions and nurturing financial awareness lies with schools, universities and parents alike. Money should never be a barrier to education and it’s crucial that we all come together to give young people the financial knowledge they need to thrive at university and beyond.


www.education-today.co.uk 19


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