VIEWS & OPINION
Helping schools to recognise Honour-Based
Abuse Comment by DAWN JOTHAM, pastoral care specialist with EduCare, experts in safeguarding and duty-of-care training
Growing up, a child is taught a set of behaviours that are deemed honourable. If they display any dishonourable behaviour they may be punished by their family or by members of their community for, or allegedly for, undermining what the family or community believes to be the correct code of behaviour. This is honour-based abuse (HBA), and punishment can include assault, imprisonment, or even murder. Raising awareness of HBA and forced
marriage in education, particularly secondary
schools, is essential to prevention. Many teenage victims are confused by what their family and community demand of them. Teachers and support staff are often unaware of these issues and are nervous about how to manage them. In 2017, Karma Nirvana, the national award-winning charity that supports both men and women affected by forced marriage and/or HBA,
received 12,935 reports of HBA and/or forced marriage to its national helpline. Figures like this simply cannot be ignored. A teacher’s role, or indeed anyone who works with children and young
people, is to provide reassurance and support. But in order to do this, they need to feel supported and empowered to effectively help students that might be affected by HBA; training is key! This sentiment was echoed by Commander Ivan Balhatchet, National
Police Chiefs' Council lead on Honour-Based Abuse, Forced Marriage & Female Genital Mutilation, when he recently commented: ‘Honour Based Abuse, constitutes an array of criminal offences including Forced Marriage, are serious violations of human rights, often affecting young, vulnerable girls and women. It is imperative that we have training and guidance to equip those who have contact with young people to better understand the concealed criminal behaviours and child abuse that is taking place. It is only by identifying and understanding HBA will society be able to improve our outlook to appreciate the real difficulties victims find themselves in, alienated by those who are supposed to care for them. We all need to do so much more to properly safeguard the most vulnerable in our society’ Before speaking to a young person, who could be at risk, about their
rights or to explain that forced marriage is a criminal offence, teachers need to be confident in their knowledge, their approach, and their plans for what to do next. EduCare have developed a training course in partnership with Karma Nirvana, that provides educators and school staff with this information. It delivers an in-depth understanding of what HBA and forced marriage are, as well as highlighting potential warning signs and offering further contacts and guidance for those affected and at risk.
uTo find out more please visit
www.educare.co.uk/KN or
www.karmanirvana.org.uk
Options Trent Acres School – implementing a positive learning culture
for students with SEN Comment by MELANIE CALLAGHAN-LEWIS, headteacher at Options Trent Acres School in Kings Bromley
complex needs at our 12-acre site – including an equestrian facility, a games area and a gym. Our school’s learning environment is highly structured and extremely supportive, with both education and clinical professionals involved in the children’s educational experience and care. Our students are supported throughout their learning journey to
A
manage their behaviour and develop social and independent living skills for adult life – this underpins our provision at Trent Acres. We offer a wide-ranging, exciting curriculum which combines core
subjects and therapy-based learning. The curriculum is highly effective in supporting the development of a broad range of skills and building our students’ self-esteem, with pupils studying a variety of subjects, such as music, art and geography. Additionally, our pupils are able to develop their vocational skills through subjects such as equine studies, animal care – with horses and alpacas onsite – horticulture and other outdoor education activities. Students also have access to after-school activities, including horse-riding, textiles and homework clubs. Our unique curriculum is tailored to meet the needs and abilities of each individual pupil, with a person-centred and outcomes-focused
22
www.education-today.co.uk
t Options Trent Acres we provide a wide range of facilities and services for young people with
approach – including small group teaching in classrooms for our young people with autism and complex needs. The curriculum delivered outside of the classroom ensures our students develop social, communication and life skills. In some cases, our pupils also participate in work experience placements facilitated by Trent Acres staff and we have built links with local schools and colleges in an effort to provide further education opportunities for our pupils in the future. Additionally, our students are supported by a multi-disciplinary clinical
team and are provided with individualised therapeutic programmes – with our staff working in partnership with professionals from health and social care to give pupils adequate guidance and support throughout their time with us. Each pupil also has a personal tutor and we place great emphasis on fostering good relationships with our students’ parents or carers, by keeping in regular, daily contact with them. Our staff are dedicated to improving the life chances of all of our pupils
and creating an inclusive and safe environment where they are supported to overcome their sometimes significant barriers to learning. Staff have high aspirations for their students and this is mirrored by our school’s learning culture which centres on pupils experiencing success and realising their potential, with the overall aim of helping them to become positive members of the wider community. Trent Acres’ aims for students are as follows: • To give young people the opportunity to learn and achieve • To provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum • To determine the individual needs of all students and to devise a programme which targets those requirements and develops core literacy, numeracy and ICT skills as well as gaining appropriate accreditation e.g. GCSE, BTEC and ASDAN
• To provide access to the National Curriculum, where appropriate • To help each student develop social and living skills in preparation for adult life as well as moral and cultural understanding
• To impress on students the value of education as a lifelong process and help them to build their self-esteem through achievement
• To provide Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 students with a variety of opportunities for college placements and/or work experience where appropriate.
u
https://www.optionsautism.co.uk/school_home/options-trent-acres/ January 2019
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