Personal reflection: Working in a social, emotional and mental health school in England

Kurawa, Gwadabe

Abstract

This paper draws on my experience working as a special needs support staff member in a special school in the UK for young people with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) issues. The purpose of this paper is to share my understanding of practices that enable staff in an SEMH school to attend to the needs of their students. Although I have worked in mainstream schools, school practice in an SEMH setting was unfamiliar to me. Therefore, it was important to familiarise myself with the practices of the school. I also believe that sharing my experiences helps to support others who work in similar contexts. Through my visit(s), I was able to identify key features of effective pedagogical practice which enabled the learners to thrive. These included the establishment of mutually positive relationships between learners and staff and positively responding to behaviours.

Citation

Kurawa, G. (2024). Personal reflection: Working in a social, emotional and mental health school in England. Support for Learning, 39(4), 208-212. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.12495

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 10, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Oct 3, 2024
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jan 8, 2025
• Journal: Support for Learning
• Print ISSN: 0268-2141
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-9604
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 39
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 208-212
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.12495
• Keywords: Personal reflection; School practice; SEMH; Special needs support assistant; Special school
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4920562