Factual
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Chris Tarrant: Who Wants To Be A Teacher? Tonight
Should children with behavioural problems be excluded or kept in mainstream education? Broadcaster and former teacher, Chris Tarrant is going back to school for an in depth look at the issues surrounding behavioural, social and emotional problems with children in primary schools. Chris travels across the country to meet the head teachers of two schools with different ideas of how children with behavioural issues should be schooled. With access to the schools behavioural programmes, he finds out how these children are being catered for and the effect this is having on their peers and her teachers.
Chris meets head teacher Carole Crabtree for Wigmore Primary School in Luton who passionately believes that all children should be kept in school and does her utmost to prevent disruptive children from being excluded from class.
The local education authority in Luton has granted funding to a number of schools in the area to help manage behavioural issues. Carole has chosen to spend the money on a behaviour support team who are on hand to deal with any problems in the school.
The support team assist up to 50 children in the school at any time by supporting them in mainstream lessons, schooling them in a quiet room or running classes for anger management and social skills.
The programme follows a pupil at the school who is working with one of the support team to help him remain calm in class and interact comfortably with other pupils. The support team member is also on hand to take the pupil to a quiet room if his behaviour becomes too disruptive.
At The Village Primary School in Stockton-On-Tees, head teacher Patricia Gibb is taking a different approach. The school has a Nurture Group which helps children between the ages of five and seven with behavioural, social and emotional difficulties.
The children are taught in a small group in a separate classroom to help them deal with issues including self control and building good relationships with other children and adults. Group teacher Simon Lidgard has enjoyed a lot of success with the group, which has the key aim of returning children back into mainstream primary school within two years. The programme meets some of the participants and speaks to their parents to find out more about the impact it is having on their lives.
Last edited: Thursday, 12 November 2009
