Liz Hampton’s scientific contributions

Aim: The aim of this paper is to consider the use of current low-level behaviour management systems in secondary schools and how educational psychologists can best work alongside these systems. It does this by combining a psychological discussion about low-level behaviour management systems with the findings from a mixed methods research project conducted with ten trainee educational psychologists (TEPs) who gathered the views of 155 secondary school students on the low-level behaviour management systems used in their schools. Rationale: Articles in the media have increasingly reported parents’ and professionals’ concerns with behaviour management that involves removal from lessons and periods of isolation. In November 2019, a motion was proposed to the Association of Educational Psychologists Annual General Meeting that educational psychologists (EPs) should be working with schools to reduce the number of exclusions and change the practice of punitive low-level behaviour management systems towards more relational based systems. Findings: The discussion proposed that low-level behaviour management systems do not sit comfortably with EPs’ understanding of behaviour change, social justice and ethical practice. The results of the group research project indicated that students perceive their peers to be more disruptive than themselves. Whilst they perceive unfairness and inconsistency in the application of whole school behaviour management systems they do not strongly disagree with their use. Limitations: The authors posit that current low-level behaviour management systems have a more serious impact on students with additional needs or those from vulnerable backgrounds, however a limitation of the study was the inability to differentiate between the views of students with additional needs to those without. We suggest that future research should seek to capture the perspectives of students with additional needs and/or those who have experienced exclusion as a result of the processes of low-level behaviour management systems. Conclusion: Despite students’ perception of unfairness and inconsistency in the application of whole school behaviour management systems, they do not strongly disagree with their use. EPs should work alongside school leaders to consider ways to protect vulnerable pupils from the negative impact through promoting more relational approaches.

Aims Video Enhanced Reflective Practice (VERP) aims to enhance the practitioner’s awareness of the impact of their communication by reflecting on a film of their own practice. Whilst, the VERP procedure has only recently been developed, there is initial evidence of the success of video based reflection on practice. The aims of this research were to investigate how students and staff benefit from the VERP intervention and what adaptations would need to be made to staff training to use the VERP procedure to complement the Engagement Profile and Scale and vice versa. Method/Rationale Teachers and teaching assistants at a school for children with complex needs took part in a VERP intervention. Prior to the VERP intervention staff had been implementing the Engagement Profile and Scale in their school and were then trained by an educational psychologist to use VERP. Following the 16 week period of training and implementation, participants were interviewed using hierarchical focusing and their transcriptions were thematically analysed. Findings Overall, the majority of the interview data suggest that the implementation of VERP alongside the Engagement Profile and Scale in a school for children with complex needs led to positive outcomes for staff and students. The barriers to successfully implementing VERP in the school related to a lack of time to take the film and microanalyse it. Limitations Limitations to the research included participant bias and reliance on self-report. Conclusions VERP is a useful tool for staff to use alongside the Engagement Profile and Scale in a school for children with complex difficulties in order to better understand and meet their needs. Educational psychologists are well placed to provide VERP training to these schools. In order to improve the training, staff may benefit from: attendance at all training and supervision; more focus on the psychological theory; and time available to embed the intervention into their practice.