Together we are better
Working with other professionals may pose challenges, but it also offers the potential to make marked improvements in children's lives. Bea Oaff talks to teachers and others who are leading the way.
Creating solutions in Sawston
'Piloting the way forward,' is how head teacher June Cannie (pictured right) describes her school's work in developing an interdisciplinary team, which brings together those working within health, education welfare, social work, the youth offending team, the police, the voluntary sector and others.
Sawston Village college in Cambridgeshire is leading a trial of the DfES's proposed Common Assessment Framework. At the outset, June created a multi-disciplinary team to serve her school, plus a further 16 in the region. The team consists of 13 people who cover all the agencies a school would ever need to deal with. Everyone meets each fortnight, including Nikki Parker (pictured right), the school's head of inclusion.
Her experience of working cross-professionally has been overwhelmingly positive. “Of course there are differences in how we work and sometimes in what course of action we think should be taken,” says Nikki. “But we've managed to find commonality between us and build on that. Overall everyone in the team is very supportive and happy to work collaboratively. And in doing that I think we are greater than the sum of our parts.”
In September, a newly appointed locality manager took responsibility for the members of the team who cover educational welfare, behaviour management and youth employment advice. In the future, the role will be extended to cover all nonteaching members.
Sawston engages with outside professionals in other ways too. For example, the school is changing the way its Year 7 and 8 groups are managed. The roles have been redesigned to become a 52-weeks-of-the-year responsibility, with the addition of pastoral care, and opened up to non-teachers.
When the new posts were advertised, 80 people applied. "It was a huge number and we were thrilled with the calibre of applicants,” says June. June acknowledges that initially the plans caused eyebrows to be raised, saying: “It did bring about a degree of bewilderment. Our heads of year were excellent, genuinely excellent and, perhaps understandably, initially they couldn't see why they would no longer be doing what they were doing. But I hope that in the long term the results will speak for themselves.”
Neighbouring Linton Village college has been a key player in developing a crossprofessional approach. The two schools have been able to build on what was already a good relationship, which began in April 1993 when they formed a partnership called BE – short for broadening education.
Greater access
Together, they sought to combine their facilities to provide greater access to art classes, adult education and youth services – from after-school clubs to outreach projects. “We were already meeting with one another regularly and, since the introduction of the interdisciplinary team, our relationship has grown even stronger,” says June Cannie.
The multi-disciplinary group's objective is clear. “We know we are all there to address the needs of children at risk,” says June. To that end, each case is discussed, a plan of action agreed, and a key worker appointed to oversee its delivery, and keep the rest of the team informed on progress.
For June, the benefits are obvious. “Logistically, we have everyone in the one place at one regular time. Practically, it means we are giving our children, and their parents, a more integrated level of care and attention.
”In terms of challenges, June insists there were few. “There is the difficulty of different work practices but, as always, you find ways around that. Most people were actually really pleased to be able to be involved and were even more accommodating than usual in trying to co-operate.
“I put this down to the fact that this is a project waiting to happen. The current system, even at its best, is flawed. The alternative we are experimenting with seems to be creating a solution that is good for everyone involved. I'm confident it will prove to be a workable model.”
'Can do' centre inspires in east London
“Teachers can see what we have done and learn from it,” says Dr Sam Everington OBE (pictured below). “They can look at the way we work and take that into their own schools.” GP Sam is the inspiration behind a unique cross-professional initiative – the Bromley-by-Bow Centre in east London, one of the capital's poorest areas.
“It started with the aim of regenerating the local community,” explains Sam, who is also Deputy Chairman of the British Medical Association. “The idea was to create a place that treated and improved the health of the whole person. And our approach was to do it in partnership with others.”
First established in 1984, today the centre draws on a diverse range of experts to provide the widest possible selection of services. Alongside a general practice, baby clinic, massage studio and an art therapy room, there is a cafe, garden, church, basic skills training school, nursery and after-school club. More than 100 activities take place at the centre each week – from sewing groups to workshops on parenting skills, and even a homework club.
More activities come from other tenants at the centre.Part of the building is given over to 'social entrepreneurs' – people running companies to enhance society, rather than for personal profit. The centre is home to everyone from designers and sculptors to beauticians and gardeners – each one of them including local people in their business.
“We are about mutual good,” says Sam. “We identify what each party has to offer and what each party can gain in return and we build a way to ensure that everyone is respected and rewarded. Of course there can be clashes. There are bound to be contrasting values and priorities. This is as true of our centre as any school. The key is to be flexible to the value of others. And to have a 'can do' attitude. Given those two things, it's amazing what can happen.”
New perspectives at Camp Hill
For head teacher Pam Harburton, it's the range of professionals based at her school – Camp Hill primary in Nuneaton, Warwickshire – that has made all the difference. “Instead of just responding to a child protection crisis, we are helping to prevent them,” she says. Significantly, Camp Hill has become a fully extended school. “And everything we do, we do throughout the entire year,” says Pam. This includes an onsite nursery, a range of before-and-afterschool clubs, a series of summer holiday activities, and an early years' centre. “I am particularly pleased because we are based in one of the UK’s most socially deprived areas,” says Pam. Several community initiatives have inspired working with other professionals in a way that Pam describes as 'more often, more broadly and more deeply'. Services on offer for local people include:
• parent and toddler groups, run through the Sure Start programme
• adult education courses, organised by Learn Direct
• an employment advisory service, run by the Skills Council
• a drop-in centre, organised by the police
• help with health, for example, advice on breast-feeding.
Aside from the need to find common ground, Pam identifies the greatest challenge as encouraging people to think beyond conventional parameters. She says: “Previously, we worked with other professionals on an ad hoc basis. Today they spend part of their week here. But getting to that stage demanded a new perspective. Through our persistence in explaining what could be, we have come to share that new perspective.”
Common ground
Pete Strauss, head of Walter Halls primary school in Nottingham, is the elected representative of primary head teachers on the General Teaching Council. He recognises the long tradition teachers have of working with other professionals.
“Teachers are in the unique position of seeing children, and some of their families, day in, day out,” he says. “At our school we perceive this as an opportunity, even a responsibility, to care for those children, and to do this holistically. That is, to meet their educational needs and to monitor – and if necessary seek help to address – their physical, mental and emotional needs.
“So we have long dealt with everyone: from police officers, social workers and school nurses, to behaviour advisors and educational psychologists. We find the common ground between us and base everything we do upon it.”
* Bea Oaff is a freelance journalist.
