Page 47 - Course Handbook 2023

What should I practise now?

SKILLS TO PRACTISE / STRENGTHEN RAG

1 ALWAYS follow up with a Coaching Conversation when a child doesn’t meet the expectations agreed.

(Remember - ‘If you do not follow-up, you’ll always be mopping up’! Coaching Conversations are the key to
progress – without them, nothing will change.) This means you need to establish a tight system to ensure EVERY

adult keeps to this; without a system, it is VERY likely that people will not be consistent.

2 Practice introducing the issue in a way that the child feels you are on their side and keeps stress levels low.
Emphasise that you want to find a way to ensure everyone feels great and can do well – solutions that are:
‘Good for Me, Good for You, Good for Everyone’.

3 Practice listening to understand. Try not to give your own advice or minimize the child’s thoughts & feelings.

Ask open questions that aim to get to the core of what was happening for the child; aim to help the child work
out which of the 5C needs/DOSE and EF skills were at play when they didn’t manage to keep to expectations.

4 Practice explaining your concerns using the Speak Up 4 Better sequence - this is designed to reduce the
defensiveness of the person receiving the feedback.

5 Practice encouraging the child to think of their own solutions so it is ‘Good for Me, Good for You, Good for
Everyone’. Leave your own suggestions as a last resort. If their solutions won’t meet everyone’s needs or are
crazy (e.g. never to go to a maths lesson ever again), say in a matter-of-fact way you can see how that would

solve the issue for them not enjoying maths, but it wouldn’t meet your needs for them to get an education.

6 Try not to be the ‘fixer’: remember that the child is more likely to give a go to solutions they have designed.

When a child is given time to design solutions, it also gives them the message that you think they are capable.