EXAMPLES OF CASE STUDIES DONE BY EXTENDED SCHOOLS

CASE WORKERS

CASE STUDY 1

Pupil Z is a 10 year old boy in Year 5 of a small primary school. He had been assessed as having very poor literacy skills. He was referred to the Family Support Worker as he was having difficulty with anger management and his self-esteem was poor. He had been internally excluded on several occasions and been externally excluded for 3 days on another occasion.

The Family Support Worker saw Pupil Z over several weeks and worked on the effect of his anger on himself and those around him. Support was given to help the pupil deal with his anger in a more appropriate way. Work then progressed on to looking at his behaviour in general and how the repercussions affected him both in school and at home. Pupil Z had lots of issues that were teased out during the sessions and his anxieties discussed. Many things were put into perspective. This, together with some specific work on peer group relationships, had a positive effect on Pupil Z. From being a very reluctant and unwilling participant, he became a calm, happy boy who looked forward to his sessions with the Family Support Worker. When the work came to an end, he was upset as he had enjoyed the contact and attention as well as feeling supported.

His assessment indicated that his behaviour and social skills, originally scaled as veering from giving “little or no concern” to “extremely concerning and causing exclusion” had improved by the time of the Final Evaluation to be scaled at 8/10. His concentration went from “good” to “poor in subjects he finds challenging” to being scaled 8/10. The assessment of whether or not he was achieving his potential went from 1/10 to 6/10 and his risk of permanent exclusion went down from 5-6/10 to 3/10. The assessment of his Head of School concluded that Pupil Z “has progressed a long way in social skills, behaviour and anger management”.

CASE STUDY 2

Small feelings group

Following several weeks of falling out with one another I was asked to see these 3 girls. We agreed to meet weekly over several weeks to talk about the difficulties they were having and decide how they could tackle these problems. The girls themselves (with some assistance) decided on strategies they could use to avoid conflict (ignoring silly arguments, always having someone else to play with). We made feelings books that they were able to write in and also spoke about friendships and why we need to be thoughtful about others. Our group was fairly informal although we had set some ground rules with regards to turn taking. After 4 or 5 weeks I felt that the girls were able to manage these situations themselves but said that they would be able to find me if necessary.

CASE STUDY 3

Girl Group – magazine

This group was made up of 6 girls from year 5 & 6. They were all girls that had been identified teachers in my initial list that were either underachieving or had poor social skills/lacked confidence. It was left up to the girls what we would do in the group and they chose a magazine. They were encouraged to work together and also in smaller groups, often with people that they wouldn’t usually be friends with. We made decisions together and democratically. We set ground rules about turn taking when we were talking and also to respect other people’s ideas. The girls appeared to really enjoy what we did and as the weeks progressed some of them definitely showed signs of increased confidence. Within the group they also became mindful of others. At the end of the group all of the girls had a finished magazine that they could take home and be proud of. Out of the group I have also identified two girls who would benefit from one to one work with more specific work on self esteem.

CASE STUDY 4

Boy A is a 5 year old child from foundation. His mother approached the school saying that she was having some difficulties with him at home. I had an initial meeting with her and we decided that because of some of the difficulties they were having (parents separated, not getting on) it would be appropriate to refer to the MATCh team. I worked with a MATCh social worker and the family to set targets around child A’s behaviour, at home and when they are out. In our sessions at MATCh we spoke to both parents about how they could work together to improve on the targets. Improvements were made and after MATCh finished their work I have continued to work with the family to encourage them to keep on with the things that they have already done and to improve things further. Meet with mum every few weeks, targets continue to be met and improvements made.

CASE STUDY 5

Both children had very poor attendance, they were frequently absent from school or late. Mum had been called into school on a couple of occasions but no improvements were made. Working together with the EWO we spoke about the structure of the school day and how important it is for them to attend school. The EWO gave mum an outline of her legal obligations to send the children to school. We showed mum the attendance pattern as it was and showed her where we wanted it to be. I worked with the children to make sure that they were keen and enthusiastic about coming to school. After our meeting I checked that the children were in school every morning. If they weren’t I would ring mum and they would soon be brought into school. We met once more with the EWO to review progress, which had been very good. I currently review their attendance twice a week, we aim to close this case in a few weeks as long as good attendance continues.

CASE STUDY 6

Child D was a year 6 school refuser. Did not want to come into school, would feel ill at the thought of coming, couldn’t eat breakfast and very tearful. Mum and dad were finding this very difficult and it was starting to affect his younger sibling. We agreed that they could come into school early (8.15am) and meet me. We would then put out some chairs for the teachers and have a chat. The child would then be happy to go out into the playground and meet up with friends. In a few weeks child D went from scoring 3/10 for being happy to come to school up to 10/10. Began to eat breakfast and parents reported generally happier at home. They now attend school with no problems. Because of the problems that this child experienced I will be supporting them with early transitional work before they go to secondary school in September.

CASE STUDY 7

Unhappy about coming into school, mum really struggling to get him in, will say that he feels ill and often she will let him stay at home. When we met all 3 of us sat down and set targets that we could work to. Mum and the child felt happy to work towards these targets. One of the targets was that he would be taking more responsibility for getting ready in the morning, they made a chart together that he could tick off as he went in the morning. We also spoke about ways of rewarding him if he came in without making any fuss. They both felt that spending more time together would be good. We decided that he would come into school earlier with mum and teach her how to play chess in the school library. This meant that he would have something positive to focus on on the walk into school and that they would also be spending time together. This happened for a week and things so far seem to have been ok. He is now coming into school and they both appear happier, will review after Easter

CASE STUDY 8

Constantly falling out with friends, as a result not very happy about coming into school. Social skills and self esteem are being worked on in individual sessions. We are meeting weekly for 8 weeks. This is a chance to work through structured worksheets that deal with building self esteem and developing social skills and is also a time to discuss how things have been. If things haven’t gone well we talk about how things could have been done differently, if they’ve been good we talk about what things went right and how it was different to situations in the past. Work continues.

CASE STUDY 9

Mum not coping with child. When she approached the school her main concern was that he would be violent to her unborn child. MATCh began working with her and the children as soon as the baby was born. They were successful at the time in getting her to use boundaries and positive praise. When MATCh finished their work mum maintained what she had achieved with them for a couple of weeks but soon found things slipping. Since then I have attended two multi-professional meetings to decide how we can all progress with supporting this mother. I have agreed that I will continue to speak with her at least once a week to check how things have been. After Easter I will begin to work more formally with her in trying to regain some of the things she achieved with MATCh. We want to implement a positive praise system that she can use in conjunction with school. Child G’s class teacher is also very keen to make this work and we speak regularly to share information.

CASE STUDY 10

Date of first meeting: 8.4.03 (home visit)

The family had been identified as needing lots of support and I accompanied the Nursery School Head on the son’s initial home visit, prior to starting Nursery School.

The family consisted of mum, dad and two boys.

Since first meeting the family in 2003, I have been offering various levels of support, depending on need.

I have built up a good relationship with mum, one of trust and respect.

I’ve supported her when things have been really difficult.

I’ve also been a ‘constant’ person who mum knows she can talk to about anything, at any time.

Issues arising / Action taken / Other agencies/professionals involved / outcome
Poor attendance at Nursery School / Reminders via telephone calls and in person.
Providing transport to and from setting. / EWO would have been involved if the poor attendances continued / Attendance has improved over time, but does need constant attention to prevent it deteriorating.
Toilet training / Worked together with Nursery staff. I reinforced what was being done in school with mum at home. / Older son was out of nappies soon after starting Nursery.
Work is just starting with the younger son.
Bereavement- dad died / Supported mum. Worked with Primary school to support the eldest son.
Worked with the extended family i.e. paternal grandmother.
Encouraged and supported mum and boys to create a ‘memory box’ / Daisy’s Dream.
Cruz / Support ongoing.
Benefits & entitlements / Contacted ‘Two Saints’, an organisation that helps/supports tenants with these issues
Accompanied mum to a meeting at the council offices. / Two Saints / Mum now, with some support, organises her day to day finances/bills etc.
Issues with housing benefits etc / Made contact with mum’s housing officer
A Two Saints representative accompanied mum to court a number of times / Airways Housing Association / Benefits have now been organised. Mum has set up direct debits to pay her bills.
Boys not attending dental appointments
Dental problems / Accompanied boys to a dental appointment.
Community dentist came into the school to support mum and the boys in looking after their teeth and to promote good dental care, not only the boys, but mum as well. / Community Dentist
Teaching Support Staff. / Appointments are being kept, therefore the children are now receiving relevant, much needed dental care.
The school now offer time before the school day to help/support mum with giving breakfast, brushing teeth etc
They also receive fluoride tablets
Non attendance of hospital appointments- needing to see a doctor regarding development / Worked with Primary School staff to arrange transport to Newbury Hospital for a developmental check. / Paediatrician at Newbury Hospital / Delays in development were identified and noted.
Conflict between neighbours.
Reports from neighbours to Social Services / I explained processes to mum, and was able to give appropriate reassurances/information.
I worked with the family’s allocated Social worker, sharing information. / Social Services / Ongoing support
Conflict between family members
Confusion regarding support being offered / Informal meetings were held at the nursery (a place where mum felt comfortable and where ‘free talk’ could occur).
Family members and supporting professionals attended these meetings / Social Services
Health Visitor
Community Nursery Nursery Nurse
CTPLD
Housing
Two Saints
Family Resource Team
Primary School
Playgroup
(not all above agencies attended all the meetings) / All parties were made clear on all that was in place for the family, and the ‘gaps’ could be identified and acted on.
The family later took part in a Family Group Conference.
Concern over lack of contact/ support during holiday times / Offered both children subsidised Holiday Play scheme places / Chain
(provided initial funding) / Children regularly attend holiday sessions.
Mum feeling
socially isolated / Encouraged mum to come along to the toddler groups.
After a while she began to take a more active role with in the group e.g. washing up, making tea. This was valued and encouraged / Mum attended fairly regularly. Informal support was able to take place
e.g. modelling play etc
other mums now talk to her and include her with in their groups

The support offered to the family is still ongoing. This will remain through out school in whatever way is appropriate via Family Schools Support Workers.

CASE STUDY 11

It was mid September and pupil R had been absent from school since July yet he had been seen out on the streets and swimming. His Head of Year asked me to follow this up prior to involving the EWO. He said he was not feeling well and was currently undergoing some hospital tests. In discussion R said that he was very proud of his achievements and really wanted to do well but he had been told off in a lesson and this had never happened before. He also did not get on with his form tutor and he was worried about other pupils calling him names. I put a plan together to work with R in Study and Support initially and slowly integrate him back into lessons. I also spoke to his HOY and form tutor about his concerns. He made good progress and he was soon integrated back into school.