SEN0337
Written evidence submitted by Enable Trust
Introduction to EIT
Enable Inclusion Team (EIT) is has been funded for a three-year pilot by NHS England’s Vanguard and Bristol and South Gloucestershire Local Education Authorities. The program was set up to support children and young people (CYP) at risk of permanent exclusion (PEx) from mainstream schools, and those experiencing emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA). Working in partnership with the regional Integrated Care Board (ICB) and both of the above Local Authorities (LAs), Enable Trust – which is a Multi-Academy Trust of special schools in the region – agreed to host EIT within it’s own organisation. As such, EIT has become a specialist outreach service from the special school sector to mainstream schools across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG).
EIT consists of specialist Educational Psychologists (EPs), Behavioural Psychologists (BPs) and Assistant Psychologists (APs; nine staff in total at present), who work holistically with children, young people, families and schools, where a CYP is presenting as at risk of PEx and/or as EBSA. The team can and does work in the family home to support healthy and effective parenting (especially with and for primary phase children); in the school to support safe and genuinely inclusive learning environments (cross-phase); and in the wider community in a coaching and mentoring capacity (especially with secondary phase young people).
One of the unique features of EIT is it’s commitment to evidence-based processes of psychological care. The team use cutting-edge Cognitive Behavioural Therapeutic (CBT) approaches in whole-child, contextually sensitive ways, as well as approaches from the field of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS). With nearly a century of experience in the application of psychology across team members, we have noticed huge variation in the UK’s education system with respect to the application of evidence-based practice (EBP) with many systems, interventions and approaches having little-to-no credible evidence. EIT seeks to address this concern by ensuring that all approaches and models utilised are well supported in the empirical literature.
The core principles underpinning EIT include being:
- Process-based: EIT use evidence-based psychological processes of support and change from the world of CBT. The team’s primary CBT therapeutic model is the DNA-V model (see DNA-V Model of Psychological Flexibility | DNA-V International).
- Community-based: This can include working in schools to support practice and to ensure effective, reasonable adjustments are made to create safe, supportive and inclusive social and learning environments; working in the home with parents/carers and/or a young person; working in the wider community.
- Holistic: The team work with the whole young person, in context, not just the student, at school. Working in this way, the whole of the CYP’s experience can be brought into focus, taken account of and supported effectively.
- Pragmatic and data-led: The team collects data regarding the young person’s wellbeing and educational inclusion regularly and uses this to develop increasingly more effective support in a bottom-up, contextually-sensitive manner.
- Outcomes-focused: At EIT, we believe CYP deserve nothing but the best. As such, we believe services should live or die by how well they are helping CYP prosper, and live their best lives, in their own terms. As such, we hold ourselves accountable to the outcomes we help CYP achieve during our time with them, and to how much they feel we have helped the improve their lives and situations.
- Person- and family-centred: The team set goals to work on with young people, families and schools in a way that is collaborative, co-constructed and person-centred.
- Contextually focused: Rather than identifying deficits or disabilities within young person, the team adopts a philosophically contextual way of thinking about, and of supporting, their development. The core focus is on creating an environmental context that enables young people to develop the psychological skills they need to live their best lives.
As EIT is reaching the end of it’s pilot phase, funding for the project is currently only secured until September 2025.
Data collection methods
As a pragmatic and data-led service, EIT collects a core data set for all children with whom the team work. Data is collected at baseline, at post-EIT intervention and at three-month follow-up. Outcome data collected includes:
- PEx status (nominal, yes/no data regarding whether or not the CYP has been permanently excluded from mainstream education during EIT involvement)
- Suspensions (the number of suspensions the CYP has received over the past six weeks, at each of our three data collection points).
- PEx risk (an appropriate senior member of school staff rates how likely is it that the CYP will be permanently excluded, on a scale of 1-10)
- The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (a standardised measure of psychological wellbeing and positive behaviour).
- School attendance (with a maximum of 10 school sessions per week).
Outcomes
Overall, 42 CYP at risk of PEx have received intensive support from EIT. All of these CYP have been referred to EIT because they are at imminent risk of PEx. Of this group, 93% were not PEx’ed from mainstream education and remained on roll at their mainstream settings.
Further, CYPs’ psychological wellbeing, as measured by the SDQ, shows considerable improvement, and this is maintined at three-month follow-up (see Table One, below. Note that reduced scores here represent positive movement).
Table One: Wellbeing outcomes
School and parental reports of CYPs’ positive behaviour, as measured by the Prosocial subscale of the SDQ, also shows considerable improvement (see Table Two, below. Note that increased scores here represent positive movement).
Table Two: Prosocial Behaviour
Table Three, below, also shows that CYPs’ number of sessions per week increases from pre to post EIT intervention support. Encouragingly, this further increases at three-month follow-up, showing that schools are empowered to effectively support CYP independently, months after EIT intervention support.
Table Three: Sessions Attended
We also see significant reductions in the number of suspensions CYP receive from pre to post EIT support, again maintained at follow-up. See Table Four, below.
Table Four: Number of Suspensions from school
Finally, we see signifcant reductions in school’s perceptions of our CYPs’ risk of permentant exclusion, on a scale from 1-10, with 1 meaning little to no risk and 10 being imminent risk (see Table Five, below).
Table Five: Percevied Risk of PEx
Cost effectiveness and intervention duration
The average duration of EIT intervention is approximately six months, with a range from 10 weeks to 12 months. The average cost of EIT intervention is approximately £8,500 per referred CYP. This compares to a typical cost of Alternative Learning Provision (ALP) placement at around £25,000 per CYP per year, based on our understanding of local context from discussions with LA colleagues.
What families and schools say about EIT
Below is a summary of feedback from school leaders and parents/carers about their expriences of being supported by EIT:
EIT Feedback | Date | From who |
“EIT has been a speedy response to a tricky situation. We were all listened to and actions and advice put in place immediately. Relationships have been built quickly, I am amazed at the level of trust we all have in just a few sessions. The support has been outstanding- responding to emails quickly and the realistic demands of school are taken into consideration to ensure this is manageable.”
“Huge improvements were made with relationships with key adults who supported him- the support from yourselves enabled these relationships to be built with a strong focus on boundaries and how to construct the conversations that needed to happen.” | Apr/23
July/23 | Head Teacher |
We're finding it really useful/thorough/very hands on. It's also good that you have links with key people involved within the LA etc and knowledge/experience of the schools, this has proved very helpful. | Apr/23 | Parent |
“Since you have been working with us, myself, my family and [CYP NAME] have been helped greatly. We feel that we are being supported to give [CYP NAME] the care he needs in an age appropriate way. We are happy and relieved to have you and your team in our lives.”
“We feel privileged to have had such fantastic help and understanding. The difference in [Child-A] today is clear to see and is in no small part thanks to you! We will be forever grateful for everything you have done for [Child-A] and all of our family… You are AWESOME!” | Apr/23
July/23
| Parent |
| May/23 | Pastoral staff |
Thought you might like an update on X’s transition to secondary school. He has, this week, started on a full timetable which is going well. The feedback from his tutor and teachers is very positive. During term 1 there have been no incidences of the behaviour previously experienced at Primary School. Early days but so far so good and thanks again for all your help. | Nov / 23 | Parent |
X is doing very well at school and we are pleased to find that his EHCP is in progress. Thank you for your hard work and amazing support. Good luck with your research/evaluation, we are more than happy to help you and your team. | Nov / 23 | Parent |
She said how great it is to get this level of intensive supervision to get off the ground with her DNA-V practice and gave some fab examples of Noticer work she’d been doing, like a Feelings Tree or something like that, and various other little gems. | Nov / 23 | Pastoral staff |
“I only have positive things to say. X feels supported (which is a good thing) despite not always being forthcoming in the sessions he feels that someone has his back - which is a very positive change as his trust of adults in general is always very low. From a parents point of view it’s good to see the changes in his attitude and general mood and confidence. It’s difficult to know sometimes if we (as parents) are making the right decisions regarding our children (especially during difficult times) we are often ruled by our emotions so an objective point of view from someone who also has their best interests in mind is very helpful. I do not believe X would be in the position he is today and still in mainstream education without your support and speaking on his behalf when dealing with school etc.” | Oct-Dec/23 | Parent |
“We really do appreciate all your support; your work goes above and beyond what we expected by a long way. To have such intensive support, visiting every morning before school, supporting the parent to get her child to school and then working with us at school has proved to be a success for a family who were in crisis. The parent feels more confident to deal with extreme behaviour, the child has begun to be able to access school once more and the ‘Team around the Child’ approach ensures we are working together towards the same goal. We are reassured that they will have their hand held just long enough to be able to be independent and confident once again. During our recent Ofsted inspection the HMI was astounded by the level of support you were able to give to this family and child experiencing EBSA, they had not seen this level of support before.” | Oct-Dec/23 | SENCo |
“I feel some progression has been made. I feel a bit calmer in myself in how I deal with situations with X [child] and Y [child’s brother]. I think about things a lot more and take a different approach. I think X’s going to school has been dramatically better. I also think that Z [child’s mother] is doing well in doing that but my concern is what's it going to be like when you guys leave.” | Oct-Dec/23 | Parent |
‘we were so glad when we found out EIT were getting involved with our sons care and we must say from the very start our expectation was exceeded by the support and care we were given by both Duncan and Ben. They made us feel at ease the whole time and were a huge value to have with all the meetings we had to attend and the work they put into helping our son was exceptional- he certainly wouldn’t have lasted half the time at his new school setting as he did if Duncan and Ben were not involved. We will forever be grateful to them for not only their psychological help for our son but for their emotional help and expertise knowledge of everything.’ | 12/01/24 | Parents |
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| Mangotsfield Pastoral Team
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I am writing to share some feedback with you regarding the work of the Enable Inclusion Team at my schools – Iron Acton Primary and Hawkesbury Primary.
Your team has been working with 3 children across my two schools and the impact of this work so far has been transformational. I have no doubt at all that, without the high level of intensive support provided by yourself, Sophie and Ben, all three children would have been permanently excluded from my schools due to exceptionally challenging, unsafe and disruptive behaviour. My own team has worked tirelessly and with great perseverance up until and since the point EIT became involved but it was at that point and with a new perspective and different level of expertise, that we began to adapt our approaches and see the positive impact of these changes.
The long term and intensive approach taken by the team is one of the key ingredients for ensuring that it works, particularly when my schools have very limited capacity. Through high quality training provided by Sophie for example focusing on the DNA-V approach and resources as well as effective coaching, my staff have been upskilled and increasingly well equipped to support those children with some of the most challenging needs we have experienced at our school.
The impact is clear – you have supported my team in a sustainable way, to reduce the risk of permanent exclusion. You have equipped staff, parents and children with the skills they need to manage some challenging behaviours more effectively. This helps me to feel more optimistic about the future for these children. | 01/03/24 | Head Teacher |
Thank you so much for the advice, you and your team are amazing at teaching us, supporting us and helping others.
I have talked to Ben about this student and he kindly sent me valuable information regarding Social Dominance. Ben also helped me to do the conceptualization worksheet and I have done value cards with him which has been very helpful. |
| Pastoral staff |
Thank you for all you and your team have done in supporting Joe and the team around him to get to this point; I don’t like to think what the outcome would’ve been if we hadn’t had your support. It has been a bumpy journey but it feels like we are emerging on the other side now.
What you offer is an amazing package which schools just can’t do so a huge thank you. | 27/03/24 | SENCO |
Firstly, thank you to Duncan and Ben for all the effort put into us to help Joe. He’s in a much better place than he was, and from Ben getting me to contact Leo which, in itself, makes Joe a much happier boy! Joe listening to what’s being said in his head works massively with him too! Him noticing that sometimes the voice is not right.
The plan is great for T5 and T6. I think if we go how we have with all of us, Joe will complete his time at Hawkesbury with more social inclusion and a longer school day. | 02/04/2024 | Parent |
This academic year we as a school have taken part in the pilot scheme for the CRISSP project and the introduction of using the DNVA model within our setting. The initial training, and then regular supervision and support offered by Duncan and his team has been outstanding. Now that we have a full understanding of its potential impact for our community we have embraced it as a tool to support our young people and help them understand their choices and values and begin the work of addressing their behaviour concerns. It has been used not only to support some of our most high-profile students, but also has been effectively used to support those students who, although not being regularly suspended, are regularly being removed from lessons. We are beginning to see a really positive impact in terms of reduction in removal numbers for these individuals.
A key part of its effectiveness is the regular supervision and further training opportunities provided for the staff using it on site. This regular contact is, in our view essential to its successful and continued implementation. Likewise we have also had some really positive experiences with the more enhanced support for individual students after discussions at the High-Risk Group. As a school we are also delighted that further funding has potentially been agreed to continue the support into the next academic year, and are hopeful that more of our staff will have the opportunity to be trained in how to use it effectively. | 04/04/024 | Assistant Head and behaviour lead |
Just wanted to say I had my first 1:1 revision session with X today. Honestly, it was such a joy. He was a delight, and even more importantly, you could feel his hope and optimism and dedication to himself. Thank you! | 25/04/2024 | SENCo |
The Enabling Inclusion Team (EIT) have been and are still involved with a small number of children across our Federation. The identified children were at risk of PEX for challenging behaviour and were exhibiting EBSA as a result of a complex mix of social and emotional challenges. Through the carefully planned and progressive guidance the EIT have engaged the children, their families and school in a holistic approach to succeed by providing boundaries and expectations so the children are now able to come to school and start to join in their peer group.
Using their DNA-V model, the EIT have provided a first-class service of intensive therapeutic support, guidance and training to the family, young person and school - which has had a hugely positive impact. Through training school staff now feel empowered to continue to deliver the DNA-V approach while the EIT are guiding in the background. The children are still on their journey, some further than others, yet we have seen huge steps in progress in attending school, getting back into class and a reduction in aggressive behaviour. The EIT always hold the child at the centre of everything they do and they have gone far above and beyond our expectations. This was noted by a recent Ofsted inspector who was astounded at the level of support being received by a child and his family.
The results that this dedicated team achieve for SEMH in education, are quite simply life-changing. We cannot speak highly enough of the team and their unwavering dedication to changing the path of young people's lives both now and in the future! | 01.05.2024 | SENCo |
I asked him what was on top for him; he explained that he has been getting into lots of fights recently. We spoke about why these fights were happening, and after much discussion realised that it was because he enjoys the attention he gets from his peers when he is causing dramas. We spoke about how he values popularity.
We then did a tracking exercise. I asked if he could speak to me about his true friends; he explained that he has none. We talked about what makes a good friend, and he listed some lovely attributes a good friend would have, such as being kind and having his best interests at heart. I then asked him if the people who give him attention when he fights have these attributes; he said no. He said they tend to stick around and encourage the fighting, but then leave after. We then discussed how this therefore tells us that fighting does not gain him popularity. Through a further tracking exercise, we looked at friends that he has had in the past. He explained that they no longer like him, as he got into a dispute with someone that, for reasons that they didn't agree with. We spoke about how this continues to prove that he is not gaining true, valued friendships from engaging in these activities; in fact this is doing the opposite. | 01.05.24 | Pastoral Staff |
As there is nowhere to comment, I just wanted to add I am grateful for your help. The work you have done with and the support you have provided us with has been brilliant. Thank you for your help. I know I have often been anxious and at times needy when communicating with you, but as you know I have been fighting for to get help for many years now and it is exhausting, it was good to feel another level of support for.
| 06.May.2024 | Teacher |
His attendance is generally starting to improve. Thank you for all you have put in place to support Oscar it has certainly made a huge difference and can be seen in your stats. Alex | 01.07.2024 | SENCo |
I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks for your invaluable supervision and the generous words you shared with me. Your support has been incredibly helpful for me as a DNA-V practitioner, and I deeply appreciate it.
I am particularly grateful for the offer of your book. I am eager to read it and put your advice into practice. I believe it will be a significant resource for me, our team and the young people I work with.
Thank you once again for your guidance and encouragement. Thank you and best regards
| 06.07.2024 | Pastoral staff |
I just wanted to email to share our experience of working with the Enable Inclusion Trust as a result of our referral to HRG. I emailed X on 6th July with some feedback on our HRG experience but I feel that it is important that you are aware of just how positive and successful our work with X from EIT has been.
In February, we went to HRG for support regarding a 5-year-old child at risk of permanent exclusion. We had been working with the child and his family for about a year and as could be seen from the HRG application, explored a significant amount of support and intervention in an attempt to avoid permanent exclusion for this child. We went to HRG as Bex had recommended we consider requesting EIT support and our application was successful.
This was the turning point for the child, his family and the school. I cannot speak more highly of the incredible work EIT do and the outcomes they achieve. We have seen a significant reduction in incidents occurring for the child (only one, one day suspension since the team have been involved and few incidents in school generally), the child is now in school 9-2.30 every day (previously he could only manage 9-11.45), the child is spending more time in class with their peers, we have been able to assess the child for the first time and the child is experiencing break and lunch with their friends with little incident. We are seeing a happier child and family. This is absolutely amazing.
The team are hugely dedicated and so responsive to things that happen. The approach is child centred, personalised/bespoke to the individual and school and research driven. X and X have worked alongside staff and leadership to raise confidence and build an understanding of the research behind decisions/actions made. They have worked with the family and helped to build the relationships between home and school. They take time to celebrate what is going well and respond really quickly if we are ever in need of specialist advice to ensure we remain consistent in our approach. Staff feel empowered to implement this approach when working with other children in school. The team have attended CP meetings, meetings between school and home and meetings with staff linked to transition. When required, they are flexible in moving timetables around to help us when an incident has occurred. For example, we had to implement the only suspension since they have been involved yesterday; I notified them via email and within a couple of hours, Ben was on the telephone discussing the circumstances. Today, he is in school having discussed the next steps with X and supporting reintegration for the child. They have moved the timetable to enable Ben to be in school supporting over the next 3 days. This is unbelievable provision; the commitment they give to improving outcomes for the most vulnerable children is outstanding.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with EIT. The difference they have made is significant and I am grateful to the Local Authority for providing the school with this opportunity. Thank you so much. | 17.07.2024 | Head teacher |
I just wanted to say an enormous thank you for all of your work. I know I said it before but I can honestly say that after many many years of supporting children this is the first time that the offer has genuinely met the needs of the children. You are absolute gold dust! I can't even tell you how much I (and I know X will totally agree!) hope that our lovely boy is able to join us back at school in the future. This would make our hearts soar, but we would also love to continue to work alongside and learn from you and your team. You are everything that shines most brightly in the crazy world of schools!
| 25 October 2024 | SENCo |
Owen is also amazing with X but especially all the work he has done with his Mum - just incredible and this has made the biggest difference to X in feeling his Mum has someone to talk to and trust and his Mum just to have someone who will listen - just brilliant and life changing for the family as a whole | 10/12/24 | SENCo
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This morning was great, she really didn’t want to go in. Just tired I think. But she got ready with no fuss and met her friends as normal. She is already talking about not wearing her uniform for 2 weeks, and talking about meeting you the first day back which from our perspective is great.
Thank you so much for your support, although she isn’t attending many lessons at the moment she is seeing school as something that happens every day and being comfortable in the hub is really key to her staying longer so I think this term has been really successful. She also said to me today that she likes seeing you on a Wednesday as it breaks up her week! | 20/12/24 | Helene, CS Parent |
Janaury 2025
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