Over the past term a group of eight pupils from Darren’s class have been brought together (with the help of their class teacher and school educational psychologist) to give time and thought to how they can be supportive towards him in the things they do and let him know that they care about who and how he is. Darren had shown difficult to manage and distressed behaviour throughout his school career. This insightful comment comes from a Year 5 pupil who has been part of a support network, a “circle of friends” for a fellow pupil in his class, Darren. We outline this approach to the inclusion of children with severe emotional and behavioural difficulties.
This article describes the background to and the actual setting up and running of ‘circles of friends’.
