Background: Pupils with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) are a cause for concern in education and although Nurture Groups (NGs) have been found to be an effective form of intervention for pupils displaying SEBD in primary schools, limited research exists regarding NGs in secondary schools. A key piece of research suggests that the implementation of a classic NG in a secondary school may be difficult. This study aims to investigate how classic NGs are delivered and how the implementation has been possible. Furthermore, it explores the effects of NG attendance for pupils. Participants: Two secondary schools housing classic NGs were identified through the Nurture Group Network (NGN). For each school, participants included a NG facilitator, a member of Senior Management and a professional from an external agency. Pupils were also recruited (6 from school 1 and 4 from school 2). Methods: A multiple case study design with embedded units of analysis was conducted (Yin, 2009). Various data streams were used including an initial questionnaire, observations, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and Boxall Profile for Young People (BPYP) data (Bennathan, Boxall & Colley, 2010).Analysis/Findings: Observational and questionnaire data were analysed using content analysis and interview/focus group data were thematically analysed following full transcription (Braun and Clarke, 2006). BPYP data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Conclusion/Implications: Findings reveal that classic NGs can be implemented into a secondary school. Whilst numerous barriers exist to implementation (including understanding, arrangements, engagement with others and having the necessary tools) numerous facilitators also existed, the majority of which could be matched to barriers (including engaging with others, having knowledge and skills that are respected, a supportive environment and supporting pupil attendance by altering perceptions). Benefits of the NG for individual pupils and the wider school were also found, some of which include improved emotional well-being and positive inclusion into mainstream with a sense of belonging. Negative effects to NG attendance were also found and are discussed.

Times of transition offer the greatest potential for changing direction, for better or worse in young people’s lives. Yet it seems that many young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) fail to make the most of this window of opportunity as they make the transition out of school into adult life. Existing research into the transitional experiences and outcomes of school-leavers with SEBD reveal that they experience high levels of unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, mental health problems and involvement in criminal activity, with the consequent costs, social and economic, to the individual and society being too great to ignore. However, whilst there is evidence on the outcomes of this group (predominantly from the US) there is little research into the processes which influence their success or failure in transition. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an in-depth understanding of the transitions of a small group of school leavers with SEBD, by following them for the first 15 months out of school. I collected interview data from the participants, their parents and those working with them, which was subjected to thematic and narrative analysis and used to develop individual case studies. The case studies were subjected to within- and cross-case analysis, which facilitated understanding of the individual’s influences and pathways, and extraction of common themes. The school-leavers took widely varying paths, and were subject to a range of influences on an individual, family, and institutional level. These influences operated in complex and interactive ways, and each participant’s experience was unique. However, there were common themes which emerged from the cross case analysis. On a practical level, the main influences of the participants’ transitions were:• their personal drive, goal motivation, perseverance and likeability;• the capacity of their families to provide all forms of support (emotional, esteem practical and informational), or for professional supporters to fill any gaps;• the quality of the communication channels between all those working with them;• the capacity of their post-16 provision to fulfil their social and emotional as well as educational needs;• the formation of productive relationships with their workers, and the extent to which the institutions they attended supported their development. The study also had a theoretical dimension being underpinned by bioecological understandings of development and rooted in the concept of resilience. The presence of supportive relationships in the participants’ lives was a key influence on their resilience in coping with transition. The application of identity theory to the data helped to explain how these relationships developed and how supportive relationships in one context helped the young person to cope in a situation in which they were unsupported.

This study explores the experiences of students with social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties (SEBD), both in mainstream schools and residential school settings. The subjects are 29 students attending a New Zealand residential special school for boys with SEBD. Through voicing their views on their schooling experiences and suggesting ideas for improvement, the boys provided educators and policymakers with a better understanding of ways in which the schooling experience of boys with SEBD can be more positive and successful. A qualitative research design was utilised to gain the students’ insights into the salient features of their mainstream and residential schooling experiences. In order to highlight student voices in the research process and thesis writing, a phenomenological approach was utilised to shape the core methodology. Interviewing was chosen as the primary method of data collection for the analysis. In-depth, semi-structured interviews raised a number of salient features of the boys’ schooling experiences. The findings are summarised and merged into three main themes; the mainstream school experience, the residential school experience, and boys’ suggestions and recommendations for school improvement. The findings suggest a considerable degree of consistency between the boys concerning the difficulties experienced in mainstream schools. They highlight the importance of cultivating strong, positive student-teacher relationships and relationships among peers; the need for more effective disciplinary practices; the need to recognise the learning needs of students with SEBD as a priority; and the need to address bullying issues more effectively. The findings also provide valuable insights into some of the ways in which placement in a residential school for boys with SEBD are perceived to be effective for these students. The benefits of a residential school programme identified by the boys included improved learning and behaviour, improved relationships with others, and a greater capacity to deal with difficult feelings. The factors enabling these improvements were identified and included positive relationships with teachers, effective behavioural management based on fair sanctions and rewards, small classes, teachers’ instructions, the availability of academic support, better relationships with peers, and an effective anti-bullying policy.

The participation of children and young people (CYP) in decisions affecting them is high on the political agenda. CYP with special educational needs (SEN) in the form of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) continue to be under-represented in the literature with regard to participation and sharing their views. CYP with a statement of SEN must be formally reviewed on an annual basis, which is referred to as the annual statement review (ASR). The current research investigates how CYP with SEBD are presently participating in this formal and regular process that involves reviewing, decision-making and planning around their individual needs. A multiple case study was carried out, which involved two educational provisions, a resource based provision and a special provision, both for CYP with SEBD. Participants included the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) in each provision, two CYP from the resource based provision, and one CYP from the special provision. Each of the three CYP were the focus of each individual case, with the two CYP from resource based provision being in Key Stage 2 and the individual CYP in special provision in Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum. Main methods of data collection were semi-structured interview and observation throughout the ASR process. Data was analysed using thematic and content analysis. From a critical realist perspective, the investigation revealed that current practice to enable CYP with SEBD to participate in their ASR was found to be good, although it was proposed it could be better. This overall finding is based on the perspective that CYP should have the opportunity to make an impact on the ASR process as well as the outcome through decision-making, no matter how small the decision is that they are involved with. This was not always the case in the current practice examined in the study, more so with the younger CYP attending the resource based provision. The findings contribute to developing a good practice model for schools to support CYP with SEBD to effectively participate in review, decision-making and planning around their needs in statutory processes. A further research opportunity would be to investigate such practice in specialist provision for CYP with SEBD on a wider scale by using the survey design, to consider the current findings in a wider context.

Area of focus/rationale for the study: This study is an evaluation of an intervention, named Thrive, which is designed to promote the emotional development of children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD). The focus is to investigate the extent to which Thrive is effective in improving certain emotional and behavioural outcomes for children as well as exploring the experiences of those who are involved with the programme. The study is set out in two papers. Paper one assesses changes in pupil emotional well being over time using two subscales designed to measure specific aspects of resiliency, namely, ‘emotional reactivity’ and ‘sense of relatedness’. It also uses an assessment to measure changes in emotional and social skills which are considered important in order for pupils to engage in learning in a mainstream classroom environment (readiness to learn). Paper one also looks at the possible association between the Thrive training and staff attitudes towards pupils with EBD. Paper two explores, in depth, the experiences of the Thrive approach from the perspective of a small sample of school staff, pupils and parents. This process of exploration serves to better understand the outcomes from paper one by identifying a number of factors which may contribute to the successful or unsuccessful implementation of Thrive in a particular educational context. Context, Background and Research Objectives: Broad labels of ‘Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties’ (EBD) and’ Behavioural Emotional and Social Difficulties’ (BESD) tend to encompass behaviour which interferes with a child’s own or other’s learning; signs of emotional turbulence; and difficulties in forming and maintaining relationships. SEBD is used interchangeably with BESD (Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties) in policy documents and theoretical writing (Evans, 2010). Schools tend to use the term EBD and this will generally refer to children whose behaviour and emotions prevent them and others from learning to their potential (DCSF, 2008). For ease and consistency I will use the term EBD throughout this study. The Special Needs and Disability Act (2001) sets out the right for children with EBD to be educated in mainstream schools. Due to the disruptive impact on learning for self and others, this group of children have been cited as one of the most difficult groups to include (Evans & Lunt, 2002). Behaviour management continues to be high on the education policy and practice agenda in England and the rest of the UK. Schools are faced with the challenge of finding ways of ensuring children with EBD are included in the ordinary classroom with their peers and to ensure that the needs of this vulnerable group of children are adequately met. Alongside this, Government Policy (e.g. NICE Guidelines, 2007) now requires schools to promote the emotional well-being of children who exhibit signs of emotional and behavioural disturbance. There is a demand for evidence based approaches to support children with EBD in mainstream schools from which professionals, such as Educational Psychologists, can draw on in order to make positive changes (see literature review in Appendix B.9 for more details). Thrive is a trademarked programme developed by a multidisciplinary team named ‘Fronting the Challenge’ (ftc). The programme is described as a ‘dynamic developmental approach to working with vulnerable and challenging children whose behaviour interrupts their own and others learning’. The Thrive programme borrows from a range of research and theory around neuroscience, child development, attachment theory and the role of creativity and play (for example Sunderland, 2006; Hughs, 2004; Illsey- Clarke & Dawson, 1989; Stern, 2003). It can be described as a school based intervention which is informed by a psychotherapeutic model as it aims to support children by addressing core relational and developmental features (Evans et al., 2003). Similar to nurture groups, Thrive is based on the understanding that for a child to develop a healthy ability to adapt to his or her social environment they must have experienced a sensitive, responsive and caring relationship with a significant carer/parent (Stern, 2003; Sunderland, 2006). But additional to a nurture group approach, the intervention draws on a concept from Transactional Analysis (Berne, 1964; Levin, 1982; Illsley Clarke & Dawson, 1998) which assumes that a child moves through a number of clearly defined stages of emotional development. The Thrive approach uses a computer based assessment, which relies on pupil observations, to identify specific ‘interruptions’ in this development; and targeted relational experiences, i.e., experiences of being in relationship with another human being, are recommended to promote further development. This will be discussed in more detail within the introduction of this thesis. As part of a wave two pathfinder for the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) Project under DCSF, in 2009, Thrive training was delivered to staff working with children and young people in three learning communities within a local authority in the South West of England. This included staff from approximately forty schools (including primary schools, secondary schools, a PRU and a special school) as well as multi-disciplinary staff such as CAMHS, Educational Psychologists and Behaviour support staff. At the time of beginning this study, thirty eight primary schools within the local authority had already been trained in Thrive and were implementing the intervention with some of their pupils. There was much testimony from staff working with children and young people that the training was highly valued and influential on their professional practice. Furthermore, there were a number of claims suggesting that pupils involved in Thrive were experiencing a whole range of positive outcomes attributable to the programme. For example, that the most disruptive pupils were calmer and making fewer visits to the Head Teacher’s office; that emotionally vulnerable children had become more confident and more trusting; that attendance had improved; and that the number of fixed term exclusions had diminished. Although there were a small number of detailed case studies prepared by schools themselves, the claims were, in the main, based on anecdote. Where schools had made some attempt to measure the impact of Thrive the methodology lacked basic rigour and findings were susceptible to bias; pre and post measurements were very limited and control measures were absent in all cases. The project lead for TaMHS reported ‘emerging’ data in relation to reduced numbers of fixed term exclusions, reductions in referrals to other services and referrals for statutory assessment. However, the source of this data was also said to be unreliable. Despite all of this, a general positive ‘vibe’ about the intervention based on a melange of potentially unreliable evidence was persuasive enough for the local authority to consider further investment into the intervention. Further details of current evidence related to the impact of Thrive can be found in Appendix A.1. Objectives of this study: • To provide a more reliable understanding of the effectiveness of the Thrive programme in supporting children with EBD within mainstream primary schools. More specifically: - To find the extent to which Thrive reduces pupil ‘emotional reactivity’, improves pupil ‘sense of relatedness’ and improves ‘readiness to learn in a mainstream classroom’. - To find whether there is an association between the Thrive training and staff attitudes towards the inclusion of children with EBD in mainstream primary schools. • To explore how a small sample of pupils, parents and staff experience Thrive.

Sammanfattning Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie är att undersöka hur specialpedagoger skapar mening kring arbetet med skolproblematiskt beteende, dess orsaker och lösningar. Via kriterieurval valdes sex specialpedagoger ut vars erfarenheter på olika sätt kompletterade varandra. De arbetade i fem kommuner utspridda över Sverige. Två arbetade kommunövergripande, tre på skolor. De hade varit yrkesverksamma olika länge och de var verksamma i olika sociokulturella områden osv. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes via Teams och varade i 60–80 minuter vardera. Frågorna var öppna och informantens ord och begrepp togs tillvara i fördjupande följdfrågor. Datan bearbetades med hjälp av diskursanalys och tematisk analys. Resultatet visar att de skolproblematiska beteenden som specialpedagogerna lyfter fram var a) beteende som bryter mot lärarens norm om det korrekta beteendet i skolan b) beteende i form av affektutbrott c) beteende till följd av att en person är avogt inställd till en annan person. Vidare framkom tre förklaringsmodeller i specialpedagogernas tal om skolproblematiska beteenden: Problemskapande skolkrav och normsystem; Problemskapande inre: affekttillstånd eller diagnos; Problemskapande polarisering i relation. Dessa förklaringsmodeller låg till grund för vilka lösningar som ansågs meningsfulla. Förklarings-modellerna som specialpedagogerna utgick ifrån möjliggjorde därigenom vissa lösningar, medan andra lösningar utestängdes. T.ex. beskrevs KBT-behandling som en meningsfull lösning för elever som ansågs ha ett problemskapande inre: affekttillstånd/ diagnos. Men om orsaken till problembeteendet istället antogs bero på problemskapande skolkrav och normsystem blev det meningsfullt att förändra läraren genom en synvända så att läraren började anpassa undervisningen efter elevens behov. Studien visade även att vad som framhölls som ett meningsskapande arbete kring skolproblematiska beteenden påverkades av huruvida specialpedagogen intog ett inifrån- eller utifrånperspektiv. Här skapades diskurser om eleven som problemskapande motståndare samt den problemskapande läraren som behövde förändras.  Resultatet visar på att specialpedagoger behöver bli medvetna om att när de intar en specifik förklaringsmodell kommer vissa lösningar bli givna medan andra döljs. Därför behöver de kunna skifta mellan olika förklaringsmodeller för att hitta fler sätt att hantera situationen. Likaså behöver de reflektera över om de intar ett inifrån- eller utifrånperspektiv i den givna situationen samt vad detta får för konsekvenser.