Choosing nursery& school

I previously posted Schools (alwayssingintherain.blogspot.com) from some pre-panel reading, I thought it might be useful to share some of the questions/areas i asked about at the school open days...

School questions I asked:

knowledge of Thrive Approach / Attachment aware (https://www.attachmentleadnetwork.net/what-is-an-attachment-aware-school.php ) or equivalent

Any trauma or attachment training their teachers may have had,

Their disciplinary/reward mechanisms

what they use the pupil premium plus funding for (albeit probably more privately for that one.) If you have any particular thoughts on things

Class size

just try to get an idea of the spectrum of pupils they already support a– do they have experience of looked after and adopted children, and children that require extra support

Phased start to the year? If so, what does this look like?

Breakfast club/ after school club - availability & what that involved?

Holiday club(s) and or links to local ones

Therapy animals?

swimming/ messy play etc / other offerings?

outdoor time?

SENCO availability / numbers

Emotional literacy / visual aspects like makaton

*Pastoral care offerings

Comments

thanks.... it's the trauma

"What a really well behaved little one ..." is a frequent comment about my little one. Sometimes this is meant in a nice way, sometimes this is means that the speaker is feeling overwhelmed/judged for the fact their little one(s) have more typical reactions to instructions at this age. Unfortunately, this is one where nothing you say can help them to feel better. The truth is 'thanks.... it's the trauma', but that's not really the sensible thing to share. What does it look like? - Doing what she's told - not showing when she is angry / upset openly at the time (then reacting later/looking for me to recognise it*) - sitting and waiting quietly when others might be jumping about - saying "I'm sorry" when something is not their fault - ... and more (that i'll need to add to later!) *What this means is that i find my own social battery running down much quicker than i was previously used to, because i use a lot of my energy looking for ...

Useful information for Friends and Family

Have had some questions around this, so thought worth sharing this https://info.adoptmatch.com/words-matter-adoption-terminology I've tried to bring together the resources I could find for friends and family. I've put the ones i think are probably top of the list starred and in bold blue to help you work out which are probably easiest/best ones to take a look at. * How family and friends can support new adopters - stepbystep (first4adoption.org.uk) ( 2 A4 pages - above ) * 10 Things Adoptive Parents Wish Their Friends And Family Understood | HuffPost UK Parents (huffingtonpost.co.uk) - Short article * Before I Arrive (paperback edition) by Helen Townsend | Adoption UK Charity - excellent small book that i ended up getting a couple of copies for to share with different friends and family. Adoption uk factsheet 12 - supporting prospective adopters with a new placement june 2013.pdf (www.nhs.uk) Ten Tips for Supporting Your Family and Friends in Adoptive F...

Direct Contact prep resources

I have mostly used online resources and remembered bits I've looked at previously, but will include other resources that I've been recommended in the below so that you can pull whatever is helpful for you! A lot of the first ones are aimed at social workers, but still have been really useful. Not least of all, because although this is something with a lot more push than it used to have, in my case, I've found they're no more resourced and haven't necessarily had a lot of focus (training) time for this. Online resources I've pulled from: Good practice guide - Contact-PG_E.pdf Staying Connected: the views of looked after children and young people on their contact arrangements - Coram Voice Supporting evidence-informed practice with children and families, young people and adults | Research in Practice Contact: making good decisions for children in public law: Frontline Briefing (2024) | Research in Practice Staying in touch: Contact after adoption | Research...

Sing in the rain

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