the PIPER Model —
Presentation and Workshop

Schools —whole school staff in-service training (INSET) / Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Participants should include: SENCos; Teachers (pastoral/ behavioural support); Headteachers; Deputy Heads; Assistant Heads; Teaching Assistants/Learning Support Assistants

This includes a Presentation on Social Emotional and Mental Health Needs in children and young people - “From Practice-Based Evidence To Evidence-Based Practice”; followed by a “tailored” workshop on the 3-step PIPER Model, as an exemplar of research-informed practice for use in your own school setting, to support pupils with SEMH needs effectively and to assist their families / carers who also need to support them at home.

Key features of the workshop include:

1.     Discussing a ‘Risk and Resilience’ 4-field map with facilitator.

2.     Using the R&R framework to identify the “focus child” and begin profiling him/her around risk or resilience factors; underpinning these judgements with a strong evidence base i.e. observable behaviour in and/out of class or school.

3.     Discussing the 5-level ‘Tension’ Model with facilitator; looking carefully at pupil behaviours and teacher responses at each level; identifying the ‘threshold between rational and irrational behaviours’ i.e. Agitated State. Thinking carefully about what occurs within each level or ‘state of tension’ e.g.  ‘Controlled’ or ‘Anxious’ and to begin ‘contextualising’ the information in preparation for the next step.

4.     Using the ‘Tension’ Model as a reference point, to create your own Reducing Anxiety Management Plan (RAMP) for the focus child - taking into account his/her behaviours at each level, ‘self-calming’ strategies and your agreed responses. This should create a ‘tension’ profile to devise a full risk assessment, recognising that a combination of risk and resilience (protective) factors including tension levels or stress often impact on the child’s emotional wellbeing and, in turn manifest itself in a variety of presenting behaviours within each of the 5 ‘tension’ levels or ‘states’.

5.     Using all the collated information from each Step to begin devising a 3-wave ‘personalised intervention’ provision map, taking into account risk factors (health and safety) at each wave ‘setting’, your response - preventive measures / strategies, positive reinforcement (reward) when the child engages or achieves and define success criteria i.e. measurable outcomes. You may define this mapping process in 3 ways: (1) Intervention, (2) Risk Assessments and Preventive Measures and (3) Impact. It is vital you agree on a Start and Review date. Head teacher approval/signature for implementing the provision map is also essential.

For the school: Once the provision map is collectively agreed, understood and approved, the information should be disseminated to ALL staff to ensure consistency and to create an optimum whole school inclusive environment for the child to succeed/demonstrate evidence of progression. At review, evidence should be collated and presented to ascertain whether strategies have been effective in producing successful and measurable outcomes. A priority question should be - has the provision map reduced (to any measurable degree) any risk factors and/or increased any number of resilience (protective) factors?

Note: All schools will be sent e-templates that can be personalised to their own context /setting.
Schools should complete personalised e-templates for *all children with SEMH needs as part of their SEND records (*these will, as prior evidence has shown, be very useful for Ofsted inspections e.g. baseline | evidence of progression).
Dennis will remain in contact with all participating schools for further advice and/or any follow-up training if requested. 

Fee (full day): £1,000

Fee (half day/twilight session): £500