PRIMARY STAFF ORIENTATION
Are we all on the same page?
1. Teacher Competencies Evaluation Tool
Check in on your existing knowledge, skills and confidence in teaching emotional literacy and supporting MEHWB.
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When investing in a programme to support pupils’ emotional literacy, it’s important that staff feel the training and resources provide them with what they need to feel confident and competent to deliver the programme.
This tool can provide a ‘before’ and ‘after’ measure for teacher competencies in the area of MEHWB.
The tool suggests a follow-up evaluation after 3-months, but you’re welcome of course to choose a duration to suit your school roll-out plan.Individual Teachers might also like to use this toll for their own PRD tracking.
2. All About Emotion Works Introductory Video
Please ensure that all staff (SLT, teachers, support staff, visiting services etc.) watch this video - ideally together with a follow up discussion to clarify initial expectations for introducing Emotion Works into your school or context.
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A note about face-to-face versus online training and support:
The video shows footage of our (pre-covid) face-to-face introductory training which we replaced with online training modules when social distancing measures came into force.
Although a business challenge to address at the time, we’re now very happy to be in the position of being able to reach more schools to support the implementation of Emotion Works remotely.
To begin the process of familiarising yourself with the Emotion Works programme it will be helpful for you to watch this 5 minute ‘About Us’ video.
In the video you’ll meet Claire Murray, creator of the programme and founder of Emotion Works CIC, who outlines what Emotion Works is and how we work.
You’ll see film footage of Emotion Works in action in a range of educational contexts and using a range of resources for work with learners at different ages and stages.
You’ll also get a sense of the practice support service we provide on an ongoing basis to all of our members.
Finally you’ll hear from a Principal Teacher and Head Teacher about their reasons for choosing the Emotion Works programme and the impact it’s having on learning and wellbeing in their schools.
3. Training Booklets
A first resource to hand out and browse altogether is the Training Booklet. Full Members should have a hard copy for each member of staff, Trial Members can browse/download below or on the Getting Prepared resource page. Hard Copies can also be bought in the members shop.
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Hand out the Training Booklet to browse before or after watching the Introductory Video to enhance your first discussions about what the Emotion Works programme is and can offer to your school alongside any other wellbeing and curriculum programmes
Teachers might then keep their own copy for training and planning, with the extras as back ups to each class for Support Staff to reference as the roll-out gets underway.
Full Members receive a hard copy for each member of staff, Trial Members can access the download below, or on the Getting Prepared resource page.
4. Important Checklists - for school leads & individual teachers
The checklists provided below for printing are also sent out as hard copy sheets to our new schools with their resources. Each school lead will need a copy of the Implementation Guide and should make sure that each member of teaching staff has their own teacher checklist.
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Making sure that the relevant people have these checklists to work through and for reference at the very start of your Emotion Works journey will mean that everyone can take responsibility for their own part in capacity building across the staff team.
The checklists will also ensure that classroom delivery and progression across school stages will be streamlined and consistent.
5. Resource Packs
School Leads should have received and familiarised themselves with the hard copy resources allocated with their school package (full members only) and have a plan for distribution to class teachers and the setting up of communal learning spaces.
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Hard Copy Resources are included with all Full School Memberships packages.
When these arrive, School Leads should familiarise themselves with which resources to allocate to different classes and communal learning spaces (this will be detailed on your resource proposal print out enclosed with your order).
It’s a good idea to have a starter pack and some of the extra resources on display and available to browse at your orientation session, but we’d recommend waiting to distribute to class teachers when you look at the Introductory Training content and programme progression together.
6. The Primary Launchpad - a quick look
Preview the Primary Launchpad web page, which serves as a dashboard to access all of the training & teaching material required to work through our entire Primary Programme. The content is organised into 4 sections, each one aligned with the 4 phases of our Primary School Award journey.
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Your staff orientation session should include a quick look at the Primary Launchpad so that everyone has an understanding of how to navigate through – which is essentially going top to bottom and left to right!
- Do Class Teachers know where to find the resources relevant to their stage, and the training and teaching material highlighted on the Getting Started Teacher’s Checklist?
- Do support staff know where to find resources they may be asked to prepare?
The preview picture shows the top Introductory area of the Launchpad and the first 2 sections.
Section 1 provides access to all training, teaching and baseline resources, followed by an Introductory Training & Teaching Module to work through. This is the content associated with achieving a Primary School Bronze Award.
Section 2 covers the Silver Award content and takes you through a 1-Cog-at-a-time roll-out across your school. Click on each of the Cog module boxes to demonstrate that each module has a corresponding Training and Teaching Page.
- Can Class Teachers see how the training and teaching aspects link in with their Getting Started Checklist?
Sections 3 and 4 of the Primary Launchpad cover our Gold and Platinum Teaching Content and could be browsed at this stage but staff should be reassured that the main focus for getting started with the programme should be on Section 1, with the resource familiarisation and introductory training and teaching modules.
7. Ongoing Practice Support
Take a look at the Practitioner Support web page to see the various ways Emotion Works as an organisation will be continuing to support you to get the best out of your school membership. The main features of our Practice Support Service are listed and linked to in the Practice Support QR poster sent to you with your hard copy resources.
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Look over each of the features of our Practice Support service and discuss which aspects are useful to know about.
If you have a school account, follow us on twitter (X) and staff are welcome to join our private facebook group as soon as your membership is live.
Try out the QR links on your hard copy Poster for a quick link to each of the different practice support features listed.
Decide together where to display the QR poster and make sure everyone knows how to find the Practitioner Support Page on the website (find the link in the blue sky strip at the very top of the page where ‘Practitioner Support’ is written in white).
