Staff Confidence & Culture Change

A large specialist education provider was experiencing a period of significant growth, with their student cohort set to double over three years. However, their existing behaviour management strategies were primarily reactive.

Relying on traditional responses to distressed behaviour was leading to inconsistent reporting, a reliance on restrictive practices and a emotional toll on educators. The senior leadership team recognised that to scale their provision safely, they needed a complete cultural shift.

They needed to move away from simply managing behaviour and transition toward a model that equipped staff to understand and prevent it.

The We are includED team partnered with the provider to implement a systemic, whole-organisation overhaul of their behavioural strategies. Rather than delivering a one-off training session, we embedded a comprehensive Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) framework.

1. Embedding proactive practice

We shifted the focus from crisis management to environmental auditing. Staff were trained to look past the behaviour to identify unmet needs, assess sensory environments and recognise communication barriers before a situation escalated.

2. Trauma-informed and low arousal training

We introduced low arousal approaches and trauma-informed practice across the workforce. Educators were given the skills to de-escalate situations calmly, reducing anxiety for both the learner and the staff member involved.

3. Shared language and streamlined reporting

A culture change requires consistency. We introduced a shared, inclusive language for staff to use when discussing learner distress. Alongside this, we overhauled their reporting methods, ensuring that data was captured consistently to inform future proactive strategies rather than just logging incidents.

The introduction of this proactive PBS framework completely transformed the setting's culture. Staff reported significantly higher levels of confidence when supporting complex needs, leading to a direct boost in overall wellbeing and staff retention.

Most importantly, the shift in practice delivered unprecedented operational results. Over a three-year period, restraint was reduced by 87.5%. 

By the end of this period, despite the student population doubling in size, the setting recorded just two incidents of restrictive practice across the entire academic year. The data proved that when staff are empowered with the right proactive tools, true culture change follows.