S15 Health and safety
Initial skills ratings *
September 2011
I have some basic knowledge regarding health and safety when working with electricity. I understand circuits need resistors to prevent too much electrical energy passing through the components and starting fires. I also know not to use electrical appliances near water. I even have some basic knowledge regarding First aid.
I have some basic knowledge regarding health and safety when working with electricity. I understand circuits need resistors to prevent too much electrical energy passing through the components and starting fires. I also know not to use electrical appliances near water. I even have some basic knowledge regarding First aid.
Step by Step School for children with autism
February 2012
I am going to visit the school my friend works in but before we can do so we have had to be given some basic safety awareness and understanding about the way the children may behave. I have been told the school will limit the number of visitors visiting the school on any one day because the pupils can find the experience of different people and changes in routine extremely distressing. They can become violent!
We will have to wait outside the classrooms while my friend seeks permission from the other staff to enter the room. Permission to enter the classroom is going to depend on how the pupil has been behaving, how calm they are at that moment. The staff wear protective clothing as the pupils sometimes hit, bite and pull hair. Should anything happen while we are there we must let the trained staff deal with the problem as they are trained to physically restrain the pupils.
I am looking forward to my visit but I am a bit apprehensive. This is very different from mainstream school!
I am going to visit the school my friend works in but before we can do so we have had to be given some basic safety awareness and understanding about the way the children may behave. I have been told the school will limit the number of visitors visiting the school on any one day because the pupils can find the experience of different people and changes in routine extremely distressing. They can become violent!
We will have to wait outside the classrooms while my friend seeks permission from the other staff to enter the room. Permission to enter the classroom is going to depend on how the pupil has been behaving, how calm they are at that moment. The staff wear protective clothing as the pupils sometimes hit, bite and pull hair. Should anything happen while we are there we must let the trained staff deal with the problem as they are trained to physically restrain the pupils.
I am looking forward to my visit but I am a bit apprehensive. This is very different from mainstream school!
Protective clothing used by staff at Step by Step School **
Every pupil is assessed when they start school. They spend a few days working with different teachers and support staff so that they can be matched to the member of staff that they respond with best. They work with the pupils on a one-to-one ratio. One pupil actually requires two members of staff to manage their behaviour!
In this photograph the staff are wearing protective clothing. Wrist guards, hand guards and head scarfs. These are selected by the staff depending on how the pupil they work with is known to behave. By doing so they are carrying out a risk assessment.
At break times all the children use the same play area. As they are severely autistic they are unlikely to play with each other. The pupils find the unfamiliar distressing and playtime is just that. At this point the staff are working with all pupils and the pupils behaviour to them is very unpredictable.For this reason the staff may wear full protective clothing. I am not sure if they have to but I know my friend does.
We were unable to take photographs of the children on the day because this might have been too distressing for them. My friend was able to provide me with some photographs.
My visit to the school was different to anything I had experienced before. I didn't know whether to make eye contact with the pupils as I know this can cause problems. Luckily for us during our visit the pupils were acting like model students but I know this is not always the case. I checked out whether I should have made eye contact or avoided it. I established it was fine to look at the pupils but not to stare. Even looking may cause problems but these are the things they are trying to teach the pupils to accept! I can not imagine the lives of the families of these children.
In this photograph the staff are wearing protective clothing. Wrist guards, hand guards and head scarfs. These are selected by the staff depending on how the pupil they work with is known to behave. By doing so they are carrying out a risk assessment.
At break times all the children use the same play area. As they are severely autistic they are unlikely to play with each other. The pupils find the unfamiliar distressing and playtime is just that. At this point the staff are working with all pupils and the pupils behaviour to them is very unpredictable.For this reason the staff may wear full protective clothing. I am not sure if they have to but I know my friend does.
We were unable to take photographs of the children on the day because this might have been too distressing for them. My friend was able to provide me with some photographs.
My visit to the school was different to anything I had experienced before. I didn't know whether to make eye contact with the pupils as I know this can cause problems. Luckily for us during our visit the pupils were acting like model students but I know this is not always the case. I checked out whether I should have made eye contact or avoided it. I established it was fine to look at the pupils but not to stare. Even looking may cause problems but these are the things they are trying to teach the pupils to accept! I can not imagine the lives of the families of these children.
Visit to Clifton Hill school ***
Clifton Hill School is a mainstream school but has unto 90% disabled students. Their disabilities cover a wide range of conditions. I visited this school with my peer. We were not given any specific safety advice but I was able to use what i knew from visiting step by step. I was approached by one lovely boy with autism who bolted out of his classroom dispute his one to one staff ratio just to shake my hand and say hello. He made his escape several times to repeat the process. At first I was rather nervous but reassured by the staff he just loves to say hello to people. Every time he would hold out his hand to shake like a proper little gentleman. I soon relaxed and no longer felt threatened by my new friend.
We were invited to observe a lesson but were soon asked to work with the pupils. I was placed on one pupils right as he was known to be a "grabber" and would be less likely to do me any real harm as this was his weakest side. He did make a grab for a pendant I was wearing but I am sure this was only out of curiosity in the same way a toddler would. I responded to this pupil as though he were about three years old although he looked about nine. I was totally shocked to discover he was actually sixteen and had quite a reputation for getting physical. Oh well the amusement I provided as he tried to teach me nursery rhyme and I got it wrong was probably my saving grace. The teacher was very surprised with how well we had interacted with each other. I out of ignorance. I thought he was a lovely cheeky young man capable of achieving much more then he was doing.
I have just read over this entry and wondered why I had made it. What has it got to do with my subject skills and personal development? I have thought about taking this entry out, feeling embarrassed and uncertain as to whether it is relevant or waffle. This reminds me of how I felt in my early projects and i lost marks because I removed important evidence.
I guess what I am trying to express is my own personal development in uncomfortable situations where there were issues of not only my personal safety but that of children and staff. I felt much better when I had a clear understanding of what was expected of me should I be in a situation that felt threatening. I felt like Step by Step had carried out risk assessments and shared that with me.
We were invited to observe a lesson but were soon asked to work with the pupils. I was placed on one pupils right as he was known to be a "grabber" and would be less likely to do me any real harm as this was his weakest side. He did make a grab for a pendant I was wearing but I am sure this was only out of curiosity in the same way a toddler would. I responded to this pupil as though he were about three years old although he looked about nine. I was totally shocked to discover he was actually sixteen and had quite a reputation for getting physical. Oh well the amusement I provided as he tried to teach me nursery rhyme and I got it wrong was probably my saving grace. The teacher was very surprised with how well we had interacted with each other. I out of ignorance. I thought he was a lovely cheeky young man capable of achieving much more then he was doing.
I have just read over this entry and wondered why I had made it. What has it got to do with my subject skills and personal development? I have thought about taking this entry out, feeling embarrassed and uncertain as to whether it is relevant or waffle. This reminds me of how I felt in my early projects and i lost marks because I removed important evidence.
I guess what I am trying to express is my own personal development in uncomfortable situations where there were issues of not only my personal safety but that of children and staff. I felt much better when I had a clear understanding of what was expected of me should I be in a situation that felt threatening. I felt like Step by Step had carried out risk assessments and shared that with me.