Mandatory supervision for school staff?

Sandwiched between working as a counsellor for Place2Be, my work included 11 years supporting a wide range of children in a primary school. They both needed and benefitted from the therapeutic approach and skills that I brought to the role. The by-product was that it also helped the whole class and teaching staff, as I attuned to their needs which settled the children in my care to the tasks in hand. Without my tool bag of counselling skills, and the time and space I gave myself to develop my inner supervisor, I doubt very much whether my wellbeing would have remained intact, and perhaps the children I supported may not have been as contained, safe and energised to progress and achieve. Supervision was not provided.

How are teachers and support staff meant to hold and enable the C&YP with complexities without the necessary depth of supervisory support?

During my time working for the Mulberry Bush, a therapeutic community in West Oxfordshire - who provide residential and educational mental healthcare for primary aged children - that I gained insight into my next steps. Completing a research project guided me to the conclusion that I needed to train as a supervisor to support school staff and those that work with C&YP in educational settings. Experience had taught me the untold benefits to the wellbeing and performance of staff and therefore the C&YP they work with. I have now completed a post-graduate level diploma in supervision to provide the depth of supervisory support needed in schools.

Simply put, my supervisory practice is to restore the joy of educating and supporting C&YP through working with the 'inner processes' of staff in relation to their role and professional environment. It is different from, yet in support of, management supervision. I genuinely hope this becomes a growing trend.

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