EIS Final Report

Empathy in Schools

Evalua on Report 2017/18 Pilot Project

By Hope in the Heart CIC For the Welcoming City Group Funded by Plymouth City Council

Evaluation Report Contents:  Executive Summary (Infographic) o Output Report o Recommendations & Opportunities  Project Report 1. Background 2. Selection Procedure 3. Delivery (including case study examples) a) Themes b) The Power of Introducing “Authentic Experiences” c) Methods 4. Future Resource Materials 5. Feedback & Assessment a) Self-assessment & Classroom Observation b) Staff Focus Group c) Staff Training 6. School Action Plans & Follow-up 7. Future Links 8. Findings a) The programme b) Schools c) Staff d) Pupils 9. Conclusion 10. Thanks Appendices: 1. Initial information circulated to schools 2. Executive Summary of schools’ information circulated 3. Timeline: PCC Flow Chart (June 2018) 4. Delivery timetable: Progress Chart (numbered) 5. Notes to accompany Progress Chart 6. Session Outlines (brief) & Learning Objectives 7. Action Planning ideas (from staff & students) 8. Staff Focus Group Questionnaires 1 [Summary q 1- 6] 9. Staff Focus Group Questionnaires 2 [Summary q 7- 11] 10. SWOT analysis (staff) 11. SWOT analysis (facilitators) 12. Virtues – The Gifts of Character

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Ini al visits +

Follow ups

Schools contacted

Assemblies

Hours contact me

Staff briefed

Schools engaged

Hours filming Ac on plans completed

Hours review mee ngs

Ideas of ways to con nue the programme from children & staff Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Execu ve Summary 1.1

Executive Summary: Outputs A short film (approx. 5mins running time) introducing the main concepts, which includes interviews with Tam and teachers from three schools, plus comments and shots of participating children from two schools.

Schools were provided with a set of the Virtues Project cards [see Appendix 12 for list of 52 Virtues cards in the education pack] to encourage them to continue to use this tool and a copy of “Towards the Compassionate School” Ed by Maurice Coles, a seminal book which begins to address the current gap in a conceptual, theoretical and practical overview of the education system through the prism of compassion.

We are continuing to work with the member of staff from school #4 during August, to assist her in developing a version of the programme more suitable for use in a primary-age SLN setting.

School #4 funded their lead teacher to attend the 2-day Virtues Project Mentor training in July, with the intention that she will become the in-house lead and develop the sustainability of the empathy project across the school. She has also indicated that she would like to assist with any future development of the project and become an “ambassador”, promoting it to other schools.

The staff who attended the staff focus group indicated an interest in an on-going support network to help them continue with this initiative, such as an on-line forum or occasional face-to-face meetings. The teachers from the SLN schools have already instigated further contact with each other.

A range of materials, resources and ideas, are now available and ready for further development to support on-going and future initiatives.

We have amassed a rich source of original data and secondary sources which can inform the planning and design of future developments.

We have begun a productive, on-going working partnership with Plymouth Marjon University and we have been invited to write up the project for possible journal submission.

Our classroom experiences and observations, interviews with schools’ senior leadership staff and feedback from the participating teachers and children has helped us see many alternative ways of developing empathy and the related components of this programme in a range of settings with: staff, pupils, families and schools’ wider community links.

Hope in the Heart is part of a small consortium who successfully applied for Esmee Fairbairn funding from POP+ to develop a Compassionate City strategy for Plymouth and we hope there will be an opportunity to link future developments of the Empathy in Schools project with this city-wide initiative.

Executive Summary: Recommendations & Opportunities i)

Staff from all the participating schools asked us to explore the possibility of their students meeting together in a celebratory/awareness-raising event with the Welcoming City group. [Suggestions included: Graduation-style; linked to Marjon; a sponsor; at the Immersive Theatre, Plymouth Uni; somewhere “posh” where the children would feel special; link to another PCC/other/Welcoming City/wider community event…..]

ii)

Participating staff also requested that a visit be arranged from someone representing the Welcoming City to come to their school.

iii)

Facilitators discuss the findings and the original outline with the relevant members of the Welcoming City group.

iv)

Re-design the programme (based on the feedback collected and with additional research into related resources and projects), making the outcomes measurable.

This could include trialling different modes and methods of delivery and undertaking the market research into what schools need/want and the opportunities for longer-term funding and sustainability, which was lost in the early stages of this project.

Some of the alternative forms of delivery which could be considered include: 

“Friendship clubs” (after-school, lunch-time, small group, for challenging children or on ‘exclusion-watch’, or self-selecting, or open to everyone).

Taking it out of the classroom may make it easier to work within a different ethos and may open it up to additional funding not available if it is being embedded into the curriculum.



A “Tutor-time” model for whole-class daily introduction in small chunks.



A family-based model through Parent Support Workers, social services or other providers of family support.

v)

Link with other visiting providers to produce a cohesive PSHE programme.

vi)

Explore the possibility of a ‘Kite mark’ or other accreditation for the programme or the training. [There is a burgeoning number of organisations coming into schools, all of whom could be invited to consider VP and CCI as a basis underpinning their work.]

vii)

Explore the possibility of linking with Plymouth Centre for Faiths & Cultural Diversity or another umbrella organisation which manages visiting speakers.

viii)

Identify ways to use the project to encourage/promote/establish better links between schools and their local geographical community. (We have discussed a possible Mayflower 2020 project with Community Sparks.)

ix)

As with any work involving children and seeking higher educational supervision, this project was submitted to the Ethics Committee at Plymouth Marjon University, who were very helpful in their feedback. Continued Higher Educational support and supervision will enhance and strengthen any future project and can lead to wider circulation and recognition within the field of education.

Empathy in Plymouth Schools Pilot Project 2017/18 Final Report 1. Background The Empathy in Schools project (EiS) began in December 2017, nearly two months later than planned, following a period of negotiation, looking into the possibility of combining the two tenders received: one from Hope in the Heart Directors: Tam Martin Fowles and Bev Smerdon and the other led by Jono Madeley from Plymouth City Council’s Department for Education, Participation and Skills. From Spring 2018, additional advice, specialist support and supervision was provided by Prof. Lystra Hagley-Dickinson, PhD, Head of Department, Criminology & Social Sciences, Plymouth Marjon University.

This report aims to provide an accessible overview of all aspects of the project and is supported by a short film entitled, “Compassion in the Classroom”. We have identified the facilitators by name throughout the report. In order to protect the privacy of the children who took part, the schools have been anonymised and children’s names removed from pieces of work photographed. All necessary permissions were obtained from the schools prior to filming.

For the sake of transparency, this report will be sent to the lead teachers involved, who will be informed only of the number identifying their school, so that they can provide any additional comments before it is circulated more widely.

2. Selection procedure and schools selected The loss of the first two months had a crucial impact on the project, as prior diary commitments impacted on our availability to undertake the market research with schools and co-prepare course materials as originally planned. The final weeks of the Autumn term, with the run-up to Christmas, is a notoriously difficult time to get schools to engage with a project which now needed to start at the beginning of the Spring term. The time originally planned for market research with a wide number of schools was used in more focussed “chasing up” of a smaller number of schools, to ensure we were able to start in, at least, three schools in January.

An information pack was sent to 15 schools [See Appendices 1 & 2 for the initial information and the executive summary included]. The schools selected were primarily 90+% white British and were identified through discussions with Jono Madeley from Plymouth City Council and the Empathy in Schools steering group [Candice Sainsbury, Craig Downham and Alan Knott].

We undertook intensive “initial interviews” (which included the headteacher or a member of the school’s Senior Leadership Team) at five schools: three mainstream primary, one special needs primary and one special needs secondary. We delivered 1

the programme as it was written to two primary schools and one special needs secondary and delivered a shorter version (with additional, on-going support for the teacher involved to continue with the programme herself) at the fourth school, a special needs primary. One mainstream primary school completed the initial assessment but we chose not to deliver there as their strict "no phone" policy precluded Tam's use of her iPhone as an ADHD support.

In total we worked with 51 children: cohorts of 21 and 17 in the mainstream primary schools, cohorts of seven and six in the special needs schools. (The groups needed to be significantly smaller in SLN settings, as agreed with staff at the initial interview stage). In school #3 we worked with one teacher and in the other three schools we worked with a teacher and a classroom assistant. All the teachers were involved in some level of review, three teachers and one classroom assistant provided in-depth feedback through a focus group, SWOT analysis and questionnaire. Approximately 100 staff received an introductory training about the programme and 61 of them provided feedback forms.

3. Delivery [For the project timeline see Appendices #3 PCC Flow Chart, #4 EIS Progress Chart, #5 Progress Chart notes and #6 for Session Outlines and Learning Objectives] a) Themes i) The Virtues Project & Mindfulness This resource gave the children language to better express themselves and their feelings, which, in turn, helped them find ways to accept each other and work together. The “diamond” metaphor we use, resonated with all the children, whatever their ability level. As explained in the sessions, “We are all mines, rich in gems (diamonds). Some are bright and shine easily. Others are still rough and need to be polished. The more we work on a virtue the more we polish that “diamond” and the more it will shine.”

In school #1 some of the boys told Tam, separately, that their “challenge virtue” was kindness. They didn’t feel they could be kind because they had “anger issues” (their phrase). They felt unhappy and ashamed and did not know how to manage these feelings. Tam was able to introduce them to the virtue of detachment, which proved profoundly helpful. They highlighted its use in subsequent sessions, when they were able to emotionally detach from situations that would previously have triggered anger and aggression. In the regular “virtues acknowledgement” sessions, acts of kindness that had been observed in these boys were sufficiently acknowledged, by their peers as well as staff, to changing their self-perception of being lacking in kindness.

The children quickly learned how to work with these, sometimes complex, concepts. We also found it helpful in the latter schools to begin to introduce 2

some mindfulness techniques to help with some of these issues. This helped some of the children to see things from a wider perspective (a necessary step to improving empathy).

This growing awareness did not mean that all the children immediately became well-behaved, attentive and respectful but as facilitators we experienced a difference in the classroom atmosphere and the behaviour of individual children as soon as they had experienced the giving and receiving of virtues acknowledgements. ii)

Charter for Compassion International All the participating schools signed up to the Charter for Compassion [see example at Appendix 7] and were encouraged to continue to use this extensive resource.

In school #3, we used a letter writing activity asking the children to write to a school in another country, which was already signed up to the charter or to write to another school in Plymouth telling them about the project. One child wrote to another Plymouth primary school he had previously attended, telling them that he had liked it there, but he felt it would be even better if they took part in the project.

The children’s confidence and engagement increased when they saw their photographs with their letters to other schools on the school’s “Charter for Compassion” webpage.

iii)

British Values Teachers were genuinely surprised at the poor level of understanding that many of the children had about British values. We feel there may be a gap in the market around inspirational, interactive teaching and learning materials to support this area of the curriculum.

iv)

Difference, Diversity & Bullying The second session of the Empathy in Schools project addressed issues related to diversity. We took care to devote time to this subject, with sensitivity and plenty of opportunity for empathic response. One of the challenges in the schools selected was the lack of cultural diversity, within both school and local community. The children in our groups were all white, mostly British and, with one or two exceptions, apparently fit and without disabilities. Using photos and props, we introduced case studies of people who are “different” in various ways.

These included cultural diversity (skin colour, religion, lifestyle) disability (visible and hidden), bereavement, general appearance, sexual orientation.

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b) The Power of Introducing “Authentic Experiences” I shared the story of my friend and associate Amina Khalid, whose family fled Somalia when Amina was 11 years old. Using photographs and props (including a headscarf Amina gave me as a gift) I told how the family, who had been wealthy and happy in their homeland, regularly began to see people being killed in the street when war broke out and had to leave in the night without saying goodbye to friends and loved-ones, crossing the sea in overcrowded boats. Amina’s three-year-old niece died during the crossing.

I told how Amina longed for a new home where she would be welcomed and could make new friends, but when she arrived at her new school, in shock and speaking little English, she was bullied and threatened, and told to “go home”. This happened at four different schools, and Amina would often leave home in the morning and spend the day in the local park, rather than face the relentless bullying.

I asked the children how it might have felt to be told to “go home”, when this was all Amina wanted, but there was no home left for her to go to. Their responses were moving and heart-warming as they clearly felt the sadness and injustice of her situation. They were able to name virtues that Amina used, including courage, patience and determination, and many virtues that others could have used to help her, such as kindness, compassion, respect, courage, acceptance, understanding, friendliness and love.

I then told them how, one day, when Amina was surrounded by bullies, an older girl she didn’t know saw what was happening and stood up for her, telling the bullies to stop and accompanying Amina to tell a teacher. For Amina this one act (which demonstrated virtues including courage, caring and responsibility on the part of the girl) was a turning point. She no longer felt so alone, and gradually began to settle into her new life.

This generated an animated conversation about the power of taking action instead of being a bystander, and how one person can change another’s life. The children gave examples of times they have stood up for others or others have stood up for them, and how it felt. They described how they might welcome someone who had a different skin colour or other kind of difference (and what virtues they might use) and we talked about Islamophobia and prejudice with some wonderful insights from the children.

I finished the story by telling them that Amina, now in her 30s, works with refugee groups, bringing them together with local people in their new communities. I showed them a picture [See Fig 1] of myself and Amina next to a street sign for “Hope Street”, illustrating the hope there is for the world if people from different cultures can become friends as we have. It was great to see that, when asked at the end of the course to note what had impacted them most, several identified “Hope Street”. [See Fig 2].

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Fig 1: Tam with her friend Amina in Hope Street

Fig 2: Participants’ Review Sheet Session 4 School #3

Children’s responses (1) Following our session on diversity, children were divided into groups of five or six (with attention paid to mixing children who do not usually choose to work together). We asked them to talk about ways in which they, or someone they know is “different” and the issues that arise from this difference. Many shared personal experiences that they had not talked previously felt comfortable to share with peers, including the following: A boy told his group that he has hemiplegia, an “invisible disability” that causes many problems in his life. He spoke articulately and knowledgably about the condition, and how he feels when people call him “weird” because of it.

The rest of the group listened with respectful attention and palpable empathy, clearly fascinated, and asking thoughtful questions when he had finished.

One girl did not join in with the questions. But eventually she said “I feel really bad, because I’ve called you weird, and I didn’t know. I’m really sorry”. The boy accepted her apology and the group commended both for their courage, in sharing the story, and in admitting to having been one of the bullies.

In the ensuing art activity, the boy and another member of the group worked together to design matching posters about hemiplegia. [See Fig 4]. Following this there was a discussion about how we can never know what someone else is going through, and how important it to

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be kind, because we all have invisible challenges. I talked about my experience of dyslexia and several of the children shared examples of their own.

In a later session when we focused on British Values, the boy linked the values of mutual respect and individual liberty to his experience of disability. [See Fig 3].

Fig 3: Artwork with British Values added

Fig 4: Poster about hemipligia

Children’s responses (2) In another group, a girl talked about her family’s unusual religion, Wicca. She said people don’t understand what Wicca is, and that she feels sad and lonely among her peers when she thinks about this. The other children were very interested to learn more about Wicca and the girl was clearly very happy to tell them. Again, they asked many questions and were amazed that they had known her for so long without being aware of this part of her life. Her story was featured in some of the artwork that followed the discussion [See Fig 5 & 6].

Having felt so supported in the small groups, both the children talked about their differences in the larger group. Both expressed the relief they felt in being able to share something so important that they had not felt they could open about before, and to have their stories received with interest, acceptance, respect and empathy.

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Fig 5 & 6: Artwork following discussion on difference and bullying

Children’s responses (3) During one of the later sessions we played a game in which participants formed a circle and were invited to step into it, one at a time, and make a statement about themselves. Others would then take a step into the group if they empathised with the statement. [This game had been introduced from the first session, starting with simple facts, such as favourite colour, hobbies, etc. as the sessions progressed the children were able to use this familiar technique to choose the level of sharing they wanted to contribute.]

One boy stated that when at home he likes to dress in his sister’s clothes, and another that he enjoys wearing nail varnish. A number of both girls and boys stepped into the circle in response. It was remarkable to witness this relaxed willingness to share something so potentially controversial, and the respectful acceptance of the group of these statements.

v) Bullying We included a worksheet on “bullying” as a means of creating a baseline assessment in schools #1, 2 and 3 but it became apparent that it was not sufficiently accessible or accurate to produce usable results and some children did not have the level of literacy it required. It worked better as a 1:1 tool for helping children and staff with a structured discussion but there was insufficient staff time available for that to be an option. We did not have the capacity, in terms of time or expertise within the scope of this project, to design something more robust.

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c) i)

Methods: Social & Emotional Competence It has been our aim throughout this programme to encourage children to think intuitively as well as logically, with fascinated, questioning minds. This is essential for the development of emotional intelligence, and the rejection of fundamentalism and extremism. Critical thinking is born of curiosity and a passion for looking beyond the surface.

Many of the teachers we worked with commented about our provision of a “safe space”, our acceptance or flexibility in the sessions and how we provided an opportunity for the children to be more reflective and the staff to have more time to interact with individuals than they would normally get in the classroom.

They also expressed feelings that this initiative overlaps with work around mental health, well-being and resilience.

There were two instances, in school #1 and school #2, when a member of staff who had not been briefed about the project or our methods came into the classroom and began to insist on “rules” that were not part of our normal working practice. In both instances an individual child was singled out, and in both cases, that student chose not to return to the project the following week. This highlighted for us, as facilitators, one of the difficulties of bringing a different style of practice into a school setting and the need to agree clearer boundaries with schools. In an ideal setting, this would have been covered in a staff training session before the project started.

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ii)

Sharing Authentic Personal Experiences The children responded well when we were able to speak from personal experience: of being bullied at school, bereavement, learning difficulties and friendships with people from other places, to name but a few of the things which came up in the sessions.

iii)

From Knowledge to Understanding “Psychologists tend to agree that wisdom involves an integration of knowledge, experience, and deep understanding that incorporates tolerance for the uncertainties of life as well as its ups and downs”1. In planning to help the children move from “information” to “wisdom” or from “head” knowledge to “heart” knowledge, we used a number of more reflective methods, including: artwork, inspirational stories & quotations, small group work, whole group discussions and games. If we were to develop the course further, we would increase the use of drama, puppets and role play and also review the original idea of including a final “celebratory” session.

Psychology Today webpage on “Wisdom”.

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4. Future Resource materials As facilitators, we have additional journal notes of our classroom experiences which could be written up and used as resource material and would be used to review the project if it continues. There is a list of excellent ideas about ways to continue or further develop the project compiled by the participants (children and staff) at school #1, 2 & 3. [See Action Planning Ideas Appendix 8] We also photographed a number of pieces of artwork (with children’s names removed), which could be written up and used as stimulus material and resources by future participants. [See Fig 7 & 8]

Fig 7: Artwork examples: possible future resources

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Fig 8: Artwork examples: possible future resources

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5. Feedback & Assessment a) Self-Assessment and Classroom Observation Initial attempts at worksheets for the children to record self-assessments at the point of delivery were not very successful and took up more time and focus than anticipated, as the children had little, or possibly no, previous experience of this kind of reflection.

Some staff expressed concerns that using the children’s self-assessment was not going to give a true picture of the outcomes and impact, partly because some of the children found this work very challenging as they began to engage with their emotions and reflect on their actions and choices. At school #2, when answering the question of whether this project should be offered to the rest of the school, one girl explained to Bev that she was going to vote “no” because she wasn’t enjoying it but she thought it should be “yes” because she knew it was good for her!

We became aware that a high proportion of children were responding to the assessment questionnaires with what they felt were the “right” answers – especially about bullying. It also became clear that, at the beginning, some of them knew the right words, for example: “walking in another person’s shoes” but that the concept had little meaning for them personally – they had not made the shift from knowing the words to understanding what they meant or relating them to their own situation.

Comparing our attempts at questionnaires and assessment forms to examples from other nationally recognised projects, (such as the Anne Frank Trust), we realised that this would require more time and specialist expertise than we were able to include in this project. More research will also be required into the best means of obtaining baseline assessments for this kind of work and whether, it can or should be assessed in a non-qualitative format.

We had also devised a teacher observation form but as the project continued it appeared that these were not going to provide sufficiently detailed feedback and this, alongside the brevity of the review sessions at the mainstream schools, encouraged us to incorporate an additional Staff Focus Group meeting for the staff who had been involved with supporting the project delivery. This was on the recommendation of Associate Professor Lystra Hagley-Dickinson, our Marjon supervisor, who kindly hosted the event at Marjon, as a way of incorporating a more participatory methodology for the project.

b) Staff Focus Group: This meeting was very well received by the three members of staff who attended. In addition to the information collected via questionnaires [see

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Appendix 9 for summary], we were able to collect significant additional feedback which could be used to help inform the next stage of the project, if it continues.

They also completed a group SWOT analysis. [See appendix 10]. The teachers expressed how useful they felt it had been and stayed far longer than the 1 ½ hrs we had invited them for at the end of a working day. [One teacher was unable to attend the Staff focus group meeting due to illness. Bev undertook a separate review meeting later, when she collected the questionnaire and SWOT analysis and this feedback was added into the summaries at Appendices 9 and 10.]

The facilitators later completed a separate SWOT analysis, before reading the teachers contribution [see Appendix 11]. c) Staff training: The same material was delivered at all 4 schools, introducing the empathy project’s aims, the Virtues Project and the Charter for Compassion. The staff training at the mainstream schools was very well received. The word cloud [see Fig 9] was created from the words on the feedback sheets returned by staff at the end of the session at school #3. A similar word cloud could be produced from school #1 feedback. The main critical feedback was that the staff would have liked a longer session (which we had originally asked for, but the schools were unable to arrange this).

Fig 9: Word cloud created from qualitative questions on staff training feedback form

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The feedback about the staff training at the Special Learning Needs schools was notably more hostile. Some of this was due to extenuating circumstances at the SLN schools. At school #2 we were asked to deliver in 3 x 1hr sessions, which did not work well: one of the sessions followed a long OFSTED visit day and one of the sessions became embroiled in concerns (primarily led by one member of staff) about the “religious nature” of the Virtues Project.

The staff training session at the second SLN school took place on the last Friday of the Spring term and followed straight after a significant “incident” with a pupil. It was further disrupted by being in a very large school hall with poor acoustics, no amplification and a grass cutter working alongside the building throughout. We left a senior member of staff to follow-up with circulating and returning feedback sheets which culminated in just four returns being received from the school.

In summarising the feedback we did receive from the SLN schools, it may have been beneficial to have included more examples of the ways these tools are used in other schools but given the reduction in the time available for staff training it was not possible to include this level of detail. Also, this model really requires staff to engage with the model for themselves, which some staff found challenging.

At least one teacher suggested that it would have been useful to have seen a video extract, which was not available at the time but which we could use in the future.

One of the important questions we asked on the staff training feedback form was: “Would you recommend this training?”. The Mainstream/SLN divide is clearly seen in the returns (see Fig 10).

School

Yes

No

Blank

Total Returns

#1

23

3

4

30

#2*

3

11

0

14

#3

17

0

0

17

#4*

0

4

0

4

Totals:

43

17

4

64

Mainstream

40

3

4

*SLN

3

15

0

Fig 10: Quantitative summary from staff feedback returns about recommending the training

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6. School Action Plans and Follow-up: Each of the schools drew up an action plan of possible actions to continue the project in their school and we were able to review these activities at the Staff Focus Group meetings in June and July with schools #2, 3 and 4, as detailed below.

We were unable to elicit any response to email enquiries from school #1 once the delivery phase was completed. We believe we still have a good working relationship with them and their lack of response is simply indicative of other school pressures and not due to any dissatisfaction with the project but the time constraints on the programme did not allow us sufficient time to clarify the situation.

Action Plan reviewed/achieved: School #2    



Participants selected the Action Plan: They delivered an assembly to the rest of KS3 (observed by HITH) A virtue is now the “Word of Week” (fortnightly) The class teacher carried out a survey with all KS3 staff and pupils to identify the most important virtues (calling them values instead of virtues). She reported back at the staff focus group meeting that “There was a lot of overlap between the two lists” o Most popular virtue for Teachers was: Respect o Most popular virtue for pupils: Caring A new house points system with pupils able to award points for “virtues” is being implemented.

Action Plan reviewed/achieved: School #3 

  

The group chose the following virtues as their focus for the future: o Assertiveness; Confidence; Detachment; Diligence; Forgiveness; Honesty; Love; Loyalty; Patience; Self-discipline; Service; The group fed back to Year 4’s: enjoyed by both year groups (reported by teacher).

The group led an assembly sharing their learning about Virtues, Compassionate Charter, diversity and difference and the “golden rule”. (observed by HITH) Interest expressed by the teacher in any further projects linking the school and the local community (possibly through Community Sparks Mayflower 2020 funding).

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Action Plan reviewed/achieved: School #4 Although this school re-joined the project at a late stage, we were able to carry out three sessions and a very successful whole school (primary) assembly. At the review meeting in June the following Action Plan was drawn up:    

A teacher attended the 2-day Virtues Project Mentor training (funded by the school).

She will be the School Mentor and further develop the project across the school.

Bev & Tam will provide session outlines, resources and follow-up materials, so that the project can be delivered to this cohort in the Autumn Term 2018.

All three are using their own time to meet in August to undertake the additional work required to adapt the materials for this cohort.

7. Future Links There was a significant number of links to other organisations and initiatives, which we discovered while undertaking this project. There was insufficient capacity to research these in the current project but they (and others) would warrant further investigation if the project continues, to ascertain possible overlaps or partnership working. Opportunities include: Plymouth Training Schools Alliance (PTSA) School Hub Meetings The Empathy Lab Loving Classrooms Thinking Classrooms Sharetree Neil Mackay (Action Dyslexia) Start Empathy V-toons Dr Margot Sunderland Institute for Arts in Ed & Therapy The Linking Network Charter for Compassion (schools project) Real Ideas Organisation (Devonport) Street Factory Plymouth Centre for Faiths & Cultural Diversity Kelhelland School, Cornwall (a whole school approach to the Virtues Project) Trauma Informed Schools project (Lottery funded - Cornwall) Maurice Coles (author of Towards a Compassionate School) It would also be important to re-open discussions with Plymouth City Council’s Department for Education, Participation and Skills and to explore any other related work which may be developing within Plymouth City Council or the wider One Plymouth sphere.

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8. Findings (see also Outputs produced and Recommendations in the Executive Summary) a) The programme: The project delivered a new “trial” programme (albeit, one based around tried and tested processes and products with international recognition), which asked staff to work counter-intuitively to the current educational climate. Not surprisingly, this engendered a range of differing responses and outcomes, ranging from it being seen as “just one of many such projects” to being heralded as an important wholeschool initiative to be further supported and developed.

We were not using an experimental model, so there was no “control” group and we were not expecting to produce statistical data from our findings. This did provide us with the opportunity to develop the programme as we were delivering it, so our classroom experiences in one school enabled us to incorporate changes in the programme at the next school.

Undertaking this pilot project has enabled us to identify key factors and issues, which need to be considered further when planning or designing any continuation, or future developments, of the Empathy in Schools project. b) Schools “There is so much schools are expected to fit in and make space in the curriculum for, unless it is a number one priority it won’t be a driver. It could be number four or five in the list but because of the pressures from everything else it will never get to the top or even high enough to be implemented. Unless something happens, which means we have to go into “fire-fighting” mode and then something or someone will be brought in”. [A teacher’s comment on the SWOT analysis feedback].

We found that schools are under a great deal of pressure to make time and space for a plethora of projects, initiatives and visiting speakers, as well as fulfilling all the curriculum requirements. At one school, the lead teacher on our project, was already following up with the dementia-friendly schools initiative as soon as we finished delivering there. c) Staff: The schools varied widely in their ability to participate and fulfil the criteria as originally specified. However, all the staff we worked with did their utmost to assist us as much as possible, notwithstanding the pressures they were under from other aspects of their legitimate workload.

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Participating teachers expressed their appreciation of the opportunity to spend time interacting with the children away from the usual classroom pressures.

There was a general feeling that this type of intervention may need to be delivered in shorter sessions over a longer period of time. There were different opinions about whether it was something in-house staff could deliver (or already were) and whether it was more valuable to have it delivered by visiting facilitators. d) Pupils: The majority of children engaged well with the content and methods used, in particular, the Virtues Project: The introduction of language which enabled them to express themselves and name the strengths and weaknesses they saw in themselves and others helped them get to know one another at a greater depth and find better ways to accept each other and work together.

This work was very challenging for a small number of children as they found themselves invited to express ideas and feelings that were not usually deemed “acceptable”. At each school, there were at least one or two examples of children choosing not to continue with the programme at various stages. In some instances, the children were able to continue with additional support.

9. Conclusion In relation to the five outcomes of the programme as detailed in the service specification, we have evidenced through feedback from teachers and recorded in artwork, video and classroom experiences:  demonstrable change in social and emotional competence  increased empathy amongst children  some positive changes in their attitudes and behaviours  Increased understanding of different beliefs, values and British values.

We were unable to evidence any impact on increasing the perception of valuing and celebrating the local community as it proved difficult to engage with any existing links the schools already had.

In many ways, this was a “seed-planting” project and it would be interesting to go back to the schools later to see if there are any long-term benefits that we are not yet aware of. In the short-term, the feedback from staff and pupils was that they had been positively affected by their experiences with the Empathy in Schools project. We demonstrated the power of compassion and empathy for positive change in the classroom and many people have seen that and been inspired by it especially the children. We believe that with the circulation of the short film, “Compassion in the Classroom”, this project will continue to engender further positive outcomes.

17

We hope this report, alongside the Executive Summary, will provide sufficient evidence of the value and promise that this project offers for continued development. In Education & Health [vol 34 No 2, 2016] Maurice Coles2, writing about the relevance of compassion to mindfulness, Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) and Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) developments in schools, quoted American poet, Wendell Berry: “It is not ‘human genius’ that makes us human, but an old love, an old intelligence of the heart we gather to us from the world….”

Maurice went on to say, “It is this ‘old love’, this ‘intelligence of the heart’, this compassion that we argue must be central to education systems…”

Ideas like Maurice’s (and others) and the kind of thinking which produced the decision to fund the Empathy in School’s project in Plymouth are at the cutting edge of education and we should not expect this to be an overnight success. At Hope in the Heart, we believe passionately in the possibilities and opportunities this pilot project has enabled us to engage with and we look forward to discussing our findings, experiences and recommendations with other interested exponents in the future.

10.Thanks Hope in the Heart would like to express our thanks to the Welcoming City Group; Alan Knott, Craig Downham, Candice Sainsbury, Darin Halifax; Prof. Lystra HagleyDickinson, Marjon University; Fotonow; staff and students at all the schools who participated; and many individuals and organisations who have willingly given their time and expertise to assist us with this project.

2

CEO of the CoED Foundation and editor of “Towards the Compassionate School: from Golden Rule to Golden Thread.

18

Appendix 1: Informa on Overview Circulated to 15 Plymouth Schools

Empathy in Plymouth Schools Pilot Project Background Hope in the Heart (HITH) is a local CIC with a history of successful, innova ve work in schools and communi es, with links to na onal and interna onal developments. As part of the Safer Plymouth and Welcoming City aims, we have been commissioned by Plymouth City Council to pilot a schoolbased empathy programme which seeks to raise social and emo onal competence and increase empathy amongst children by incorpora ng themes of Bri sh values, celebra ng and valuing local community, understanding different beliefs and diversity and promo ng Plymouth as a great place to live and work. HITH will be delivering this exci ng programme Year 5’s Gulval Primary: photograph for empathy based around the interna onally-recognised Virtues project linked primary school in Soweto.

Programme (VP) and linking with the recent registra on of Plymouth with the Charter for Compassion Interna onal (CCI) and the Charter for Compassionate Schools (CCS).

Expected benefits For the School: We are tasked with developing specific aims and objec ves with individual schools based on their perceived needs, OFSTED scores for behaviour, personal development and welfare and DfE advice on Improving SMSC and promo ng Bri sh values [Nov 2014]. This is not a “one-size-fits-all” programme.

The content of the programme will be informed by VP and CCS which are extremely flexible tools and we will seek to posi vely address appropriately-related areas iden fied by the schools. [See below for more detailed informa on about VP and CCS.]

Year 5 & 6 pupils with Hope in the Heart Director Amina Khalid and Geoff Smith (Headteacher and Virtues Project Curriculum Developer Kehelland Primary School, Cornwall)

We will seek to respond to each school’s underlying ethos and current prac ce, working with the systems they already have in place. We will work with the schools to celebrate things they are already doing to help create empathic, compassionate children and environment, while also offering new insights and tools and assis ng each school to develop its own unique path depending on its ini al star ng posi on.

We commit to ensuring that this is a manageable and enjoyable experience for the schools involved and not overly onerous. The school will also receive a resources pack for future use.

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 1.1

Appendix 1: Informa on Overview Circulated to 15 Plymouth Schools For the Par cipants (staff and children): We aim to enable children and staff to be more accep ng (empathy) and provide them with language and skills which encourages them to respond and take ac on (compassion), thus helping to create a self-sustaining cycle which can con nue to enhance par cipants’ lifestyles and the school’s ethos. The programme aims to improve areas such as selfesteem, self-confidence, awareness of self and others, responsibility, resilience, cri cal thinking and conflict Empathy session with yr 5 & 6 children, Kehelland Primary School resolu on.

There are many possible, addi onal benefits extending beyond the life of the project, which we do not have space to expand on in this ini al briefing.

Who it is for: The programme can be delivered to almost any age but for this pilot project we are looking to work with a cohort of 15-20 Year 5 children. The criteria for selec on to be agreed with the school but we would like to encourage a range of abili es and backgrounds.

What is required of the school:  Support from the Headteacher (and member of the Senior Leadership Team, if appropriate).  Registra on with the Charter for Compassion Interna onal and Plymouth’s Compassionate City ini a ve (no costs or mandatory addi onal work involved). Full details will be provided.  A cohort of 15-20 Year 5 children and a designated space to deliver the programme during the Spring Term 2018. (In some cases the review sessions may have to be delivered at the beginning of the Summer Term 2018).  A designated and willing member of staff to accompany and par cipate with the group at all sessions and relevant support workers for any children with addi onal needs.  Agreement from parents, if appropriate.  Opportunity for staff training (this can be delivered to any and all staff, including non-teaching staff and is not just for the staff who are par cipa ng in the programme).  A whole school assembly in the early stages of the project.  Opportuni es for the par cipa ng children and staff to feedback eg in class, assembly, to other classes, etc as appropriate.  A whole-school, celebratory event, such as a special assembly or other suitable occasion.  Commitment to providing baseline and end of project feedback from par cipants, staff and children (and others if appropriate).

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 1.2

Appendix 1: Informa on Overview Circulated to 15 Plymouth Schools

What the programme consists of: Depending on the school’s structure it may be appropriate for the ini al consulta on to be a series of brief mee ngs with different members of staff who have responsibility for specific areas. It is envisaged that the briefing mee ng with the headteacher and the ini al consulta on would take place consecu vely on the same day and can take place at a me to suit the school, including outside the school’s teachingday mes.

Short Briefing Mee ng with Headteacher

Virtues iden1fied by pupils in themselves linked to local community history of 1n mining

Ini al consulta on (with headteacher or iden fied member(s) of the Senior Leadership Team and/or staff) to iden fy:  Baseline informa on already available  Schools perceived needs (strengths and weaknesses)  Relevant “Virtues”  Evalua on criteria (specific to each school)  Criteria for pupil selec on  DraE metable  Venue arrangements  Ini al discussion: community links & celebratory event

Project Delivery Interac%ve assembly so that the whole school are aware of themes and the project being undertaken 4-6 x morning sessions [mee ng weekly] with selected group & designated staff member(s) 2hr staff training session [twilight/pupil-free/or other as selected by school] Review session [up to 2 hours] to create an ac on plan with involved staff (incorpora ng par cipants’ feedback) as soon aEer final teaching session as possible Assembly at Cape Cornwall on empathy with refugees A review mee%ng some weeks later to review the ac on plan and feedback for evalua on report and to assist with future planning, linked to a visit for a celebratory event, eg end of project assembly or other event appropriate for the school’s seGng. Evalua on As this is a pilot project we will be maintaining an on-going record of the sessions and feedback from par cipants and schools, this will include the produc on of a short video and s lls photographs and an evalua on report for circula on by Plymouth City Council. All forms of evalua on and repor ng will be discussed with the Headteacher and/or member of the SLT as appropriate and relevant permissions agreed.

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 1.3

Appendix 1: Informa on Overview Circulated to 15 Plymouth Schools

Addi%onal Informa%on Evalua%on The pilot project aims to evaluate the effect of the project on the lead learners, the wider school and any local community developments and collect feedback about the programme and its delivery.

Le8ers from Winnie Nwekazi Primary School, Soweto to Gulval Primary.

Charter for Compassion and Virtues Project: Further informa on is available on the Virtues Project page on the Hope in the Heart website The Charter for Compassion Educa on Sector page. The CoEd Founda on and a video made a few years ago about the vision of the CoEd Founda on, before the publica on of the book Towards the Compassionate School – all par cipa ng schools will get a copy of this book and a pack of the Virtues Project resource cards.

(Please see separate pdf for a complete list of the virtues covered in the resource cards – the pilot programme will focus on approximately 9 virtues.)

Staff Training There are addi onal training opportuni es for staff who are interested in developing their skills with the Virtues Programme but these are not included in the pilot project.

Two-day empathy-based staff training in The Virtues of Compassion at Nelson Mandela University

Addi%onal informa%on can be found at: hIp://www.hopeintheheart.org/compassionate-plymouth.html hIp://www.hopeintheheart.org/uploads/7/2/0/8/7208374/charter_factsheet3-1.pdf hIps://charterforcompassion.org/charter-for-compassionate-schools hIp://www.hopeintheheart.org/charter-for-compassion.html

To arrange a visit please contact: Bev Smerdon on 07775 602330 or Tam Mar n Fowles on 07792 604132 Or email: empathyinschools@gmail.com Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 1.4

Appendix 2: Schools Informa on Execu ve Summary

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 2.1

Appendix 3: Timeline (PCC Flowchart)

School Based Empathy Programme Provider Hope in the Heart Hope in the Heart is the appointed provider and will take the lead role in relation to all aspects of the programme and the delivery milestones as described below Funding Allocation ÂŁ10,000 Pilot Programme Delivery - Milestones Milestones

Actions

Date

Complete

Agreed to revise the milestone deadline after delays in relation to provider appointment. Agreed a plan of action to target 10 schools with, Engagement with Schools

letters, emails and phone calls to head teachers. Bev will provide narrative, Alan to send letters and E Mails on 5th Jan, Bev to phone and potentially find other avenues into schools. If there was a flyer to

Jan-18

12th Jan

accompany that would be helpful

Site visits

Data, Research, Intelligence, Decision Making

Will follow successful responses from schools. Anticipated early Feb 2018

Feb-18 completed

Alan to provide school ofsted ratings and any other intelligence that we

Dec17/

5th Jan

may have in relation to schools.

Jan18

Learning objectives, design

Completed and forwarded

Feb-18

Apr-18

Delivery Begins, Twilight

See separate spreadsheet with dates, etc. Sessions at 4 schools

sessions, Lead learning

completed.

Feb-18

May-18

Review sessions, Individual school celebrations event

Making film

Evaluation

Review meetings have proved to be somewhat cursory due to other pressures on staff involved. So, a staff focus group meeting has been arranged with the help of Lystra Hadley-Dickinson to be held at Marjon

Ongoing

University on 12th June. Discussions about celebration events ongoing.

We have received a "1st draft version" from Fotonow, which we will bring with us. And we are waiting on a meeting date from them to begin the final "tidying up" process.

Feedback from Ethics Committee (to be discussed on 04.06.18).

Literature review underway, specialist advisers contacted, resource & reading lists underway. Designing staff focus group feedback & compiling assessment materials

Ongoing July 18

Jul-18

Updated following a Steering group meeting on the 12th Dec 2017 - next meeting 8th February 2018.

Updated May 2018 for Meeting with Alan Knott 04.06.18

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 3.1

Appendix 4: Delivery Timetable

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

(see appendix 5 for accompanying notes as numbered)

Appendix 4.1

Appendix 4: Delivery Timetable

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

(see appendix 5 for accompanying notes as numbered)

Appendix 4.2

Appendix 5: Notes on Delivery Timetable EIS progress Chart Additional Notes: 1. Schools #2, 3 and 4 needed a follow up to the initial visit for various reasons.

2. School #2 requested an additional parent’s information session but no parents attended.

3. School #2 required the staff training to be delivered in 3 x 1hr sessions. Schools #1, 3 and 4 were only able to make 1 x 2hr session available.

4. School #1 failed to arrange for us to lead an assembly.

5. School #3 had an Ofsted inspection on the day of the first session and had to replace the classroom teacher with two supply staff, who were very supportive but were not then able to continue with the group.

Several sessions were cancelled or postponed due to other school priorities or commitments (and the snow!).

Filming sessions created additional time pressures.

6. At School #2 the project was reduced to four weeks because of over-running due to snow and other commitments.

7. The review meetings at schools #1 and 3 were very brief and took place during the lunch hour, straight after the final session.

8. School #1 ceased to respond to emails or telephone calls once the delivery phase was completed.

9. HITH staff to provide initial resources and support for ongoing sessions to be delivered by trained staff at school #4.

10. Celebrations at all four schools remain outstanding – to be followed up in the Autumn Term.

11. It became clear that the feedback from the staff was going to be invaluable. At the suggestion of our supervisor we held an additional staff focus group meeting: three staff from schools #2 and 4 were represented on the day.

12. Three schools were due to be represented at the staff focus group but one teacher was unavailable due to sickness so a further 1:1 meeting took place with that teacher later.

13. Participating staff were asked to complete observation forms but these proved to be inconclusive.

14. School #4 paid the additional fee for a member of staff to undergo the full 2-day Virtues Project Mentor training. This teacher has indicated that she would like to become an ambassador for any future developments of the Empathy project.

15. 1 school completed the initial visit phase but we chose not to deliver there as their strict "no phone" policy precluded Tam's use of her iPhone as an ADHD support.

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 5.1

Appendix 6: Brief Session Outlines & Learning Objectives

Session 1: Introductions Brief Session Outline 





Introduce the main components of the programme: o Methods (use of games, art work, drama, creative expression), o Models (Virtues Project & Compassionate City, Ambassadors if appropriate), o Research programme, process and ways of working.

Build rapport with students and staff: o Group cohesion, dynamics and boundaries o Group dynamics Introduce reflection o on interpersonal and intra-personal communication

Learning Objectives       

Participants will have a basic understanding of the scope of the project, including the research aspect and the meaning of empathy.

Participants will explore the concept of choices around behaviour and attitudes specifically linked to bullying and difference.

Participants will be introduced to the international compassion movement and the Compassionate Plymouth network.

Participants will take part in confidence-building games and exercises.

Participants will gain an initial understanding of the principles of the first strategy of the Virtues Project.

Participants will reflect on feelings and emotions.

Participants will be encouraged to model and share aspects of what they are learning within their school/family/community.

Session 2 - Exploring Diversity: Virtues, Difference, British Values Brief Session Outline  

  

Practice using the virtues model and cards Difference and bullying o Exploration and Reflection o Identifying “missing” values Neuro-diversity (Famous people who didn’t get on at school!)

Connecting with British values Linking British values and difference

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 6.1

Appendix 6: Brief Session Outlines & Learning Objectives

(Session 2 Continued) Learning Objectives   

  

  

Participants will be able to communicate their understanding of the concepts underpinning the Virtues Project using the “mining” metaphor.

Participants will deepen their understanding about virtues through activities requiring them to use the Language of Virtues.

Participants will practice new ways of communicating and practice using the first strategy of the Virtues Project, namely the Language of Virtues, through giving and receiving virtues in the directed manner, recorded on their "medallions".

Participants will observe and notice the actions of their peers, looking for positive qualities (virtues).

Participants will begin to observe and notice their own actions, the virtues they use, and which virtues could be applied or strengthened in different situations.

Participants will discuss their understanding and experiences of "differentness" through provided case studies and sharing examples from their own lives (nonmandatory).

Participants will explore these examples in the context of empathy, imagining how it might feel to experience "differentness" in various contexts.

Participants will explore ways in which they might use virtues to support and celebrate diversity, stand up to bullying etc.

Participants will demonstrate virtues such as empathy, courage, honesty, openness compassion and justice in small-group communication about diversity.

Session 3 - Developing Empathic Responses: Compassionate City, Charter for Compassion International & Community Links Brief Session Outline    

Consolidating the virtues model Developing empathy in the classroom [Victor Frankl – choices] o Empathy Champions or “Buddies”??

Identifying existing community links Introducing Charter for Compassion [link back to British Values] o school’s link to  Welcoming City  Charter for Compassion  Other schools in Plymouth, UK & overseas  Community links

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 6.2

Appendix 6: Brief Session Outlines & Learning Objectives

(Session 3 Continued) Learning Objectives 

Participants will understand the basic concepts underpinning the Charter for Compassion International and the school and the city’s links with the Charter for Compassion.



Participants will recognise and understand the links between the Charter for Compassion, the Virtues and British Values.

Participants will recognise the responsibilities that accompany becoming a compassionate school and how the empathy programme has prepared them for this.

 

Participants will begin to reflect on their place in this and consider the impact this could have for themselves and their school.



Participants will have an increased and more practical understanding of British Values in this context.



Participants will engage in an activity which enables them to connect with CCI and explore their response to the project.

Session 4: Review (part 1) Brief Session Outline This session is led by the participating teacher and teaching assistants who have attended the Empathy in Schools sessions. This is the opportunity for the participating members of staff to take “ownership” for the programme in this school or identify others who might.

Children are given opportunities to review what they have accomplished, learned or experienced and look at ways of maintaining the programme in their school (if they want to). Sample lesson plan is provided (there is 1 mandatory activity required for the project evaluation and teachers may use as many or as few of the remaining suggestions as they want).

Learning Objectives (led by in-house staff – so these objectives can only be “advisable”)   

Participants will be involved in activities which enable them to reflect and consolidate their learning so far.

Participants will explore ideas for the continuation of the project’s development in their school (and community, if appropriate).

Participants will prepare feedback/presentations to the course facilitators for session 5.

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 6.3

Appendix 6: Brief Session Outlines & Learning Objectives

Session 5: Review (part )

Evaluating and Collecting Feedback

Brief Session Outline To be fitted in between plenty of games:    

Present feedback from previous week to Tam/Bev Presentations – a work in progress: time to practice Cocktail Party? – Final consolidation of virtues??

Discuss Action Plan – explain process, agree when Tam &/or Bev will be returning. o Ideas for the classrooms, e.g. virtues notice board, etc

Learning Objectives  

 

Participants will deliver small group presentations, feeding back their learning to staff and rest of the class.

Participants will take part in a series of small group activities enabling them to reflect and record their learning on the programmes themes, [Virtues, Compassion/Empathy, British Values and dealing with difference (including bullying)] Participants will put forward ideas and discuss suggestions to be included in the school’s action plan. [subject to time constraints] Participants may begin to design ways to continue the project’s development in their school (and, if appropriate, the local community).

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 6.4

Appendix 7: Charter for Compassionate Schools

Sign the Charter for Compassionate Schools

Join a global movement to bring compassion to our schools!

We—the students, teachers, staff, and parents of (named place of learning) declare our shared commitment to the following principles, and pledge to hold ourselves and one another accountable to their realiza!on.

We recognize that every person shares a common humanity capable both of happiness and suffering.

We pledge in our words and ac!ons to treat everyone in this school community as we would wish to be treated, to help those around us who are in need, and to make amends when we cause another pain.

We recognize that we are a school with different abili es, body sizes, races, religions, classes, gender iden es and sexual orienta ons. We pledge to step into the shoes of others and see how things look from their point of view, especially when we disagree or find ourselves in conflict.

We recognize that intolerance and hatred cause suffering and that that when we stand by doing nothing, or laugh or post comments online when others bully, we contribute to the problem. We pledge to stand up to bullying and make this a school where everyone belongs.

In signing, we commit to prac!ce the values in this Charter within our school community; in our daily interac!ons, whether teacher-to-teacher, teacher-to-student, or student-to-student; and in the projects we undertake within our community and in the world.

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 7.1

Appendix 8: Action Planning Ideas

Ideas for Further Developments of the Empathy Project

Action Planning session with students and staff: School #1

             

Have posters put up around the school.

Invite Tam & Bev to come in every now and again.

Certificates for empathy saying the “right thing” people did.

Persuade people to be empathetic.

Write letters to people about how good the project is.

Have more people in the group.

Video role-plays and the group demonstrating how to use virtues to solve problems.

People can video other people using the Virtues.

In the playground: respect, be kind, etc (be a role model). If you see someone not using the virtues go and teach, help or encourage them: be mediators.

Show medallions and tell people what they are for.

Have a virtue of the week with certificates showing the virtue Use the superheroes worksheet.

Make a video and write short stories for the younger children.

Have a virtue of the week - certificates for excellence and a “Board of Honour”.

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 8.1

Appendix 8: Action Planning Ideas Action Planning session with students and staff: School #2:           

Make virtues up for our school.

Put them around the school.

Award prizes in a reward assembly.

Tell people/peers what virtues they have and why.

Virtues Day – Achievement Day A focus virtue for the day A Virtues Day for the schools involved and meet them.

A Virtues Day as part of transitions for year 6.

House Points Special recognition award Shown on the school website.

Possibilities for the Action Plan (Review meeting with teacher): 

     

A Virtue focus for the week [similar/linked to “word of the week”] Decide on the virtues for our school – use during ‘Building blocks’ Linked into House Points system [awarded by staff and students] Develop cross-curricular projects incorporating the Virtues & the Charter for Compassion.

Create a display board.

Virtues Day – Achievement Day A piece on the school website, with a link to the school’s page on the Charter for Compassion website.

Meet other schools who have done it or circulate info/put in touch with each other.

Celebration event: Spirited Arts day workshop [peace theme section] tbc

Action Planning session with students and staff did not take place at school #3 due to extenuating factors at the final session.

Possibilities for the Action Plan (At review meeting with teacher): School #3   

Children lead a whole-school assembly Meet with other schools who participated in the project Children share their learning with younger year groups

Action Planning session with students and staff: School #4 The cohort did not reach this phase but alternative actions were agreed with the class teacher who will continue with delivery in the Autumn Term, 2018.

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 8.2

Appendix 9: Questions 1-6

Staff Focus Group Questionnaire School 2

Children were made aware of the needs of others.

Good - we managed to pick children who were more able to explore their emotions and more 'in touch'

How could that have been improved?

More fun activities as a tutor group to bond, less wordy, more Role play ideas hands-on

5

2

How do you feel the programme met the outcomes?

increased the understanding of others and their own worth

4

Suggestions about how these things could be addressed in schools

regular assemblies and it's on our reward system and our word of the week

5

How well did it work? (score)

6

4

un d

er st an

em

ot io na l

ha vi ou So ci al

de

at tit u

4

an d

an d

be

4 4 4 3 Children were aware of the needs of others with different faiths backgrounds. They were impressed with and used the virtues cards

0

3

It's too early to say, with the stage we are at school with the project Fun activities, stories, role play, colouring

4

5

m m un i ty

m m un ity co

co

un d

er st an

em

4.5

4

ot io na l

ha vi ou be

an d

an d

3

So ci al

de

Outcomes* Outcomes

di ng co di m ff m va un lu i ty es co m m un i ty co m m un i ty

Short - term benefit for some, better understanding,less bullying, some bonding based on interests

r

How did that work out for groups/individuals?

di ng co di m ff m va un lu i ty es co m m un i ty co m m un i ty co m m un i ty at tit ud e an d be So ha ci vi al ou an r d e m un ot de io rs na ta l nd i n co g di m ff m va un lu i ty es co m m un i ty

How were participants selected?

Based on new tutor groups from May half term & teacher who wanted to run it.

at tit u

2

School 4

Half of the children found appreciating the views of others difficult

r

1

School 3

Poor social skills, little bonding, a tutor group, more understanding of differences

3

What worked

Fun and visual activities

What didn't work

virtues cards

Too much drawing (expected as providers didn't know academic levels)

unexpected outcomes

yes bonding more

Some children withdrew - felt uncomforable to come to terms Lots of emotional trauma coming out from child's past with their feelings

Like to see it done differently

not evaluating every lesson/visit

Story time, group discussions An outside leader coming in to deliver the sessions

What impact has the project made?

On the Students

Able to talk about feelings, getting on with others by knowing Children are more aware of the importance of positivity them more, using new vocabulary

Too early

On you

As a school and a person we use empathy everyday but its also good to see students getting on more.

made me aware of virtues

Much more aware of empathy needs and areas of development for schools

On the school

Same as b

Children shared ideas!

Too early

On the wider community

N/A

Some parents said sibling relationships had improved.

Children tried to be nice to their brothers/sisters

Too early

Score Key*

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

1=V/Unsat

2=Unsat

3= OK

4=Good

5=V Good

0= N/A

Appendix 9.1

11

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project Score Key*

9 Additional resources or methods New games, new cards called values, active, hands on, arty, less discussion

10 Should a compassionate city be promoted Yes

How could it be promoted?

Incorporated or linked to other projects related to promoting mental health

Yes

1=V/Unsat 2=Unsat

Yes Yes Yes

3= OK

Yes

4=Good

Yes

5=V Good

Yes

ro om

5

as s

5

io n

g

0 0

5 0

0 0

0

g

4 4

te llin

0 0

or y

oj ec

Pr

oj ec t ar t co e r m for pa e m ss ot ion io na ll ite di ra ffe cy b u re n c lly e in a co g nd nf id en ce bu m ild in in df g ul ne ss

rtu es ch

Vi

School 3

St

gr ou p/ pa tis irs tic w or re k fle ct Le io tte n rw rit in g pr ob le m so lv G in am g es Ar

al l

us s

te llin

3 1

cl

Sm

4

is c

D

4

un ity

4

4 4

m m

4

4 4

co

oo ls

3

sc h

4

4 4

or y

4 4

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Appendix 9: Questions 7-11

Staff Focus Group Questionnaire Cont.

School 4

5 5

4

More active strategies to engage 'boyish boys' e.g. sport

Yes

To help ITT students with positivity!

0= N/A

Appendix 9.2

5

Appendix 10: SWOT Analysis (Teachers) Strengths:  Allows children a safe space to explore emo onal issues.  Changes in children’s a tudes.  Children given opportuni es to think, reflect and consider their feelings and challenged to come to terms with their own behaviours.  Empathy under the umbrella of mental health too.

Strengths and weaknesses (overlap):

Weaknesses:

 Fun ac vi es

 Some of the delivery to staff and students.

 Different emphasis on topics [in SEN] to mainstream schools.

 Too wordy

 The opportunity to reflect and face their behaviour was difficult for some of the children.

 Virtues not values.

 Targe ng of boys could have different resources

 Too much evalua on for SEN.

 Delivery of staff training.  Concern that the results may be misleading from the children's self-evalua ons.  Charter for Compassion too emphasized only suitable for adults.

 Bev with students

 Lack of coopera on from other staff members to roll out.

 Delivery

 Time management would need to be reconsidered (whole morning session was too long for some of the children). Shorter sessions might have worked be0er with reflec ve tasks for the children to do before the next session. Also follow-up tasks le1 for teachers. (although it was also pointed out that, in general, class follow-up wasn’t possible because it was not being rolled out to the whole class or year group).

 Good responses from children

Opportuni es:

Threats:

 Global links.

 Not using a consistent language across schools

 Links with other schools.

 This school wouldn’t be able to take it on because we already have the BLP “Learning behaviours” embedded and this was introducing a different language [eg collabora on vs coopera on]

 Mee ng other schools.

 The cards weren’t that important – the children “knew” these words and are encouraged to use posi ve language in school in general.

 Make virtues cards more child friendly eg values (at the moment too wordy)

 Clarity with religion

 Champions >us [staff] to deliver??

 This project ‘pushed out’ due to other ‘more important’ curriculum demands.

 Gave children opportuni es to talk about how they feel about themselves and the wider world.

 There is so much schools are expected to fit in and make space in the curriculum for, unless it is a #1 priority it won’t be a driver. It could be #4 or #5 in the list but because of the pressures from everything else it will never get to the top or even high enough to be implemented. Unless something happens, which means we have to go into “firefigh ng” mode and then something will be brought in.

 Good opportunity for confidence building – the children enjoyed sharing with another year group and in leading an assembly.

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

 People not using values.  School counselling funding cut?? (appeared to be happening during the term with no prior no ce for children or staff??).

Appendix 10.1

Appendix 11: SWOT Analysis (Facilitators) Strengths:

Strengths and weaknesses (overlap):

Weaknesses:

 The Virtues Project and Charter for Compassion: Interna onally recognised products, with proven track record, plus many other relevant resources.

 Flexibility: We were able to make the delivery responsive: Developing/changing the programme as we went (this would not have been possible in a stricter research se6ng).

This also meant the findings between the different schools are not comparable or robust

 Lack of cohesive data-collec on/evidence gathering (various methods and resources tried).

 A wealth of experience and ideas from Bev and Tam.  Good rapport with Alan Kno& (PCC officer -steering group).  Strong staff members suppor ng the project during delivery.  Introduced the project to a good number of staff.

 Most schools were unable to fulfil all the ini al criteria.  Lack of school-based input into original design of the tender outline.  Ini al delay in start date and difficulty in communica ng with schools prior to selec on  Challenges of developing a completely new programme and simultaneously finding ways to evaluate it.

 Children were engaged and enthusias c at all schools.  Staff involved were able to iden fy, and were impressed with, changes seen.

 Not sufficiently prepared for level of emo onal response from some children.

 Children and staff were keen to take the ethos of the programme forward in their schools.

 Didn’t draw on sufficiently wide range of delivery methods and resources available.

 A wealth of great ideas about ways to con nue the programme in their school.

 Lack of availability of steering group  Target schools iden fied as 90%+ white Bri sh

 Great results in engaging children with Bri sh Values.

 Unable to gage interest from Headteachers (other priori es).

 Range of addi onal materials & resources iden fied.

 Communica on and connec on with the two PCCs have not always been strong.

 Produc on of 5-minute film.

 HITH delivered significant addi onal hours beyond our ini al commitment (some of that because of ini al delay).  Insufficient funding for appropriate level of staff training.

Opportuni es: Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Threats: Appendix 11.1

Appendix 11: SWOT Analysis (Facilitators) Strengths:

Strengths and weaknesses (overlap):

Weaknesses:

Opportuni es:

Threats:

 Take this forward as part of Compassionate Plymouth city ini a ve, and a model for compassionate educa on in the UK.

 Staff training had to be rushed due to availability of staff, and behaviour of some staff was poor.

 Training staff in schools and teacher training.

 Community links with schools were not forthcoming.

 Future research project with Marjon.

 Schools not quite understanding the Virtues due to minimal training and lack of take-up on VP mentor training (eg 1 school deciding to call them “Values”).

 Press involvement to highlight this achievement and publicise poten al.  Virtues Project training for school, City Council and other One Plymouth professionals.  Research and develop further links with:  Organisa ons delivering other PSHE/RE/Bri sh Values/mental health educa on in schools (Develop a cohesive “kite mark” baseline?)  Local school support services, eg Parent/Family Support/Ed psych’s  schools in other parts of the world via CCI (Mayflower project?)  Other areas of the curriculum (and the outdoors?)  schools in Compassionate Communi es in other parts of the UK  Other empathy/compassionate developments (educa onal, mental health, social jus ce,etc)  Host a ‘Compassion in Educa on’ conference with speakers from beyond Plymouth.  Undertake Market Research, as an opportunity to promote and respond

 Schools may lose interest/not keep up momentum if not followed up (just seen as one of many such topics to be cked off a list)  Pressure from other ‘curriculum demands’ & higher priori es: a hierarchy of subjects?  Loss of momentum and opportunity to be UK “first” for Compassionate Charter, if not immediately followed up  Lack of communica on between PCC depts (possibility of overlap with other projects?) This could dilute the impact.  Lack of sustainable funding

 Trial alterna ve ways of delivering “empathy”  Offer of a teacher “ambassador” to promote to other schools.

 Business Model may need to be created for the longterm survival of this work.

 Iden fy specialist design for ways to evaluate and assess.  Hope in the Heart has commitments to other projects.  Bri sh Values: research apparent lack of other interac ve resources.  Hope in the Heart will look to expand its capacity to con nue this work.  Recent announcements about funding for “mental health” in schools.

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 11.2

Appendix 12: Virtues: The Gi s of Character

Empathy in Schools Pilot Project

Appendix 12.1