Social worker pioneers a scheme to cut exclusions

An innovative programme of school intervention that has slashed a school’s exclusion numbers and was devised by a social worker is to go nationwide.

Rachel Bramble has been using her Aspirations, Encouragement, Realism and Openess (Aero) model for nearly three years in a school in Staffordshire. During the period, exclusions dropped from 251 to six.

Along with fellow social worker Gill Davies, Bramble is preparing to launch a social enterprise in November that will take the method to other schools in the country. It is hoped sponsorship deals will cover the costs.

The model is used with students who are experiencing emotional, behavioural or performance difficulties and focuses on key words and personality traits that are discussed to find causes and solutions to problems.

A recent evaluation of the method undertaken by Professor Mark Doel of Sheffield Hallam University said: “It is successful in engaging a broad range of young people experiencing a wide variety of problems.

“It was found to increase young people’s self-knowledge, encouraged a release of feelings that had been pent up and helped young people to make plans and carry them through.”

The method has attracted interest from the government’s social work taskforce member Professor Sue White, who is due to visit Wolgarston High School where Bramble works.

“We can’t wait for children to be referred to child and adolescent mental health services because they have to wait six months to be seen,” explained Bramble. “I can see children in crisis on the day.”