Book of the Month March 2017 - The Attachment Aware School Series

This month we asked a group of teachers to review of Louise Bomber’s new series of books The Attachment Aware School Series.
  

The Key Adult in School
 
Excellent, readable and concise. This book will help key adults to understand the best way to support a pupil with relational trauma. Practical advice is provided on how the key adult can fulfil this role. Louise Bomber emphasizes the need for a pupil to feel secure in school through developing a positive relationship with a trusted adult who can act as an anchor to steady their journey.
 
This book confirmed a lot of what I have learned from working with looked after children. When I speak to a young person who has done well in education, they can always name specific adults who has made a difference by helping them overcome barriers in education. Many of these young people do not respond well to a behavioural interventions and need a relational approach. The use of regular, formal or informal, one to one check-ins are invaluable.  I think it is also important that Louise Bomber emphasizes the importance of the team around the child so that the responsibility does not lie with one person. Louise Bomber’s book is an excellent resource. I agreed with everything. My only concern is that schools will say they do not have sufficient resources. Bomber’s approach does involve a substantial shift from the behaviourist approach which is still the mainstay in most schools.
 
 
The Team Pupil in School
 
As LAC (Looked After Children) teacher working across a number of schools, both primary and secondary, I am involved with children from a wide variety of backgrounds with complex issues.
 
The Team Pupil aims to achieve better outcomes for children through showing how support can be coordinated so that everyone works from the same hymn sheet.
 
This book provides accessible diagrams, evidence from a variety of case studies, a useful glossary, and many strategies. It can also help me in my role of advising schools. It gives insight into the difficulties pupils face and ideas for staff training. I recommend this book to anyone who is working with children, but especially those supporting children with attachment issues.
 
 
The Key Teacher in School
 
The layout of this book is similar to a pocket-size travel guide and each chapter is carefully laid out with a colour coded summary of the key points.
 
Louise Bomber encourages the concept of working as part of team to support developmentally traumatised children in order for them to thrive in education. Bomber clearly defines the principal role of the class teacher as an educator who, using their understanding of attachment and trauma, adapts the curriculum and environment to support the learning needs of the pupil. Bomber offers suggestions about how this can be done. The pupil is viewed developmentally and the relationship between the teacher and the pupil is key to the pupil’s success in education.
 
One section of the book outlines the differences between attachment awareness practice and a behavioural management approach. Bomber encourages the use of a PACE approach to manage challenging situations and the use of “I wonder…” or “I have noticed that … ”. There are also exercises for the teacher to develop their own self-awareness.
 
I found this book was easy to read and I liked that each chapter was short and precise. It is written more in the style of brief notes but includes references to other books and websites within the main body of the text.
 

The Parent and Carer in School
 
An invaluable pocket guide for parents and carers. It gives practical strategies on how to work and collaborate with school staff, what to expect from the school, and the kind of support a parent or carer can provide at home. The final chapter helps parents and carers reflect on how they can meet their child's needs.
 
​
The Senior Manager in School
 
I read this book after coming back from a meeting about a little girl who was struggling in school with the effects of past trauma. I could see how much the head teacher cared, and I could empathize as she struggled with the complexity of the issues. I wish I could have shared The Senior Manager in School with her.  It would have answered many questions about the young person’s behaviour. It would also have helped the head teacher understand her role in supporting the team of key adults around the young person.
 
Bomber clearly articulates the aims and responsibilities of the senior manager. For example, to select appropriate support staff to take on the role of Key Adult. She has practical suggestions regarding staff care, and there is good advice on including the anxious parent.
 
I would recommend this book because Louise Bomber understands trauma and attachment, and she understands the needs of schools and the complexities of classrooms and challenges teachers face. It is both informed and practical.
 
The support teachers for looked after children.
Inclusion Base, North Lanarkshire