Norfolk "Step On" Training

A blog post from Josée Lewis.

Last week, James and I trekked out of the Norwich office, through the wonders of the A11 upgrades that our teachers and support staff have become all too familiar with, down to Wymondham Rugby Club for two days.

We weren’t there to score tries, however; we were there with Headteachers, Deputy Headteachers, SENDCos and other senior leadership staff, from primary, secondary, SEND and independent schools, to learn how to train our teachers and support staff in the Norfolk Steps “Step On” approach to behaviour support and de-escalation.

​(Above) Josée and James at the two days of training with the Norfolk County Council.

For me, it was a pleasant return to my roots. As a teacher, I had undertaken both Step On, and its more physically-focussed sibling, Step Up training. Now, I was sat with those responsible for providing that training to their staff, and learning how to lead it myself. To sit with senior leaders across Norfolk (and Suffolk!) and look at the training components from a trainer’s perspective – “What would be most beneficial to our teachers and support staff?” “Which areas most impact our staff, and what support can we provide?” “How does the supply experience match – and vary – that of a permanent member of staff?” was a new experience! There was also an element of looking back at my own cover days and thinking “What parts of this training do I wishI had had when I was working on supply?”

What was also useful was attending the training with James; our Deputy Branch Manager and one of our Secondary Consultants. While I sat comfortably amongst the “EHCPs”, “PEXs”, “CPOMSes”, “CYPs” and other abbreviations in our group conversations, James was navigating his way through the shorthand lexicon of education – some more familiar or more readily guessable than others. James has a wealth of experience supporting our schools and of helping his own children through their school lives, but has spent a lot less time in the Bromcom, Pupil Asset, SIMS (etc.) mazes than I have!

This broader view was invaluable – while our Step Teachers Step On training will be being delivered to experienced teachers, it’s also being provided to our newer teaching support staff, some of whom have limited classroom experience beyond their own schooling. James’ take on the activities, elements of training and which were most enlightening and thought-provoking were useful as we came together to look at the elements we intend to include in our Step Teachers Step On programme.

This was particularly helpful because the two days were jam-packed with information and activities spanning everything from factors that behaviours build on, to data collection and utilisation, to non-restrictive interventions and beyond. With so many aspects incorporated into Step On, it has been a challenge to narrow the topics we’re covering down to being deliverable in a standard day!

Our Step On journey at Step Teachers began with a conversation, as so much of our work does. A single well-placed question led to a fantastic conversation with the Norfolk Steps team at Norfolk County Council, and it is truly exciting to be part of the team bringing this training to supply staff for the very first time. We could not ask for more active, engaged partners in this process; Vicki, Lianne and Richard have been so welcoming and jumped in with both feet, working with us to make Step On training accessible to both cover and permanent staff.

With our first Step Teachers Step On session booked for 22nd December, James and I cannot wait to welcome our first cohort of teachers and support staff. We hope that it will benefit those who attend, the schools they work with, and the children they teach and support. Our goal is for there to be a time where all Step Teachers cover staff are trained in Step On, and with our planned half-termly training schedule, we’re starting that journey now. We can’t wait for our cover staff to step aboard and join the ride!

- Josée Lewis, Education Recruitment Consultant in East Anglia