As UK cities burn and our youths run riot some UK schools ARE bucking the trend and successfully developing outstanding student role models.
Whilst so many people are starting to think that the youth of today is lost without a trace and that heavy hitting measures are the only option; there are many UK schools that are changing things by putting students emotional and social needs at the centre of their whole learning experience.
Their answer is easy, it is cheap and 3% of our schools have already started to use it and see amazing results.
Schools like Leeds West Academy, St Andrews CofE First School in Worcestershire and Boundary Primary School in Blackpool are using a innovative tool called Packtypes and operating on the principle that if you make a child self-aware and give them balanced self-esteem and strong relationship skills they make good life decisions for themselves and usually ‘choose’ to learn as opposed to feeling cajoled to learn. It is about values, understanding the importance of diversity and above all self respect and respect for others. Things that were very clearly lacking in the young people we saw rampaging last week.
They’ve also worked out that if you want curious, self-aware kids, you need curious, self-aware teachers and so they are proactively developing the personal and social awareness of their staff to enable them to pass on the most important values to their young people.
Since 2009 Packtypes has been used by around a 1000 schools (3% of all UK schools) to develop social and emotional intelligence in both students and staff. This includes 700 primary schools, 220 secondary schools and around 80 special needs schools.
1 in 34 UK headteachers now uses Packtypes to enhance self-awareness, self-esteem, relationship and leadership skills at their school.
1 in 25 UK pupils attends a school where Packtypes is being used to develop personal responsibility and confidence.
Comments from schools
"As soon as I saw Packtypes in action I could see the potential impact for all members of our school organisation. A simple, concise, practical activity which has the ability to empower individuals with an immediate understanding of who they are, how they are perceived by others and what they can do to develop their impact in all aspects of their life. It achieves, in moments, the jaw-dropping impact of total self-awareness which some children, and adults, never quite fully achieve. We are about to undertake training to use this across our school with staff, governors, children and parents - and I am very excited about how Packtypes will bring us all together and help us focus tightly on our core business.”
David Coache, Headteacher, St Andrews Church of England First School, Hampton, Worcestershire
"Packtypes is an engaging and fun tool which gets to the heart of issues about behaviours without being critical or judgemental."
Annette Hall , Principal, Leeds West Academy
“Using Packtypes I’ve learnt to reflect on my own behaviour in different situations and how I can respond to gain a better outcome and have more proactive relationships.”
Teacher feedback, Highfurlong School, Blackpool
"Since implementing Packtypes we've seen improvements in everything that requires teamwork and children that were isolated are now being brought into things more."
Sara Raymond, Castle Hill Primary School, Gloucestershire
"Developing staff and pupils through Packtypes training must be the top of every excellent schools agenda."
Jacqui Le Maitre, Executive Headteacher, Worcestershire
Comments from Packtypes
Commenting on the role of headteachers in creating a UK that we all want to live in; Will Murray, Founder of Packtypes Education said this morning:
“The differences in awareness and attitude amongst UK headteachers towards emotional and social needs is astonishing; some are utterly switched on whilst others seem oblivious and uninterested. The smartest heads know all about individual learning styles, emotional and multiple intelligence, self-esteem and self-awareness. They help young people believe in themselves, teach them the value of teamwork and community and then get on with the learning. The difference in effectiveness between emotionally intelligent schools and the rest has to be seen to be believed. Given what is happening in our cities we urgently need to increase the emotional intelligence of all our schools.”
Will Murray, Founder of Packtypes Education
Former headteacher and professional rugby player and now Packtypes Schools Director, Chris Raymond today commented:
“As a professional sportsman and as a primary school head I intuitively practiced the concepts of emotional intelligence but since taking on the role of Schools Director at Packtypes I have had an extraordinary opportunity to work alongside literally hundreds of different headteachers developing emotional intelligence in schools. What I have seen has changed the whole way I think about schools and learning. If you want to see the difference emotional intelligence makes to a school and to students, come and visit some of the schools we are working with and you will see the difference for yourself.”
Chris Raymond, Packtypes Schools Director
Notes for editors
1. Packtypes® and Packtypes®Life are published by Friendly Publishing, Blackminster Business Park, Evesham, WR11 7RE
2. Packtypes is based on proven Jungian psychology that also underpins less fun and less accessible types of psychometric testing such as Myers Briggs, Belbin and Disc.
3. The professional version of Packtypes, Packtypes Discovery, has been used in the UK for nearly 5 years to develop EQ in adults and children.
4. Psychologists now believe that our emotional intelligence (or EQ) has more influence on how successful we are than our IQ. Good EQ is often the elusive, can’t-quite-put-your finger-on-it secret ingredient of successful careers, long lasting relationships, general health and happiness.
5. Scientific research on how the brain works has shown that the formation of emotional skills is far easier in the formative years between birth and late teens.
6. More information is available from the Packtypes web site www.packtypes.com
7. Press enquiries should be directed to Hayley Jopson at hayley@packtypes.com or telephone 01386 831770.
Packtypes, Blackminster Business Park, Blackminster, Worcestershire WR11 7RE tel: 01386 831770
twitter: @packtypes @packtypeslife www.packtypes.com