Communication and Professional Relationships with Children

1. How to interact with and respond to children and young people.

1.1

In order to establish respectful and professional relationships with children we must firstly try to remember childrens names and how to pronounce them. A lot of modern names are spelled very differently and I feel it is very important to children that we use them correctly. We have a child in school whose name is ‘Maya’ it is pronounced exactly as it is spelled however she is often called ‘Mia’ ...this is not her name.

It is also important, that we remain approachable and that we listen to all children regardless of how long it may take for them to ‘get to the point’. A parent of a child in Year 4 recently came into school as she was worried that her daughter was being bullied over tuck shop money. I talked to the child and explained that not only was I there to help with her work in class, but also that she could come and talk to me if she was worried about anything at all. The child opened up and the problem was resolved. We must always allow children to explain themselves and never jump to conclusions. We must try not to interrupt them as it is important for them to be allowed to have their say.

We must also ensure that we treat all children the same, regardless of race, ability, background, religion etc. It is important to remain non judgemental at all times. I work with a wide range of abilities in one class alone, I always make sure that I treat the children exactly the same.

1.2

When working with children it is important that we behave appropriately for their stage of development. Very young children may want to sit on our knees or may want a cuddle when they are injured, ill or upset. It is important that we follow the schools policies and procedures for any physical interaction.

We must not shout, we do not want the child to be afraid of us. It would be very easy to scare a child at this stage. We have a child in reception who is very timid, it is imperative that we try to make him feel as settled, safe and happy as possible. We must make sure we come down to a young childs level when talking to them, give them plenty of eye contact and smile to reassure them. As the children get older the need for cuddles gets less, I currently work in year 4 and we still have a few children who ask for cuddles, again it is important to follow school procedures. Later it becomes more important to listen to the children until they are happy they have gotten their point across, we should avoid interrupting them. We must also think about language. When communicating with a reception age child our language should be different to when we are talking to a Year 6 child.

1.3

When dealing with disagreements between children it is important that we do not take sides. We must remain calm and also try to calm the children if they are shouting or crying. Once the children are calm we would then get each side of the story one at a time. Depending on the child’s age or stage of development I may ask them if they can think of a way to resolve the situation themselves. Often this has worked, for example two boys in reception had a disagreement over who was playing with a truck first. In the end they decided themselves that they could both play with the truck by pushing to each other. Often, especially with older children, by discussing the situation, they may actually realise where the problem lies themselves. We often need to act as a mediator. Again I would always follow the school's behaviour policy.

1.4

It is important that our own behaviour models the expected behaviour of the children, for example if the children see us remaining calm in a difficult situation, they too are more likely to stay calm. If a child hears us being rude to another child or adult they will think that is acceptable behaviour. If we shout they will shout back. We have a ‘no shouting policy’ for both children and adults in school.

2. How to interact with and respond to adults.

2.1

Establishing respectful, professional relationships with adults is very important as it will help to keep a good working environment for staff and pupils alike. I always ensure that I am respectful and courteous at all times. I value others adults expertise across the school, this includes Admin staff, lunchtime staff, cleaners and site manager as well as teaching support staff and teachers. I know the difference between personal and professional relationships and I know the importance of keeping these separate, even though I am good friends with a number of members of staff. I am aware of the importance of communication between staff and of my role with regard to talking to parents. I know that I must pass certain queries about a child to teachers or SLT.

2.2

As members of staff in schools we are role models to children, it is therefore very important that we conduct ourselves in a professional manner. I always show respect for my colleagues regardless of any disagreements we may have. The children would easily pick up on any kind of negative behaviour and could copy that behaviour, believing it to be appropriate. Any disagreements with staff or other adults within school are always taken away from children and talked over in the staff room or after school hours.

3.Know how to communicate with children, young people and adults

3.1

The way we communicate with children across our school differs from Nursery and Reception to Year 6. When talking to young children I always make sure I speak slowly and use basic language which I know they will understand. I always ask them if they have understood and am always prepared to repeat myself if necessary. I also understand that it may take some time for them to tell me something. Further up the school the children begin to understand bigger words and I can communicate more quickly. They still take a long time to get their point across sometimes. When communicating with KS2 children it is usually not necessary to repeat myself often but I still need to make sure the children have understood. It is important across all ages that I listen carefully and always face the child when talking to them.

3.2

How we communicate with Children and how we communicate with adults are often similar. However there are some differences. Our relationships with children will always be formal in school no matter if we also know them outside of school.

We will probably only communicate with children verbally, however there are other ways we are likely to communicate with adults. I often communicate with using methods like email, texts, telephone and memos.

It is unlikely that, when communicating with adults we should need to repeat ourselves often. This is very likely when talking to children, especially younger ones.

As mentioned in 3.1 we must always think about the childs stage of development when communicating with them. Using basic language and speaking clearly and slowly. This will not be the case with adults. However we would have to adapt our way of communicating to adults with, for example a hearing impairment.

3.3

Sometimes we may come across difficulties in communication. These can include things like language barriers, speech impairment, hearing impairment, dyslexia and lack of confidence.

3.4

It is often easy to adapt our way of communicating for example, for a person with a hearing impairment it may be enough to ensure we face them and speak clearly and slowly. We may need to use non verbal communication instead. When communicating with a person with a speech impairment we will need to spend more time listening to them and perhaps lip reading so facing them again is important.

In more extreme cases for example when communicating with someone who does not speak english, we may need to use an interpreter.

People with certain disabilities may prefer to use computer and other non verbal ways of communicating.

3.5

When dealing with a disagreement between practitioner and a child it is essential that we stay calm and do not raise our voices. We should allow the child to have their say, however it is important that we make sure they know the boundaries. Try to find a middle ground where everyone wins

When dealing with a disagreement between practitioner and adult it is also important to stay calm and to avoid raising our voices. The conversation should be taken away from the earshot of children. We should not get personal or offensive and should respect the adults point of view. If necessary bring in a third adult as a mediator. As mentioned above try to find a middle ground.

When dealing with any disagreements with either children or adults, we must always follow schools policies and procedures.