Schools that are using Working With Others have taken a positive step to look at and improve the way in which the whole staff team - from the headteacher to mealtime supervisors – help pupils to learn more effectively and gain effective skills for life.

Working With Others introduces pupils to an emotional vocabulary that results in them respecting and valuing themselves and each other and modifying their behaviour accordingly, so that they:

• take ownership of their learning
• increase their ability to problem solve
• identify the practical and responsible strategies they can adopt for problem solving
• improve self esteem, confidence and inclusion
• understand and adopt positive key life skills
• take responsibility for themselves and each other
• realise that what they say and do makes a difference to them and others around them

As a result, the school experiences:

• Better relationships among pupils - which means more responsive, confident, independent learners, switched on to going to school and learning with a positive attitude
• Improved classroom, playground and social behaviour
• Calmer classrooms so that the teacher can spend time on teaching rather than ‘crowd control’
• Children who are happy to mix and work with each other
• Positive role modelling, from the increased opportunities that pupils have to learn from each other
• Pupils improving their learning when they are actively engaged and involved in collaborative group tasks
• Increased pupil respect and sensitivity to each other, which extends to the playground and other social settings
• Far fewer instances of bullying
• Conflict resolution – pupils become able to problem solve and focus on finding solutions together without adult support

Ofsted reports on schools that participate in Working With Others schools are consistently positive and regularly comment on the significant contribution that Working With Others has made to the quality of learning and atmosphere of the school. (see Ofsted Quotes)

Other schools applying the Working With Others approach have received Gold Healthy School Awards as part of another important national initiative.

Working With Others helps schools to achieve many of the other Government social initiatives and helps staff teams to work together more effectively.