Teachers TV: Circle of Friends - Ben

Successful inclusion strategies aim to promote the social and emotional wellbeing of SEN pupils. Such children are more likely to be bullied than their non-disabled peers and schools now have a duty of care, enshrined in law. Isolation and low self-esteem create barriers to learning and these programmes aim to show how these inclusive solutions can benefit the whole class. Some schools use peer support systems and train their buddies according to their function; to help manage conflict, to play with or befriend pupils at break times, to help a pupil to access an activity they could not access without help, and also to help manage bullying within school. This programme examines the planning and implementation of one system and follows the buddies as they offer peer support. These methods have been shown to increase self-esteem, reduce bullying and raise levels of attainment in both SEN children and their peers.