Story Links: Working with Parents of Pupils at Risk of Exclusion

Tuesday 18^th November 2008 from 4.00 to 6.00pm

This seminar will present an overview of the Story Links model which uses therapeutic storywriting to engage parents of pupils (6-11yr) at risk of exclusion in supporting their child’s emotional well-being and reading skills. For many of these pupils emotional anxiety in school can be related to attachment difficulties with their parents or carers and these anxieties will often impact on their engagement with educational tasks. The presentation will draw on research and case studies to illustrate how the Story Links intervention uses parent partnership to support both the behaviour and learning of some of the most vulnerable pupils in our schools.

Trisha Waters

Trisha is senior lecturer in Special Educational Needs at the University of Chichester where she is currently leading the Story Links Project: Working with Parents of Pupils at Risk of Exclusion (funded by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and the TDA). She also teaches SEN modules on the University’s MA(Ed) programme, has published many articles in the field of therapeutic teaching and led the SERSEN Therapeutic Storywriting research project. Trisha has a background teaching in both special and mainstream schools and has also worked as an educational therapist for many years. She is author of Therapeutic Storywriting (publ. David Fulton, 2004) and director of the Centre for Therapeutic Storywriting.