Self-Harm and Eating Disorders in Schools. Pooky Knightsmith

      Even if you are unaware of any current issues amongst the students in the class you’ll be teaching, prepare the lesson on the basis that there is at least one student who will be affected by the lesson content. Think carefully about how to make the lesson safe for that student – this will help to ensure it is safe for everyone.

      3. Think about ground rules

      You may already have well-established ground rules for teaching sensitive topics. If so, revisit them and consider which ones need re-emphasizing for today’s lesson. If you don’t have existing ground rules then a good start to your lesson can be to work with your students to develop a code of practice for this and similar lessons.

      4. Consider likely questions/misconceptions

      Help yourself to be as prepared as possible for unexpected questions by thinking through the types of questions students might come up with and thinking about how you might best answer them. Think about rumours you’ve heard going around school or recent headlines which might prompt discussions. There will always be questions you can’t answer – and it’s fine to say you’ll answer them next time – but the more you can think through possible scenarios that will arise during the lesson, the more confident you’ll feel teaching the topic.

      5. Give students the chance to submit questions

      Setting up an ‘ask it basket’ or anonymous question box ahead of the lesson can give students the chance to raise any questions or issues they’d like discussed in the lesson. This can be a great way for you to ensure that the lesson is shaped by students’ interests and needs and can minimize the number of difficult questions you receive during the course of the lesson. This system can also prompt any vulnerable students to ask you to discuss any issues which are causing them particular distress or concern.

      ‘I put a note in the box for the teacher asking her to discuss the fact that self-harm and suicide were very different because I knew this was something my friends didn’t understand and it was a big barrier to me being able to talk to them about my problems.’

      6. Distance the learning

      Protect vulnerable individuals by depersonalizing learning using puppets, case studies or role plays.

      7. Locate sources of school, local and national support

      A key outcome of your lesson can be to ensure that students leave with the knowledge they need to seek further information and support for personal concerns or worries they may have about a friend. In order to provide the best and most relevant advice you’ll need to do a little homework to ascertain what support is available at school and how it’s accessed and to locate local sources of support. Often there are charities or support groups that function in the local area but may not be available nationally. Additionally, you can highlight helplines, websites and forums – these can often be a good entry point for students preparing to share their difficulties with a trusted adult but who first require the anonymity and confidentiality that is offered by many helplines and online support forums. These services will often offer sound advice and guidance to concerned friends too.

      8. Tell relevant staff you’ll be covering this topic

      Before you teach a lesson about self-harm or eating disorders, make sure you alert other members of staff, as your lesson is very likely to trigger disclosures and staff need to know how to respond supportively and act in line with the school’s policies and procedures. Holding a brief training session for staff about how to handle disclosures is an excellent idea ahead of teaching this type of lesson, if time and budget will allow. It can also be helpful to communicate with parents so that they are in a position to offer any support needed to their child.

      9. Review lesson content to ‘first do no harm’

      Once you’ve prepared your lesson plan, review your material critically and consider whether any of it is likely to be triggering or upsetting for any member of the class. Remember that your key aims are to support students in developing the skills, knowledge, confidence and language they need to keep themselves and their friends safe.

      Ending the lesson

      It is worth considering how best to finish a lesson of this nature, which can be emotionally exhausting for both students and teacher. Students need to leave the lesson ready to continue with a busy school day. Giving students the opportunity to reflect on their learning and revisit the learning outcomes can prove reassuring as long as it is not rushed. It’s also important to ensure that you reinforce messages about where and how to seek support if needed. Building in a brief more light-hearted activity at the very end of the lesson can be a good way to change the class atmosphere so that students are ready for their next lesson. Where timetabling allows, teaching this type of lesson immediately before a break/recess can work very well, and enables the teacher to remain behind to discuss any immediate concerns brought forward by individuals.

      LEARNING TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS CHAPTER

      •Teaching students about self-harm and eating disorders can help to raise awareness and improve understanding, and can be used as an opportunity to highlight sources of support.

      •Teaching about self-harm and eating disorders is likely to result in more students coming forward about their concerns. Staff need to be prepared to handle these disclosures.

      •It is important to agree and implement ground rules when teaching about these topics in order to keep students safe.

      THINGS TO DO

      •Incorporate teaching about self-harm and eating disorders into your curriculum.

      •Identify sources of school, local and national support for self-harm and eating disorders and signpost these for students.

      •Follow the teaching checklist at the end of this chapter when preparing lessons which feature self-harm or eating disorders.