North Hill House

BENiE - Behaviour Exchange Network in Europe, is a European special educational needs partnership project formed under Comenius. The partner schools, from Germany, Finland, Hungary, Belgium and North Hill House the UK formed the network in order to further develop best practice in the management of challenging behaviour in schools.

Using our combined experience of working with young people who have special educational needs, we are exploring practical ways in which our knowledge can be transferred and disseminated locally so as to effect a real change in students' behaviour and thus to improve their future outcomes. Through BENiE we intend to develop more effective ways of working with behaviour issues through connections and exchange, comparison, and reflection in practice, using the wealth and richness of our different cultural, and historical contexts as a positive resource.

The aims of BENiE are: " To effect a positive change in the management of poor pupil behaviour through sharing best practice. " To develop and enhance behavioural intervention strategies in partner schools. " To recognise and embrace the strength and diversity of our cultural and local methodologies in behavioural management using them as the foundation for positive change in schools. " To contribute to the continuing professional development of teachers and other professionals within schools. " To create effective pan-European partnerships to network and share practice. " To develop ideas, strategies and interventions through discussion and practical school projects publicised on the BENiE website: www.europa-benie.de " To distribute a bank of resources resulting from the project to schools, local partners and other professional institutions So far there have been four meetings where projects have been developed and are being implemented in school. These have included: " A 'free to talk' group where pupils can discuss in confidence any issues that concern them, consequences of actions and ways to react or manage them differently next time. Boys are encouraged to support and help each other during the group session and outside during school time. " 'Steps for Success' has helped pupils manage their targets more effectively by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable stages. " 'Informus' provides a way of communicating information about issues that might occur at home that could affect pupils' behaviour in school. By having this information easier, staff are able to pre-empt difficulties and hopefully prevent them becoming an issue.