Supporting the emotional regulation of pupils with complex needs: What type of primary school intervention is most effective and what are the challenges of implementation and evaluation as a teacher-researcher?

Early intervention is key to the prevention of childhood mental health difficulties continuing into adulthood. As a result, the role of a primary school teacher is key to the identification of vulnerable children, as well as the provision of appropriate intervention for pupils.

This study looked into effective intervention strategies for the emotional regulation of children with complex needs within a primary school in an urban area of the UK. A targeted intervention was delivered in collaboration with a children’s theatre director that resulted in a comic strip that was designed by, and featured target pupils. This comic strip then formed the basis for universal intervention in which the target pupils also took part.

The findings suggest that the most effective programmes were delivered on a long-term basis integrating both targeted and universal interventions and utilised a collaborative and creative approach. There were a number of challenges faced by the school in the implementation and evaluation of the intervention however, including the hostile school environment, poor pupil conduct as well as demographic complexities. Furthermore, accountability and funding pressures had a considerable influence on the intervention and data quality. The researcher makes a series of suggestions as to how these potential barriers can be negated for future research, policy and classroom practice. The dual role of teacher-researcher was also seen to present challenges to research integrity, as a result of time and accountability pressures, as well as excessive workload. The study concludes that only through Local Authority funding for the purposes of school-based research can these difficulties be alleviated.