Promoting staff support in schools: Solution Circles

Abstract

The Solution Circle (SC) approach is a flexible tool which encourages participants to maintain a positive, creative approach to problem-solving. This project focussed on the introduction of this approach to staff in a primary and a secondary school. The rationale was to implement a problem-solving/discussion tool that would allow staff to utilise expertise present within the school before looking to outside agencies for support. In both schools staff participants reported positively about the process, highlighting its potential use to promote the inclusion of pupils with a wide range of needs.

Keywords:

• Solution Circle
• staff support group
• peer support

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to the staff of the primary and secondary schools for their enthusiasm and dedication to this project. They would further like to thank their training supervisors, within Aberdeen City Educational Psychology Service, Aberdeenshire Educational Psychology Service, and at the University of Strathclyde.