Supporting every child

How to use this short course

Allow about 20 minutes for reading, the scenario, reflection and knowledge check. This is internal new-starter awareness training for an after-school setting. It does not replace specialist qualifications, the longer DASC courses, required employment checks or local practical induction. Local policy and the arrangements confirmed by your manager determine how you carry out your role. Examples are illustrative; no example name is an operational contact.

Read the sections in order, discuss anything unclear and complete the six-question assessment. You need at least 80% and your own declaration for a dated module completion. The whole pathway is not complete until all six modules and a separate manager practical sign-off are recorded.

Begin with relationships and dignity

Children need adults who are consistent, respectful and interested in them. Learn names and how each child communicates. Explain routines clearly, notice effort and model the behaviour you want to see. Be fair without assuming that fairness always means treating everyone identically. A child may need a quieter space, a visual prompt, more processing time or a different way to take part.

Do not use humiliation, discriminatory language, threats or public comparisons to control behaviour. A child's behaviour may communicate distress, fatigue, sensory overload, unmet needs or difficulty understanding a request. Check the context before making assumptions about motivation. Do not label a child as “bad” or diagnose them from a single incident.

Understand individual support arrangements

Before working with a child who needs particular support, the responsible lead should explain the relevant individual plan and your role. Share information securely and only as needed. Ask how the child expresses distress, what helps them, what risks are known and who to contact when support is not working. Do not rely on an old label or another parent's opinion.

Work with the setting's special educational needs and disability arrangements, family input and relevant professional advice through the appropriate lead. A new staff member should raise observations and questions, not independently promise a diagnosis, service or change to a support plan. Protect the child's privacy while ensuring the adults providing care have the information they need.

Help children participate

Plan activities with meaningful choices and accessible resources. Consider communication, physical access, sensory demands, language, interests and cultural or religious needs. Check that a child can take part rather than simply be present. Avoid unnecessary separation or assumptions that a disabled child cannot join an activity. Agree reasonable adjustments and risk controls with the responsible lead.

Explain expectations positively and in ways children can understand. Give time to respond. Support friendships, turn-taking and repair after a disagreement. Respond to bullying and discriminatory teasing promptly: stop harm, support the child, record and escalate under policy, and follow up. Calling it “banter” does not remove its impact.

Distress, conflict and immediate safety

When a child is upset, keep your tone calm, reduce unnecessary demands and offer safe choices or support in line with their plan. Avoid an audience and ask a trained colleague for help before the situation escalates. Other children may also need reassurance and supervision. Do not abandon the wider group to deal with a single incident alone.

Physical intervention is not a routine punishment or a technique to learn from this short course. Seek trained assistance and follow the setting's policy within lawful, necessary and proportionate limits. Do not use a method seen online or attempt an unfamiliar hold. Report and record any intervention or injury promptly and involve the responsible lead. This module does not confer a physical-intervention qualification or authorisation.

Record, reflect and hand over

Record observable events and the support offered, not insults or assumptions about the family. Note relevant triggers and successful approaches so the responsible lead can review the plan. Explain what needs follow-up at handover and use approved communication routes for parents. Sensitive discussion should not take place in front of other children or families.

After a difficult incident, seek a constructive debrief. Reflection should identify what can change in the environment, communication or support, while preserving the child's dignity and the factual record. If you are uncertain, ask; silently repeating an approach that causes distress is not good induction practice.

Practise a realistic situation

A child covers their ears during a noisy group game and refuses to join. Another child makes a mocking comment. A colleague suggests that everyone must participate in the same way.

Explain how you stop the unkind behaviour, check what support the distressed child needs and offer an appropriate alternative. Describe who you would consult about the individual plan and what factual observations you would hand over. You should not diagnose the child, exclude them automatically or promise that a particular adjustment will solve every future situation.

Local practical follow-up

Review relevant individual plans securely with the responsible lead. Rehearse adapting one activity, offering a calm choice and making a factual behaviour handover; identify when to seek trained help.

Use the actual current arrangements for your setting, not a remembered contact or a fictional scenario. Tell the manager if you need more practice, an accessible format or support with language or reading. Any unresolved issue should be supported and recorded rather than hidden by ticking a box.

Continue your learning

• Full course: behaviour management positive relationships
• Full course: special educational needs disabilities
• Full course: equality diversity inclusion belonging

Completing this short module records only this module. It does not mark any linked full course as completed. Full training and refresher requirements remain separate.

Guidance and local policy

This awareness module is informed by the Department for Education's Out-of-school settings: safeguarding guidance for providers, updated 9 February 2026. It is guidance, not a claim that every statutory provision applies identically to every setting. The manager must confirm the framework relevant to the provision, children's ages and your duties, including any applicable EYFS requirements. Use the setting's current safeguarding, conduct, supervision, health and information-handling procedures alongside this module.