Optimising Team Dynamics in a Secondary SEN School

  Context: The Challenge Facing Schools Supporting Students with SEN

Schools across the UK are increasingly faced with the challenge of supporting students with complex social, emotional, and sensory needs. Many of these students, especially those at risk of exclusion, struggle with behavioral issues and difficulties in social engagement. These challenges are often compounded by staff feeling underprepared to handle the dynamics that arise, leading to a reactive rather than proactive approach in addressing conflicts.

The consequences for schools are significant:

• Teacher burnout and a sense of inadequacy in addressing student needs
• Disruptions to learning for both students and their peers
• Difficult relationships between students and staff
• A culture of constant crisis, with staff struggling to manage escalating issue

Introducing the Team and the Pilot Project

In a bid to address these challenges, we worked with a group of teachers and support staff from a secondary school that works with students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and behavioral challenges. This pilot project aimed to optimise team dynamics and improve the way staff members collaborated to support students with complex needs.

The team was tasked with supporting students with a focus on providing conflict resolution strategies and improving communication. To achieve this, we utilised Mindsight and TeamSight, AI-powered tools designed to provide insights into the individual strengths, sensory needs, and personalities of each team member.

Mindsight for Personal Reflection:

Each member of the team completed a Mindsight assessment, which generated a personalised profile based on one of 16 animal archetypes. These profiles provided team members with a deep understanding of their own personality traits, sensory preferences, and emotional responses. This self-awareness empowered each individual to reflect on their behaviors, particularly in stressful or conflict-ridden situations.

TeamSight for Enhanced Collaboration:

With the insights from Mindsight, the team moved to TeamSight, a tool that helped us understand how different personalities could work together. By leveraging TeamSight, the training could be tailored to suit the unique profiles of each team member. This personalised approach further enabled the pairing of individuals with complementary traits, ensuring they could collaborate effectively during the training and beyond.

The key areas addressed with TeamSight included:

Identifying natural roles within teams (e.g., leader, mediator, implementer)

Understanding how the team handles internal disagreements

Enhancing communication styles and ensuring alignment in team interactions

Providing insights into emotional resilience and de-escalation strategies

Animal Profiles for Easy Discussion:

To facilitate communication, each participant was assigned an animal profile(e.g., Cheetah, Owl, Tiger). This made it easier for team members to discuss their strengths and challenges openly. They could relate to the profiles, using them as shorthand to describe their reactions and preferences in both personal and professional settings.

The benefits were felt not just by the team but also by the students they supported. With better communication, more harmonious team dynamics, and enhanced conflict resolution strategies, the team was able to handle student issues more effectively, reducing stress for both staff and students.

The Benefits for All

For the Trainer:
The trainer found the Mindsight and TeamSight insights invaluable in personalising the training. By understanding each participant’s strengths, communication styles, and potential challenges, the trainer could offer more tailored guidance and ensure that each team member felt empowered to contribute to the training process.

For the Participants:

The participants reported feeling more connected to their team members and more confident in their ability to manage conflicts. They appreciated the opportunity to reflect on their own strengths and develop new strategies for dealing with stress and disagreement. The animal profiles provided a fun and accessible way to discuss complex issues and helped foster a culture of empathy and understanding.

For the Senior Leadership Team (SLT):

The insights provided by Mindsight and TeamSight also proved invaluable to the Senior Leadership Team. With a comprehensive overview of each staff member's strengths, weaknesses, and potential areas for growth, the SLT was able to structure teams more effectively. This enhanced ability to align tasks with individual capabilities allowed for more efficient task management and improved outcomes across the school. 

Furthermore, the SLT gained a clearer understanding of staff development needs, enabling them to implement more targeted career planning and professional development opportunities, essential for staff retention. By leveraging these insights, the SLT could foster a culture of continuous growth, ensuring staff were supported in their development while optimising team performance for the benefit of students. This holistic approach not only improved staff morale but also helped streamline processes, making the overall school environment more collaborative, efficient, and responsive.

Conclusion: Building Stronger Teams, Supporting Stronger Students

This pilot project demonstrates how AI-driven insights can empower both educators and support staff to work more effectively as a team. By understanding each other’s personalities and emotional needs, the team was able to collaborate more effectively and respond to student issues in a proactive, thoughtful manner.

As one participant noted, “I feel like I now know how to communicate with my colleagues in a way that makes us all feel supported and understood. It’s changed the way we work together and made conflict resolution so much easier.”

Through Mindsight and TeamSight, we were able to create a more resilient, self-aware team that was better equipped to support students with SEN. This case study highlights the importance of fostering collaboration, empathy, and understanding within teams, ensuring that educators are not just managing conflicts, but preventing them from arising in the first place. With the right tools and insights, teams can shift from reactive crisis management to proactive, positive engagement, making a lasting impact on both staff and students alike.