My name is Clair Garstang
Behaviour Support Assistant with the Coastal Collective
My name is Clair Garstang and I am a Behaviour Support Assistant with The Coastal Collective. I live in Lytham St Annes with my family and little dog Albie. I have three lovely daughters who attend schools in the FY8 area. We enjoy spending time in the Lake District and going for walks on the beach with Albie.
Since graduating with a degree in Childhood and Youth Studies from Edge Hill University in 2013 and have worked with challenging behaviors in many settings. For the last 4 years I have worked as a behaviour assistant in a busy Blackpool primary school with children of all ages. Before that, I worked in a primary school in Bolton developing and delivering the intervention program. Just after graduating I worked in a busy youth club in Bolton working with children across the borough to develop life skills.
I have been trained in Team Teach techniques for de-escalation of extreme behavior and strategies to help manage challenging behavior daily. I have also trained in trauma informed practice, mental health first aid and delivering EHA meetings. I have recently completed a level 2 certificate in Understanding Autism.
I have spent time in all the FY8 primary schools to understand the ethos and values of each of them. I have found this very beneficial when developing individual positive behaviour plans for children. Over the last school year I have worked with children on an individual or group basis to deliver interventions dealing with anger management, Self-esteem and self-awareness, social skills, friendships amongst others. I have used the Talkabout For Children programme and Lego Based Therapy as well as developing tailored interventions for individual children based on their needs as identified by the class teachers. I have also worked closely with children who struggle with school avoidance, helping children get into school safely and developing a soft landing system.