Our Vision:

• People with learning disabilities and/or autistic people (and their families and carers) have a good quality of life wherever they attend school and after their school career has ended.
• Staff across educational settings are well-prepared, well-supported, and skilled in meeting individual needs. They are inspired to remain in the sector, supported by opportunities for professional development and strong, capable leadership.
• Education settings foster curiosity around behaviours of concern, build empathy through trauma-informed practice, and co-produce inclusive approaches using Total Communication strategies.
• Reductions in restrictive practices are supported by proactive, capable environments and evidenced through robust self-evaluation and data collection.

Our Purpose:

To develop and promote a shared understanding of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and support education settings—including specialist, mainstream, pupil referral units and colleges—to embed PBS organically through their self-evaluation processes.

We aim to enhance PBS implementation across the UK education sector by connecting with commissioners, inspectors, and practitioners to achieve systemic improvement.

Our Scope:

• Focus on learners with learning disabilities and/or autism, including those whose behaviour may challenge services and those with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.
• Support schools, colleges, specialist settings, and multi-disciplinary professionals across the UK.
• Enhance leadership, workforce skills, and practice across education settings.
  Promote collaboration with UK and international partners to build a strong evidence base.
• Facilitate contributions to journals such as the International Journal of PBS and support the development of a UK PBS Education Settings Conference.

Please note: Direct support for parents is outside the scope of this community of practice.

Our Activities:

• Provide tools and mechanisms for self-evaluation and continuous improvement in educational settings.
• Share information and good practice via online platforms such as LinkedIn and termly webinars.
• Develop and disseminate PBS resources tailored to education.
• Facilitate practice sharing through papers, journals, and conference presentations.
• Establish and maintain an annual PBS in Education Settings Conference.
• Collaborate with other PBS Alliance communities and external bodies to respond to policy, legislation, and consultation processes.
• Support the work of the Restraint Reduction Network (RRN) and initiatives to reduce restrictive practices.
• Foster cross-sector collaboration and act as a collective voice for education settings committed to PBS.

Get Involved

We welcome all education settings that are planning or currently implementing a PBS framework.

For more information or to join the community of practice, please contact:  [email protected]