EBO – Enhancing Brain Organisation
The innovative neurodevelopmental program.
Are there children in your school who struggle with learning to read, write, listen or with getting started on an activity? Are there some whose speed of processing and attention-span affect their learning? Or, who find it difficult to be still, relate to others, communicate or co-operate? Do their problems with keeping up in class show as avoidance behaviour, frustration, refusal, meltdown, aggression or withdrawal?
It would be unusual if your answer to these questions is “no”!
These challenges are just some of the features of an immature brain and there are many more.
EBO for Schools is here to help.
What is EBO for Schools?
It’s a program of highly specific, energetic activities that tackle these challenges, not only improving the child’s physical co-ordination, balance and team-related skills, but also helping learning, behaviour and well-being.
Highly visual, EBO uses a motivating on-line video-game presentation. Activities are taught through visual demonstration by the characters, ideal for children who are visual learners or have language or auditory challenges.
Children are engaged in an exciting story line via a sequence of short game-style videos, leading them to sets of physical activities, as they become part of the developing game scenario. These energetic and fun activities are specifically designed to address the developmental issues outlined above, through short daily sessions, delivered over a minimum of two terms.
Many activities are carried out in a team structure and teachers are actively involved, including scoring team progress, in real time and awarding virtual medals.
Children and teachers love it! But it’s much more than just energetic and fun.
Covid-19 : This program can fit the current “bubble” organisation in schools. Slightly modified activities are available where needed.
How does it work?
EBO works at the foundation level of human neurodevelopment to enhance a child’s learning capability and improve wellbeing. It releases them to be able to generalise and apply their learning, and make real progress in the future.
Our expertise lies in enabling children with challenges to life and learning to overcome developmental disadvantages and succeed. Many have developmental diagnoses such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia, but many more have no diagnosis.
Teachers have always known that a long break of 6 weeks over the summer impacts negatively on the learning and related development of some children, especially the more vulnerable ones. The current Covid-19 situation, has greatly exacerbated these problems as the attainment gap grows. EBO for Schools has been created to inspire, excite and motivate these children and provide a vehicle for change.
PE and Sport Premium
If you are looking for something new to fulfil the requirements of the PE and Sport Premium for your primary aged pupils and to fully engage them at an appropriate developmental level, we are pleased to tell you that the physically active EBO for Schools program fulfils the requirements for this funding.
The bonus is that it is an energetic program that not only provides neurodevelopmental changes that enhance physical abilities, but is primarily designed to benefit the children’s learning, behaviour and well-being!
So it’s applicable to the requirements of Pupil Premium funding too.
It’s about helping the whole child to thrive. They love it!
Access for anyone, anywhere, anytime.
We have now fulfilled our mission to extend availability of our program to many more children with developmental issues, in all schools.
To find out more about the start of our neuro-developmental program for schools, view where it all began to see some of the research results shown by National Data from early studies.
Which children can benefit from the Program?
EBO is designed for whole-class use in primary schools. Many of our schools have used it very successfully with nurture groups and children with identified special needs, often focussing on those with formal developmental diagnoses of conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia.
EBO can help children with issues, but no formal diagnosis to enhance their learning capability and general development and enrich their whole life.
Specialist schools using EBO see major changes, such as their non-verbal children spontaneously beginning to communicate as reported in this video.
EBO for Schools – Program Structure
A: Staff training videos are an important element of the program, ideal for whole-staff training. These videos cover:
- Why children behave as they do.
- EBO for Schools training.
B: An illustrated and informative Teacher’s Manual is provided, to support teaching and learning, and to enhance each teacher’s observation and teaching skills.
Each teacher or HLTA is fully supported in this way.
C: The Program Delivery
The digital format (videos and interactive scoreboards)
- Introductory video (10 minutes)
- Classroom activities
- Levels 1-4
- Level 5, Competitive Level
The classroom activities and levels each take a minimum of 4 weeks. The program is streamed for viewing and, after the classroom activities, take part in the school hall or similar space.
A few minutes of video develop each step in the storyline and support the learning of each physical activity within each of the levels. All are carefully designed to achieve neurodevelopmental progress, motivating the children through the use of the creative story-line and character development and real-time game scoring and virtual medals.
The partner and team activities encourage collaboration. Impressive teamwork has been observed and teachers report that their class works increasingly co-operatively, with greater awareness of others and more considerate behaviour at all times.
Rising incidence of neurodevelopmental-related issues.
A 2012 study revealed that 1 in 16 of children in the UK have a diagnosed disability, over half of these being neurodevelopmental (Jones, L, 2012). Diagnoses of Autism, ADHD, ADD, dyslexia and other developmental disorders have been reported to show steady increases above this level.
Many teachers will be well aware of the rising numbers of children who experience neurodevelopmental-related issues, often without formal diagnosis.
It is even more worrying that this trend is worldwide. For example, in the United States, 1 in 6 children were diagnosed with a developmental disability in 2005. The overall trend increased by 6–15% each year from 2002 to 2010. (pediatrics.aap publications, 2011) and continues to rise.
As the numbers rise, there is a growing need for intervention and the EBO for Schools program has been designed to help meet this need. The program can begin at any time, although the start of term is most popular. It’s your choice, so you have the flexibility at your fingertips that is needed in these uncertain times.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (A.C.E.).
Most teachers will know about A.C.E. and its impacts, but may be uncertain what to do about it. Adverse childhood experiences are now acknowledged as brain changing and the specific physical activities inherent in the BrainChild Developmental Program and EBO for Schools program are designed to help alleviate such changes.
The program works to help the brain recover from the impact of very early adverse experiences. It is particularly relevant for looked-after and adopted children, but a surprisingly large number of children can be affected by other experiences dating as far back as pregnancy, the birth process or early management, which may have remained unrecognised.
They need specific help. Teachers can spot them. EBO is designed to help them.
What next?
We are happy to speak on the phone or provide a Zoom webinar/ meeting for the key staff in your school, to answer any questions and help you understand more about EBO for Schools. Please use our contact us page to arrange a day and time at your convenience for a call or meeting.
You may wish to invite representatives from other schools near you to benefit from our current group discount offer of 20% per school for groups of 3 schools or more.
We will be happy to answer your questions and we look forward to speaking with you.
Change your children’s challenges into an opportunity.
Feedback from participating schools:
Y5 teacher in an area of high deprivation:
“This has been great for my group”
EBO seemed a good opportunity for everyone to be ‘good’ at something and make progress. An activity we could all start together and work as a team on – outside the academic curriculum, but to support our learning.
It’s good fun. It was an opportunity for less academic children to shine. I was particularly pleased early on when everyone joined in ‘Yummy Pizza’. We’ve talked a lot about Y5 being a time for new things, joining in and sometimes having to be brave and just give it a go. We’ve even said it’s ok to feel uncomfortable when you try something new. EBO has been a great opportunity to talk about how we approach new things – how we learn.”
Y3 Teacher: “Thoroughly enjoying all activities. All exercises went well.”
Using the Teacher’s manual.
The classroom activities: The pictures in the manual made it easy to introduce the activities. It is very clear. On the first two days, I just had the instructions in front of me.
After a few sessions the children were beginning to remember the sequence and needed little instruction. The ball activity was great to use before handwriting activities and as a brain break half way through the afternoon.”
Y2 teacher:
“It could make a difference for so many children.”