Co-regulation: Why Speaking Calmly Can Make Things Worse
Ever used your calmest voice with an upset pupil, only to find it winds them up even more? You’re trying to help, but somehow your calming s...
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School Behaviour Secrets with Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton
Are you a teacher, a SENCo or a school leader?Want research-backed strategies for supporting students who find it hard to manage their emotions or behaviour? Want practical ways of supportin...
Episodes
20 of 287 episodesWhy Locking School Toilets Won’t Stop Internal Truancy
If pupils are marked present, but still spend large parts of the school day hiding in the toilets, wandering corridors or visiting the medic...
Why Tiny Mistakes Trigger Big Reactions
Have you ever taught a pupil who produces excellent work most of the time, but becomes overwhelmed, angry or tearful after making one tiny m...
When Shame Looks Like Defiance
Why do some pupils smile, deny what happened, blame someone else or become angry when they're challenged about their behaviour? Sometimes, w...
Why Some Pupils Never Ask For Help
Some pupils never put their hand up. They never admit they’re stuck. But then they fall behind while everyone assumes they’re coping. In thi...
How To Keep The End Of Term Sane
The final week of term should feel positive - but when routines disappear, emotions rise and pupils realise the year is ending, behaviour ca...
What School Leaders Need To Know About SEMH Right Now
School leaders are facing increasingly complex SEMH needs, rising pressure around behaviour and inclusion, and more uncertainty about what e...
When Pupils Use Friendships As A Weapon
Some behaviour problems don’t start with defiance, disruption or poor emotional control. They actually start when pupils use relationships t...
How To Support Pupils Who Are Anxious
Have you noticed some pupils seem more anxious, avoidant or dysregulated at this time of year - even when nothing obvious has changed in the...
Teaching A Tricky Class? This Is The First Thing To Fix
Got a tricky class that feels harder to teach than it should? Sometimes the problem isn’t one big behaviour issue - it’s the smaller repeate...
Why Some Pupils Fall Apart After Lunch - And What Schools Can Do
Have you ever had a pupil come back from lunch looking fine - only to refuse work, argue, shout or completely fall apart minutes later? In t...
When Behaviour Strategies Work… But Make Things Worse
Have you ever used a behaviour strategy that worked brilliantly in the moment - only to find the same behaviour came back again the next day...
Are We Mistaking Compliance For Regulation? (And Why It Matters)
Are the quiet, compliant pupils in your classroom genuinely regulated - or just holding everything together? In this episode of School Behav...
Why Pupils Say “I Don’t Care” - And What To Do Next
What should you do when a pupil looks you in the eye, shrugs and says, “I don’t care”? It’s one of those classroom moments that can easily p...
When Behaviour Seems To Come Out Of Nowhere: Understanding Stress Stacking
When a pupil explodes over something small, it can look like their behaviour came out of nowhere. But what if that “tiny trigger” wasn’t rea...
The Hidden Causes of Attention-Seeking Behaviour
Why do so many sensible school strategies fail, even when staff are trying their best? In this episode, you’ll learn why attention-seeking b...
Why Good School Strategies Fail - And How To Fix Them
Why do so many sensible school strategies fail, even when staff are trying their best? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, we explo...
How Executive Function Can Trigger Student Dysregulation
What if a pupil’s dysregulation isn’t just about behaviour - but about hidden executive function demands they can’t yet manage? In this epis...
SEND Reform Is Coming: What It Means For Behaviour And SEMH In Schools
The government’s new SEND reform paper proposes major changes to how schools support pupils with additional needs. But what does it actually...
Why The Students Who Need Your Help the Most Are the Ones Who Reject It (Understanding Avoidant Attachment)
Some of the pupils who need the most support are the ones who refuse it. They say they’re fine. They push adults away. They avoid check-ins,...