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 strategy is making things worse. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll explore the difference between sounding calm and helping a pupil feel understood. Through a familiar classroom scenario, you’ll hear how well-intentioned responses can add pressure, and why showing some emotion can sometimes communicate more empathy than a perfectly soothi...
Sep 27
18 min
If pupils are marked present, but still spend large parts of the school day hiding in the toilets, wandering corridors or visiting the medical room – have you solved your internal truancy problem, or just moved it somewhere else? In this episode, you’ll learn about emotionally based internal truancy, or EBIT - an informal way of thinking about pupils who make it into school but struggle to access the classroom. You’ll discover how to balance safe toilet access with clear expectations around l...
Sep 20
17 min
Have you ever taught a pupil who produces excellent work most of the time, but becomes overwhelmed, angry or tearful after making one tiny mistake? Perfectionism can look like a positive quality from the outside, yet it may be hiding intense anxiety underneath. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll learn why some perfectionist pupils are more vulnerable to dysregulation and how to distinguish healthy high standards from a fear-driven need to avoid mistakes. You’ll also discover ...
Sep 13
23 min
Why do some pupils smile, deny what happened, blame someone else or become angry when they're challenged about their behaviour? Sometimes, what looks like defiance or a lack of remorse may actually be a defence against shame. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you'll learn: - The important difference between guilt and shame - and why it matters for behaviour - Why shame doesn't always look like shame, and can sometimes appear as smiling, blame, denial or aggression - How shame can c...
Sep 6
25 min
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 this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll learn why asking for help can feel threatening for some pupils and the hidden coping strategies they use instead - from copying others’ work to trying to become invisible in the classroom. You’ll also discover the simple SAFE approach for understanding why pupils stay silent, and how the PAIN Framework can he...
Aug 30
16 min
The final week of term should feel positive - but when routines disappear, emotions rise and pupils realise the year is ending, behaviour can quickly start to unravel. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll learn how to keep the end of term calm, structured and meaningful without removing all the fun. We’ll look at why pupils often become silly, emotional or unsettled before the holidays, how to balance high-energy activities with calm “landing” tasks, and how to help children lo...
Jul 12
24 min
School leaders are facing increasingly complex SEMH needs, rising pressure around behaviour and inclusion, and more uncertainty about what effective support should look like in practice. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll hear what schools are telling us right now about SEMH leadership, why it can feel so difficult, and what leaders need in order to move forward confidently with SEMH and behaviour. You’ll also find out about Beacon School Support’s first National SEMH Confere...
Jul 5
19 min
Some behaviour problems don’t start with defiance, disruption or poor emotional control. They actually start when pupils use relationships to humiliate or exclude another child in their friendship group. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll discover how Relational Aggression affects pupils in both primary and secondary schools, why it’s so easy for adults to miss and how it can drive anxiety, dysregulation and sudden changes in behaviour. You’ll also find out how the PAIN Frame...
Jun 28
25 min
Have you noticed some pupils seem more anxious, avoidant or dysregulated at this time of year - even when nothing obvious has changed in the classroom? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll learn why exams, transition days, new classes, secondary transfer and end-of-year changes can increase anxiety for pupils. You’ll discover why some children aren’t just reacting to what’s happening now - they’re reacting to what they think is coming next. Plus we’ll look at how anticipatory a...
Jun 21
28 min
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 repeated issues that drain everyone’s attention, patience and energy. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, we look at why some classes feel so difficult to manage, how problematic routines can create hidden workload for teachers and pupils, and why simply telling pupils what to do once is rarely enough. You’ll discover why children don’t always transfer ...
Jun 14
24 min
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