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 pull adults into a power battle. But while they sound disrespectful or deliberately provocative - what if those three words are not the whole story? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, we explore what pupils might really be communicating when they say, “I don’t care,” why taking the words at face value can lead us in the wrong direction, and what to ...
May 10, 2026•22 min•Season 1Ep. 275
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 really the cause - just the final bit of pressure they could no longer cope with? In this episode, you’ll learn how stress stacking affects dysregulated behaviour, why looking for one simple trigger can lead schools down the wrong path, and how to ask better questions after an incident so support is matched to the pupil’s real needs. You’ll also hear a practica...
May 03, 2026•25 min•Season 1Ep. 274
Why do so many sensible school strategies fail, even when staff are trying their best? In this episode, you’ll learn why attention-seeking behaviour is often a misleading label - and why two pupils can show very similar behaviour for completely different reasons. Using the PAIN framework, you’ll discover how to look beneath the surface, identify the hidden drivers behind a child’s behaviour, and choose responses that actually match their needs. You’ll also learn why adult attention can change be...
Apr 26, 2026•28 min•Season 1Ep. 273
Why do so many sensible school strategies fail, even when staff are trying their best? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, we explore one of the biggest challenges facing school leaders: consistency. Because having the right strategy is only half the battle - the real challenge is getting staff to understand it, apply it in practice and embed it over time. Using the example of restorative conversations, you’ll learn how to use the ALIGN framework - a simple, practical model to help scho...
Apr 19, 2026•27 min•Season 1Ep. 272
What if a pupil’s dysregulation isn’t just about behaviour - but about hidden executive function demands they can’t yet manage? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll learn how difficulties with executive function can fuel frustration, overload and emotional dysregulation in the classroom. Using a concrete case study and the PAIN framework, we unpack how challenges with holding information in mind and inhibiting impulses can quickly tip a child from not coping with work into shutdow...
Apr 12, 2026•26 min•Season 1Ep. 271
The government’s new SEND reform paper proposes major changes to how schools support pupils with additional needs. But what does it actually mean for mainstream schools, teachers and SENCOs? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , we break down the key changes in the proposed SEND reforms and explains what they could mean for SEMH support in schools. You’ll learn: • Why mainstream schools will increasingly be expected to meet SEND needs earlier • How the new layers of support (Universal, T...
Mar 23, 2026•23 min•Season 1Ep. 270
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, mentoring and pastoral support - then struggle or explode under pressure. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , we explore why this happens, through the lens of avoidant attachment. Not as a label, but as a way of understanding why help itself can feel unsafe for some children. You’ll learn why well-meaning support strategies sometimes backfire, wha...
Mar 16, 2026•20 min•Season 1Ep. 269
Why do children sometimes say things online they would never say face to face? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , you’ll learn why social media can make behaviour escalate so quickly - and why it’s not simply about children being unkind. Drawing on psychology and real-world school experience, we explain how social media and messaging apps remove the natural feedback that helps children regulate their behaviour - and why that’s important. You’ll come away with a brain-based framework t...
Mar 09, 2026•20 min•Season 1Ep. 268
Emotional regulation is not a curriculum - and treating it like one backfires. Many pupils can explain their emotions, name calming strategies, and talk confidently about what they “should” do… yet still struggle to cope when things get hard in the classroom. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , you’ll learn why teaching emotional regulation as a set of lessons often doesn’t work, and how schools can accidentally make things worse by confusing facts about regulation with emotional regul...
Mar 02, 2026•23 min•Season 1Ep. 267
More children are struggling to cope with small setbacks in school. Mistakes feel overwhelming. Frustration escalates quickly. And learning grinds to a halt. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , we explore why this isn’t about children being “less resilient” - and why common advice like “push through” or “try harder” often makes things worse. You’ll learn how modern home and school environments have reduced children’s opportunities to practise coping with difficulty - and what that mean...
Feb 23, 2026•25 min•Season 1Ep. 266
Teachers are often told they need to be “more assertive” in the classroom. But what does that actually mean when behaviour starts to wobble, pressure rises, and everyone’s watching? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , you’ll learn what assertiveness really looks like in practice - and why it isn’t about being louder, stricter, or more dominant. Instead, it’s about clarity, calm and making better decisions before you even open your mouth. You’ll explore why many behaviour confrontations...
Feb 09, 2026•25 min•Season 1Ep. 265
In many schools, the SENCO role has become the pressure point where everything ends up - SEND, SEMH, behaviour, parent concerns, paperwork and managing crises and pupil outbursts. And when that happens, how SEND and SEMH is supported across the school starts to break down. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , you’ll learn why the SENCO job has become increasingly difficult even in caring, well-intentioned schools - and why this isn’t about individual failure. You’ll see how a range of f...
Feb 02, 2026•26 min•Season 1Ep. 264
On paper, your behaviour policy makes sense… so why doesn’t it work in every classroom - and for every pupil? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , you’ll learn the 7 reasons why good behaviour policies often fail in good schools - even when leaders care, staff are committed and the intentions are right. Drawing on nearly two decades of work with real schools, we unpack the hidden reasons behaviour policies stumble: why copying “best practice” from other settings can backfire, why consis...
Jan 26, 2026•25 min•Season 1Ep. 263
Restorative conversations are everywhere in schools right now. They’re written into behaviour policies, referenced in Ofsted language, and promoted as the gold standard for repairing harm and building accountability. But what happens when those conversations don’t work - especially for pupils with SEND? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , you’ll learn why: · standard restorative conversations can break down for pupils with communication difficulties, empathy differences, trauma histori...
Jan 19, 2026•23 min•Season 1Ep. 262
In 2026 the government is going to make big changes in how schools handle behaviour, SEMH and inclusion. The question is: are we ready for what that actually means? In this episode, we makes a series of predictions about where the system is heading next year - not based on politics or policy promises, but on how schools really work when money, policy and classroom reality collide. Some of these predictions may make you uncomfortable. Others may feel uncomfortably familiar. But if you want a grou...
Jan 12, 2026•21 min•Season 1Ep. 261
Some of the most damaging ideas about behaviour in schools don’t sound wrong. They sound kind. They sound scientific. They sound progressive. And that’s exactly why they stick. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , Simon Currigan unpacks four popular SEMH myths that are quietly making behaviour worse - not because people mean badly, but because good ideas have been overstretched, oversimplified, and misunderstood. You’ll explore: Why children do still make choices - even when emotions ru...
Jan 05, 2026•27 min•Season 1Ep. 260
The first week of January isn’t just “back to school” - it’s one of the most effective behaviour intervention points of the entire year. In this episode, we explore how to harness the psychology of the Fresh Start Effect to reset classroom routines, rebuild relationships and help pupils begin the new term with confidence rather than shame. You’ll discover: • Why January works better than September for behaviour resets • How to create whole-class “New Year resolutions” that shift identity, not ju...
Dec 15, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 259
When a pupil goes from “fine” to “furious” because you asked them to correct one sentence, it’s easy to think they’re overreacting. But for many children with ADHD, even small corrections can feel like rejection - triggering intense emotional pain known as Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , you’ll learn what RSD actually is, why it’s so strongly linked with ADHD, and how it shows up in the classroom through explosive moments, sudden shutdowns, perf...
Dec 08, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 258
Christmas is exciting… but in schools, it can also send behaviour spiralling. Between nativity rehearsals, parties, Christmas jumper day, and all the glitter-induced chaos, many pupils tip from festive fun to full-on overwhelm faster than you can say “silent night.” In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , you’ll learn why December is such a challenging month for regulation, the hidden SEMH pressures pupils face and the simple changes that help children stay settled so they can actually enj...
Dec 01, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 256
Ever had that moment where your reward system just… stops working? The stickers lose their sparkle, the house points barely register, and suddenly every child in your class is asking, “What do I get if I follow the rules?” It’s frustrating, it’s exhausting, and it leaves you wondering what on earth to try next. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, we unpack why reward systems lose power over time – and what the science of motivation says we should be doing instead. We’ll explore the hedo...
Nov 24, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 256
When pupils show persistent, emotionally escalated behaviour, it’s easy to focus on the surface - the shouting, the refusal, the walking out - and miss the real cause. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use the PAIN framework (Physical, Emotional, Cognitive, Social, Prosocial, and Transition needs) to help your pupils make progress with their SEMH needs. You’ll follow the story of Liam, an 11-year-old pupil whose behaviour seemed oppositional - until the PAIN lens revealed hidden what was happ...
Nov 17, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 255
Got a class that just won’t stop talking? The kind where the chatter keeps creeping back in, no matter how many times you settle them? We feel your pain! In this episode, we explain why the problem isn’t talk itself, but unstructured talk - and how to turn your class’s social energy and exuberance into focus, rather than frustration. You’ll discover the T3 Method: a simple way of structuring your lesson, so pupils get the connection and verbal processing time they need, while keeping your lesson...
Nov 10, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 254
Ever worked with a pupil who argues about everything — even the things they secretly agree with? In this episode, we unpack Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) — what it is, what it isn’t, and why traditional approaches like confrontation or “tougher boundaries” often backfire. You’ll discover: The common myths that cause teachers to misread ODD behaviour The key differences between ODD and PDA (and why that distinction matters) How ADHD and ODD overlap, and what that means for your classroom Wh...
Nov 03, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 253
Ever get to Friday and feel like your emotional battery’s is fried? You’re not alone. Working in education — especially when supporting pupils with SEMH needs — means carrying other people’s emotions all day long. By the end of the week, you’re not just tired, you’re emotionally done. In this shorter half-term quickfire episode, we dive into the emotional side of teaching — and how to protect your emotional wellbeing in just five minutes a day. You’ll learn simple, practical steps to help your n...
Oct 27, 2025•11 min•Season 1Ep. 252
“Connection before correction” has become a bit of a buzz phrase in education — but what does it actually mean in a real classroom? How do you do it in the middle of a behaviour incident, when stress levels are high and pupils seem least open to connection? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , Simon Currigan unpacks the science and the practice behind this powerful idea. Drawing on the work of psychologists Dan Hughes and Kim Golding, as well as what we know about the autonomic nervous ...
Oct 19, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 251
Summary Do isolation rooms really work? And if they do… why do we see the same pupils sitting in them day after day? In this episode, we dig into why – for many pupils - isolation rooms don’t change behaviour - and what schools can do instead to support the students who repeatedly end up there. You’ll discover: Why isolation can make behaviour worse (not better) What’s really driving repeat incidents (and how to spot it using the PAIN framework) How to shift from “respite" to “repair" using the ...
Oct 12, 2025•25 min•Ep. 250
Consistency across classrooms isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s the foundation of your school culture. When pupils see one teacher give a warning, another skip straight to sanctions, and a third ignore the same behaviour completely, the message is clear: the rules don’t really matter. For children with SEMH needs, that unpredictability can even fuel anxiety, dysregulation, and mistrust. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, we dig into why consistency is so hard to achieve in schools and w...
Oct 05, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 249
From November 2025, inclusion, behaviour, attendance, and wellbeing are set to take centre stage during Ofsted inspections. But what does this mean for schools in practice – especially when it comes to supporting SEMH? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , we unpack the key changes in the new framework and answer the questions school leaders and teachers are already asking. Will Ofsted finally “get” SEMH? How will inspectors judge behaviour when it looks different for pupils with additio...
Sep 28, 2025•22 min•Ep. 248
When we think of ADHD, most people picture the stereotype: a restless boy bouncing off the walls, blurting out answers, unable to sit still. But here’s the problem - that picture is incomplete. And because of it, thousands of girls with ADHD are being missed, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , we share why ADHD often looks different in girls, how history and diagnostic tools built on boys’ behaviours still shape who gets recognised today, and why maskin...
Sep 21, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 247
Ever tried every de-escalation strategy in the book—calm voice, supportive stance, soothing words—only to watch a student keep spiralling? The problem isn’t you. The problem is that de-escalation on its own isn’t enough. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets , we reveal why de-escalation so often fails in the heat of the moment, and introduce a new way of thinking about pupil behaviour: the PAINs framework (Primary Areas of Internal Need). Discover the five hidden stressors that keep kids ...
Sep 14, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 246
