School Behaviour Secrets with Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton
Published by Beacon School Support
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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 supporting pupils with special needs like autism, ADHD, FASD or attachment disorder? Want tried-and-tested classroom management strategies that will work with that ‘tricky class’? Then you’re in the right place. Welcome to the School Behaviour Secrets podcast where we’ll answer ALL these questions and so much more! Week after week, your hosts Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton share the secrets to behaviour success that every teacher and school leader should know, all based on their decades of experience supporting real teachers and real students in real classrooms. But that’s not all...We also interview thought leaders from the world of education so you can hear NEW insights that could hold the key to unlocking your students’ potential. Whether it’s managing the whole class, helping kids with behavioural SEN, or whole school strategy - we’ve got you covered. Are you in? Brilliant. Because this is YOUR CHANCE to get unstuck, hear from the experts, feel inspired and start seeing more positive behaviour in your classroom again. So hit that subscribe button... and let’s get started!
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 look back with pride while feeling ready for what comes next. You’ll also discover simple ways to create a warm goodbye that gives pupils closure without turning the final day into an emotional collapse. Important links: Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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 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 Conference and how it can help you move SEMH forward in your school – perfect for school leaders looking for practical guidance, strategic frameworks and real strategies they can use in school. Book your tickets to the National SEMH Conference - 7th October 2026 - at Millennium Point in Birmingham
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 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 Framework can help understand what’s really driving the behaviours of both the victim and the aggressor - and respond in a way that helps breaks the pattern in future. Important links: Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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 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 anxiety can show up as behaviour, from reassurance-seeking and withdrawal to refusal, irritability, silliness or emotional outbursts. Most importantly, you’ll learn a simple three-step approach to support pupils before anxiety reaches crisis point. If you work with pupils who struggle around exams, transition or change, this episode will help you understand what’s happening underneath the behaviour - and what to do next. Important links: Get your FREE Beacon School Support guide to helping children manage their strong emotions Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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 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 good behaviour from one classroom to another, and how clear, practised routines can lower everyone’s stress and make lessons feel calmer and easier to teach. Important links: Get your copy of the Classroom Management Scoresheet: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/classroom-management-scoresheet Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources
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 this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, we explore why lunchtime isn’t always a break for every pupil. You’ll learn how social stress, sensory overload, unresolved conflict and tricky transitions can build up during lunch - then spill over into the afternoon lesson. We’ll also look at what schools can do to make lunchtimes calmer, support vulnerable pupils more proactively and help children return to class ready to learn. Plus, you’ll find out how to download our free resource: 6 Immediate Lunchtime Behaviour Fixes. Important links: Get our FREE download 6 Immediate Lunchtime Fixes: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/lunchtime-behaviour-fixes Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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? And the next? In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, we explore why some short-term behaviour strategies appear to work because they reduce the immediate tension but can accidentally teach pupils or whole classes habits that make behaviour harder in the long run. Most importantly, you’ll discover three simple questions that help break the cycle and move you – and your students - forwards. Important links: Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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 Behaviour Secrets, we explore the important tension between compliance and regulation. Because while schools absolutely need routines, boundaries and clear expectations, “doing what we asked” doesn’t always mean a pupil is calm, settled or coping underneath. You’ll learn why some pupils can appear fine in school but collapse at home, how masking and shutdown can be mistaken for good behaviour, and why visible compliance can sometimes hide anxiety, sensory overload, confusion or fear of getting things wrong. By the end, you’ll have a clearer way to spot pupils who may be quietly struggling and support them without lowering expectations or removing important boundaries. Important links: Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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 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 say and do when a pupil uses them to pull you into a confrontation. If you work with pupils who appear disengaged or hard to reach, and want to understand what’s really driving their behaviour, this episode will help you respond in a way that de-escalates tensions and opens the door to their re-engagement. Important links: Check our Behaviour 360 here: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/behaviour_360 Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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 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 practical case study showing how hidden stressors - from poor sleep and sensory overload to social stress, shame and task demands - can build up beneath the surface long before behaviour becomes visible. Important links: Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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 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 behaviour in the short term, but won’t solve the problem on its own unless you understand what that attention is doing for the child in the first place. If you work in a school and want a more thoughtful, SEMH-first way to understand behaviour, this episode will help you think more clearly about your students’ needs and how to support them. Important links: Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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 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 schools move from patchy implementation to a more consistent approach across staff teams. In this episode, we’ll explain: why good ideas often break down after launch how inconsistency affects staff, pupils and school culture why consistency does not mean rigid sameness how to build shared language, shared practice and shared ownership the five parts of the ALIGN framework: If you’re a headteacher, SENCO, behaviour lead or teacher trying to get everyone pulling in the same direction, this episode will give you a practical way to think about implementation in your school. Important links: Get our FREE Reducing Exclusions Checklist: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/exclusions-checklist.php Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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 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 shutdown, refusal or meltdown. You’ll discover why this matters even more now executive function is being talked about more explicitly in the SEND reform conversation, how lesson structure can accidentally increase stress, and three practical strategies teachers can use to reduce overload and support regulation more effectively. If you work with children who seem to fall apart around learning demands, this episode will help you look beneath the behaviour and respond with greater clarity and confidence. Important links: Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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 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, Targeted and Specialist provision) are designed to work • Why support bases and inclusion spaces may become more common in mainstream schools • What the move away from diagnosis-driven support means for classrooms • Why adaptive teaching, staff training and whole-school consistency will matter more than ever. If you’re a school leader, SENCO or teacher supporting pupils with SEMH needs, this episode will help you understand what changes may be coming - and what your school should start thinking about now. Important links: Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
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, 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, what rejecting help is really communicating, and how small shifts in adult approach can make support feel safer without forcing closeness. This episode is especially useful for teachers, SENCOs and school leaders working with hard-to-reach pupils who appear independent but struggle beneath the surface. Plus, we also share practical techniques to use with the pupils you work with - who survive by not needing anyone. A must-listen if you’ve ever thought: “Why won’t they let me help?” Important links: Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
Why Social Media Makes Children’s Behaviour Worse (And How To Help)
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 to understand online cruelty in children that you can share with staff and parents - and ideas for supporting children to slow down and make better choices on social media. Important links: Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
Emotional regulation is not a curriculum – and treating it like one backfires
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 regulation skills. Using a real-world pupil story, we break down: Why recalling strategies often fails when children are dysregulated How automatic behaviours always win under stress Why motivation doesn’t come first – and what should replace it And how regulation is built through repeated, practical, supported experiences, not curriculum content You’ll also hear a simple, classroom-friendly model – Co-regulation, Practise, Fade - to help pupils develop regulation through co-regulation, without adding more programmes or workload. If you’re supporting pupils who “know the strategies” but still struggle in the moment, this episode will help you reframe what’s really going on - and what actually helps. Important links: Get your FREE Beacon School Support guide to helping children manage their strong emotions Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
Kids Aren’t Less Resilient - We’re Training It Out Of Our Students
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 means for behaviour, learning and staff workload. You’ll discover: What resilience really is (and what it isn’t) Why a packed curriculum and over-scaffolding can unintentionally undermine coping skills The difference between resilience and grit - and where grit is often misunderstood 4 practical classroom strategies to help children stay engaged when learning feels hard How to support emotional regulation without removing challenge This episode is for teachers, SENCOs and school leaders who want to build genuine resilience in children - without blame, pressure or unrealistic expectations. Important links: Get your FREE Beacon School Support guide to helping children manage their strong emotions Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.php
Why “Be More Assertive” Is Bad Advice – And What Actually Works in Classrooms
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 escalate because adults are focused on “winning” the moment, and how redefining what success looks like can lead to calmer classrooms and fewer repeat issues over time. The episode breaks assertiveness down into clear, practical strategies you can use straight away, including how to steady your body language, adjust your voice, give instructions that don’t invite debate, and choose the right moment to follow things up. If you work in a classroom and want behaviour to improve without damaging relationships, escalating situations, or feeling emotionally drained, this episode will give you a simple, usable framework to take into your next lesson. Important links: Get your copy of the Classroom Management Scoresheet: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/classroom-management-scoresheet Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources
The SENCO Bottleneck: Why the Role Is Becoming Impossible in Caring Schools
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 factors have unintentionally made the role of SENCO the single point of SEND failure in schools. And how this affects classroom practice, consistency of support and long-term sustainability for pupils with complex needs in school. Most importantly, you’ll come away with a clearer way of thinking about the role - and how we need to redefine it - so it’s fit for purpose moving forwards. All without adding additional stress to hard-working SENCOs or burning them out. If you care about inclusion and want SENCO support that’s sustainable, this episode is for you. Important links: Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources
