School Behaviour Secrets with Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton

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
Headteachers and deputies: Join our in-person events in Coventy and Dudley
Where you'll learn practical ways to equip your team to handle SEMH challenges with confidence - so you can move from firefighting to a calm, consistent whole-school approach. Register now.

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
Headteachers and deputies: Join our in-person events in Coventy and Dudley
Where you'll learn practical ways to equip your team to handle SEMH challenges with confidence - so you can move from firefighting to a calm, consistent whole-school approach. Register now.

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
Headteachers and deputies: Join our in-person events in Coventy and Dudley
Where you'll learn practical ways to equip your team to handle SEMH challenges with confidence - so you can move from firefighting to a calm, consistent whole-school approach. Register now.

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
Headteachers and deputies: Join our in-person events in Coventy and Dudley
Where you'll learn practical ways to equip your team to handle SEMH challenges with confidence - so you can move from firefighting to a calm, consistent whole-school approach. Register now.

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
Headteachers and deputies: Join our in-person events in Coventy and Dudley
Where you'll learn practical ways to equip your team to handle SEMH challenges with confidence - so you can move from firefighting to a calm, consistent whole-school approach. Register now.