School Behaviour Secrets with Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton

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
School leaders: Join us at the National SEMH Conference (October 2026)
It's a whole day focused on the real SEMH, behaviour and inclusion pressures facing schools - and what leaders can do next. Plus, right now you can get Super Early Bird tickets at £250 - find out more and book your place here.

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
School leaders: Join us at the National SEMH Conference (October 2026)
It's a whole day focused on the real SEMH, behaviour and inclusion pressures facing schools - and what leaders can do next. Plus, right now you can get Super Early Bird tickets at £250 - find out more and book your place here.

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
School leaders: Join us at the National SEMH Conference (October 2026)
It's a whole day focused on the real SEMH, behaviour and inclusion pressures facing schools - and what leaders can do next. Plus, right now you can get Super Early Bird tickets at £250 - find out more and book your place here.

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
School leaders: Join us at the National SEMH Conference (October 2026)
It's a whole day focused on the real SEMH, behaviour and inclusion pressures facing schools - and what leaders can do next. Plus, right now you can get Super Early Bird tickets at £250 - find out more and book your place here.

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
School leaders: Join us at the National SEMH Conference (October 2026)
It's a whole day focused on the real SEMH, behaviour and inclusion pressures facing schools - and what leaders can do next. Plus, right now you can get Super Early Bird tickets at £250 - find out more and book your place here.