Students spend a large part of their day at school, and how safe they feel emotionally can affect everything from their grades to their friendships. Emotional safety means students can express their feelings without fear of judgment or punishment. Schools can build emotional safety through predictable routines, restorative practices, social-emotional learning, safe expression opportunities, and … Read more
Teens facing serious mental health or substance use challenges often need more than outpatient support. In these situations, a higher level of care can give them the structure and consistency needed to recover safely. Parents often look for programs that combine professional oversight with a supportive community to guide their child through difficult times. For … Read more
Sleep plays a crucial role in a student’s academic success, influencing not just their mood but also their ability to concentrate, retain information, and perform well on assignments. According to recent findings, sleep difficulties are the third-largest factor affecting college students’ academic performance, following stress and anxiety. The Link Between Sleep and Grades Getting enough … Read more
Unlock Your Productivity: Your Guide to Using the Procrastination Pattern Indicator Tool Are you stuck in a loop of delaying important tasks? Do deadlines loom while you organise your sock drawer? You’re not alone. Procrastination is a common struggle, but understanding why you procrastinate is the crucial first step towards breaking the cycle. It’s rarely just … Read more
How Teachers Can Transform Regret: A Guide to Using Daniel Pink’s Insights The teaching profession, while deeply rewarding, is often fraught with challenges and stressors. Burnout, a feeling of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment, is a common experience. To combat burnout and enhance their wellbeing, teachers can draw on Daniel Pink’s research on … Read more
What most affects the psyche of a child at school “What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning.” Chuck Grassley Bullying and harassment by others: Schools must prioritize addressing mental health issues in high school students by … Read more
The Therapeutic Nature of Play Play is a fundamental aspect of childhood, inspiring awe and wonder as children explore and problem-solve, learning about the world around them each step of the way. While the benefits of play for physical development are clear—enhancing motor skills and coordination through the manipulation of resources, its therapeutic value has … Read more
Eye-Palming For Improving Teacher Wellbeing If you see a teacher with their head in their hands at their desk all may not be as bad as it seems they may be palming! Teaching is widely recognised as a demanding, high-stress profession. Heavy workloads, time pressures, all contribute to teacher stress and burnout. This not only … Read more
Evidence Informed Parenting: The Experiences of Children with ADHD Using Weighted Blankets Weighted blankets have been proposed as an intervention for children with ADHD and sleeping difficulties to improve sleep. Commonly used in many schools as well as at home. As they become more affordable, less than £20 on Amazon* or Temu* However, research on … Read more
Why should you give children breaks during the day? This post was inspired by an overheard conversation and links two issues. Access to planned interventions and the provision of learning breaks throughout the day. A parent of an autistic child was questioning whether a school should have stopped their child from attending their sensory circuit … Read more
Let’s Talk About Grief No one likes to think about death, let alone talk about it and who feels comfortable talking to children about death?! Being blessed with life means that we also have to cope with others dying and manage the associated emotions of grief. 2020 has sadly meant that we have all had … Read more
Reducing Teacher Stress And Anxiety Stress and anxiety is a normal part of life that everyone experiences to some degree. Sometimes it can feel like your life is being controlled by these negative feelings. Especially at times when the future is uncertain and the present is unstable. It’s important to remember you have control over … Read more
Monitoring wellbeing using a food and mood chart We developed this food and mood chart when working with a non-verbal young man who had multiple but unclear food intolerances. This led to a highly limited diet that felt unethical. It was also felt this led to behaviours i.e the child will take food from others, … Read more
The Birth of BackPocketTeacher Hands up, who returns from school with a bizarre range of things in their pockets? Stickers, symbols, bubbles, raisins, latex gloves…. they’ve all been found in my pockets and also been seen spinning around my washing machine! As a SEND teacher I learnt very early on that however amazing and detailed … Read more
Recognising your own emotions and identifying effective strategies for managing these is a key skill for any child.
There are many many children out there who are crying out for help. There are many dedicated, enthusiastic, creative and compassionate people who are desperate to help. These people need help, we are increasingly facing highly complex issues that very few educational professionals are equipped to deal with. I am writing this as a teacher but I know there are CAMHS workers, social workers and support staff throughout the country who are feeling like this.
Custom Tough Tray Divider Tough trays are a brilliant and invaluable addition to any classroom. This was an idea I had when I first bought a tuff tray but was brought to life by our workshop tutor so I can’t claim all the credit. I work in an SLD SEN key stage 4 class. My … Read more
I am in a reflective mood this rainy August morning. This blog may stray onto a bit of a personal theme, so forgive me. Back in December I pledged to take up the #teacher5aday challenge and pledged to focus on 5 areas of my practice with the aim of improving my Wellbeing. The idea … Read more
7 teacher-approved tips for unwinding after a Stressful day Okay so this is a bit of a cheat blog, I have used a twitter chat to crowdsource – (tweetsource?) these tips for you. So we have advice from a range of connected educators all in one place! Here are 7 teacher-approved tips for unwinding after … Read more
I was honoured to be asked to host #behaviourchat on the 23rd May 2016 discussing ways to manage our emotions at work with a particular focus on behaviour.
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