School Behaviour Secrets with Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton

Getting the working noise level right in class can be tricky. Research tells us that students benefit from the chance to collaborate and discuss learning with their peers, but we all know that too much noise leads to off task behaviours and wasted time. So how can you get the balance of silence and chatter spot on?In this week's School Behaviour secrets episode, we reveal our top 5 tips to managing talkative classes. Meaning an increase in productivity in your classroom.Important linksGet our FREE classroom management scoresheet: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/classroom-management-scoresheet.phpJoin our Inner Circle membership programme: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/inner_circle.phpDownload other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.phpSchool 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.

Sometimes our students get stuck in cycles of negative, challenging behaviour - even when they've been offered support and intervention programmes in school. That leads to poor outcomes for the individual - emotionally and academically - and often results in disrupted learning for their classmates.In this episode, we continue our discussion with Tom McIntrye, Sean Turner and Kenny Hirschmann about the Stages of Change model. They reveal their insights into why some pupils are so resistant to change - and how to use this information to dramatically increase the success of your SEMH interventions in school.Important linksSee the full 1 hour video of the interview with slides.Visit the Behavior Advisor website for more behaviour strategies, ideas and interventions.Join our Inner Circle membership programme: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/inner_circle.phpGet our FREE SEN Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/SEN-handbook.phpJoin our FREE Classroom Management and Student Behaviour FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/school.behaviourSchool 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.

Sometimes our students get stuck in cycles of negative, challenging behaviour - even when they've been offered support and intervention programmes in school. That leads to poor outcomes for the individual - emotionally and academically - and often results in disrupted learning for their classmates.In this episode, we talk to Tom McIntrye, Sean Turner and Kenny Hirschmann about the Stages of Change model. They explain why some pupils are resistant to change - and how to use this information to dramatically increase the success of your SEMH interventions in school.Important linksSee the full 1 hour video of the interview with slides.Visit the Behavior Advisor website for more behaviour strategies, ideas and interventions.Join our Inner Circle membership programme: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/inner_circle.phpGet our FREE SEN Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/SEN-handbook.phpJoin our FREE Classroom Management and Student Behaviour FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/school.behaviourSchool 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.

Been taught that negative reinforcement is a more socially acceptable term for a punishment? Then you've been told a lie.Negative reinforcement is a specific behaviour strategy that is different from punishment in a number of ways. In today's episode, we share what negative enforcement actually is - and why that matters in your classroom.Important links:Join our Inner Circle membership programme: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/inner_circle.phpGet our FREE classroom management scoresheet: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/classroom-management-scoresheet.phpJoin our FREE Classroom Management and Student Behaviour FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/school.behaviourSchool 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.

In the past, we've described children could have difficulty coming into school as 'school refusers,' as if their behaviour is down to wilfulness. But is it time to flip the script - and start looking at other causes for that behaviour?In today's show, Jerricah Holder explains how thinking in terms of Emotionally Based School Avoidance can be much more powerful, what really drives children to avoid attending school, and what we can do to support them.Important linksJerricah's School Based Well-being CardsGet Jerricah's EBSA training.For more details about Jerricah's EBSA training for EPs and teachers, see the EdPsychEd website.Get our FREE SEN Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/SEN-handbook.phpJoin our Inner Circle membership programme: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/inner_circle.phpDownload other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.phpSchool 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.

There could be a number of reasons why a child is refusing to complete their work. Maybe they're feeling overwhelmed, maybe they don't understand the task, or maybe they're just tired. As a teacher, it's important to try to figure out what the child is trying to tell you so you can help them overcome the obstacle and get their work done.In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, we look at what work refusal looks like in the classroom, why children might engage in work refusal and some practical strategies to use and address the underlying cause of that behaviour.Important links:Get our FREE SEN Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/SEN-handbook.phpJoin our Inner Circle membership programme: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/inner_circle.phpDownload other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources.phpSchool 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.

When a pupil has an outburst in school, it can be easy to approach that situation as a confrontation, where the child is deliberately engaging in disruptive behaviour. The result? Lots of stress - for the adult and the pupil.But what if there was another approach? In this quickfire strategy episode, I give you a 2-word sentence that anyone can use when emotions are high that makes de-escalation easier... and actually helps you quickly pivot from de-escalation to problem-solving.Important links:Get our FREE SEN Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/SEN-handbook.phpJoin our Inner Circle membership programme: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/inner_circle.phpJoin our FREE Classroom Management and Student Behaviour FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/school.behaviourSchool 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.

As teachers and school leaders, it's easy to become distracted (and polarised!) by the question, "Which is more powerful - positive or negative feedback?" But what if that's the wrong question entirely?In this episode, I explain what question we should be asking ourselves about rewards and consequences, and what the implications are for our classroom practice.Important links:Get our FREE SEN Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/SEN-handbook.phpJoin our Inner Circle membership programme: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/inner_circle.phpJoin our FREE Classroom Management and Student Behaviour FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/school.behaviourSchool 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.

As teachers and educators, we rely on our voices to teach effectively and communicate information across the classroom, school hall - or even whole playgrounds. But when we project our voices in the wrong way, we can experience frequent sore throats or even damage our vocal cords.In this week's quickfire strategy episode, I explain how to project your voice the right way... so pupils will be able to hear you clearly, so you can speak to large groups of students without causing damage to your throat.Important links:Get our FREE SEN Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/SEN-handbook.phpJoin our Inner Circle membership programme: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/inner_circle.phpJoin our FREE Classroom Management and Student Behaviour FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/school.behaviourSchool 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.

Sometimes, the SEMH support strategies we're using with a student just stop working - for no apparent reason - and we're left with the dilemma, "What do we do next?"In this episode, I share how this simple concept from statistics might explain both why a pupil's behaviour support strategies might have become ineffective - and what to do next.Important links:Get our FREE SEN Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/SEN-handbook.phpJoin our Inner Circle membership programme: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/inner_circle.phpJoin our FREE Classroom Management and Student Behaviour FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/school.behaviourSchool 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.