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

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 off - find out more and book your place here.

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

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 off - find out more and book your place here.

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

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.

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

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 off - find out more and book your place here.

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

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 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

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 off - find out more and book your place here.

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

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 off - find out more and book your place here.

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

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 off - find out more and book your place here.