Home Podcasts School Behaviour Secrets with Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton
School Behaviour Secrets with Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton

School Behaviour Secrets with Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton

Beacon School Support 276 Episodes Jul 13, 2026

This podcast offers research-backed strategies for teachers, SENCOs, and school leaders to support students with emotional and behavioral challenges. Hosts Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton share practical classroom management techniques and insights for working with special needs like autism, ADHD, and attachment disorder. Each episode features interviews with education thought leaders and evidence-based approaches to help educators manage tricky classes and unlock student potential.

Episodes

How To Keep The End Of Term Sane
How To Keep The End Of Term Sane Jul 13, 2026 1401 The final week of term should feel positive - but when routines disappear, emotions rise and pupils realise the year is ending, behaviour can quickly start to unravel.In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll learn how to keep the end of term calm, structured and meaningful without removing all the fun. We’ll look at why pupils often become silly, emotional or unsettled before the holida
What School Leaders Need To Know About SEMH Right Now
What School Leaders Need To Know About SEMH Right Now Jul 6, 2026 1135 School leaders are facing increasingly complex SEMH needs, rising pressure around behaviour and inclusion, and more uncertainty about what effective support should look like in practice.In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll hear what schools are telling us right now about SEMH leadership, why it can feel so difficult, and what leaders need in order to move forward confidently with SE
When Pupils Use Friendships As A Weapon
When Pupils Use Friendships As A Weapon Jun 29, 2026 1492 Some behaviour problems don’t start with defiance, disruption or poor emotional control. They actually start when pupils use relationships to humiliate or exclude another child in their friendship group.In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll discover how Relational Aggression affects pupils in both primary and secondary schools, why it’s so easy for adults to miss and how it can drive
How To Support Pupils Who Are Anxious
How To Support Pupils Who Are Anxious Jun 22, 2026 1633 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
Teaching A Tricky Class? This Is The First Thing To Fix
Teaching A Tricky Class? This Is The First Thing To Fix Jun 15, 2026 1438 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 telli
Why Some Pupils Fall Apart After Lunch - And What Schools Can Do
Why Some Pupils Fall Apart After Lunch - And What Schools Can Do Jun 8, 2026 1548 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 l
When Behaviour Strategies Work… But Make Things Worse
When Behaviour Strategies Work… But Make Things Worse Jun 1, 2026 1616 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
Are We Mistaking Compliance For Regulation? (And Why It Matters)
Are We Mistaking Compliance For Regulation? (And Why It Matters) May 18, 2026 1559 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 l
Why Pupils Say “I Don’t Care” - And What To Do Next
Why Pupils Say “I Don’t Care” - And What To Do Next May 11, 2026 1273 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,
When Behaviour Seems To Come Out Of Nowhere: Understanding Stress Stacking
When Behaviour Seems To Come Out Of Nowhere: Understanding Stress Stacking May 4, 2026 1453 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 questi
The Hidden Causes of Attention-Seeking Behaviour
The Hidden Causes of Attention-Seeking Behaviour Apr 27, 2026 1592 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 cho
Why Good School Strategies Fail - And How To Fix Them
Why Good School Strategies Fail - And How To Fix Them Apr 20, 2026 1545 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 c

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