Safe, Skilled, Successful: Building Independent Learners Through Relationships and Regulation

When children are dysregulated, anxious, or struggling with behaviour, it’s not always clear what to do next. Do we adapt everything, or gently push them to build skills? When is behaviour a choice, and when is it a “can’t”? This three hour cluster INSET session tackles the grey areas head on, helping staff understand behaviour as communication, create safety and belonging across five key domains, and become the calm, regulating adult children need. Participants learn when to reduce demand and when to stretch, how to build relationships that motivate from the inside out, and how to scaffold children’s developing skills today whilst preparing them for tomorrow.

Learning outcomes:

• Understand behaviour as a survival response and distinguish between “can’t” and “won’t” using a spectrum rather than a binary
• Identify unmet needs driving challenging behaviour and respond with curiosity rather than judgment
• Apply the Five Domains of Safety (physical, sensory, social, emotional, cognitive) to audit and adapt classroom environments
• Use the CALM framework (Create space, Adjust approach, Lower demands, Meet the need) to de-escalate effectively in the first 60 seconds
• Recognise the role of adult regulation in co-regulation and develop strategies for managing your own nervous system under pressure
• Build skills for long term self-regulation and independence, including preparing children for transitions to secondary school