5 ways to a sensory-friendly classroom
As we settle into 2025 and education colleagues evaluate the benefits of renewing and refreshing classroom spaces and practices, we offer five ideas from Teresa Garland’s “Hands-On Activities for Children with Autism and Sensory Disorders” that can facilitate calm teaching environments and well-regulated pupils. 1. Set up sensory-friendly environments Arrange the physical environment […]
Relationships and Crises in Schools – Part 3
“How do you deal with children who do not like praise?” I think if there are “bright spots” of behaviour, you mention it, but the choice you have, I think, is whether you mention it publicly or mention it privately. My feeling on this is when the spotlight in the room of 32 people, 32, […]
Relationships and Crises in Schools – Part 2
What is a good brain-based model for understanding triggers and drivers for behaviour? I use this useful rule of thumb called the SCARF Model very, very often. It’s an evidence-based model from author David Rock which describes influences on human behaviour. It describes how certain domains of social interaction influence how the brain is activated […]
Relationships and Crises in Schools – Part 1
An interview about Behaviour in Schools.Firstly, in your opinion what is the core principle that should drive a school’s overall approach to behaviour? The first thing we should talk about is an idea called the social contract. It’s a concept – a contract, really – that should bind everybody in a service or institution or […]
Why Schools Need Positive Handling Training
Why Schools Need Positive Handling Training Introduction The safety and wellbeing of students should be a top priority for any school. Unfortunately, incidents of challenging behaviour, aggression and violence can occur in educational settings. To mitigate these risks, schools need to have policies and procedures in place for handling difficult situations effectively. One of the […]
Preventing Physical Interventions with Children who have experienced Trauma
The Power of Deescalation in Schools: Preventing Physical Interventions with Children who have experienced Trauma Introduction Working with children who have experienced trauma can be extremely challenging, and when these students become agitated or aggressive, it can be tempting to use physical interventions to control the situation. However, research shows that deescalation is a much […]
Positive Handling in Cumbria
Positive Handling in Cumbria and the North West: additions to our team! Did you know that we provide training in Positive Handling in Cumbria and the North West? Probably not! The truth is that our Managing Director (and one of our principal trainers), with exceptional experience of working with school staff on some of the […]
Early Years Staff Struggling – Anna Freud Report
It is often overlooked that nursery practitioners are working with vulnerable children on a daily basis, the report ‘Their challenges are our challenges’ by the Anna Freud Centre states. The centre, which specialises in child mental health research, training and treatment, surveyed more than 900 nursery practitioners during the last three months of 2020. They […]
The Culture of Communication in Schools
Can I get Positive Handling training specifically for Irish schools?
Dynamis trainers recently delivered positive handling training for a number of Irish schools. What did our team notice? And what recommendations might we make to other Irish schools following our experiences so far?