School Behaviour Secrets with Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton

Kids Aren’t Less Resilient - We’re Training It Out Of Our Students

Beacon School Support Season 1 Episode 266

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0:00 | 24:03

More children are struggling to cope with small setbacks in school.

Mistakes feel overwhelming. Frustration escalates quickly. And learning grinds to a halt.

In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, we explore why this isn’t about children being “less resilient” - and why common advice like “push through” or “try harder” often makes things worse.

You’ll learn how modern home and school environments have reduced children’s opportunities to practise coping with difficulty - and what that means for behaviour, learning and staff workload.

You’ll discover:

  • What resilience really is (and what it isn’t)
  • Why a packed curriculum and over-scaffolding can unintentionally undermine coping skills
  • The difference between resilience and grit - and where grit is often misunderstood
  • 4 practical classroom strategies to help children stay engaged when learning feels hard
  • How to support emotional regulation without removing challenge

This episode is for teachers, SENCOs and school leaders who want to build genuine resilience in children - without blame, pressure or unrealistic expectations.

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