121. Developing self-regulation

Self-regulation is the ability to manage your emotions, thoughts, and behaviours to suit different situations. For primary school pupils, this skill is still developing and often requires co-regulation – where an adult provides support to help the child regain calm. Effective self-regulation helps children focus on learning, build stronger friendships, and handle daily stressors like frustration or tiredness.

Teaching self-regulation to primary pupils is basically helping them learn how to hit the pause button when they’re feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. Think of it like teaching them to drive their own ’emotional car’, they need to know when to accelerate and when to apply the brakes.

This staff meeting starter provides an opportunity for staff to consider how frequently and how effectively they directly teach self-regulation strategies and how confident they are at supporting pupils through co-regulation.

Linked resources

Self-regulation is closly linked with executive function. Premium subscribers can watch our mini-training module about executive function where we explain what executive function is, why it is important to educators, and how to develop pupils’ executive function through a range of strategies. 

120. Developing community engagement

Effective community engagement in schools focuses on building reciprocal relationships where schools, families, and local organisations work together to support pupil success. It builds a culture of belonging, improves pupil outcomes, and strengthens local bonds. Think of school community engagement less like a formal presentation and more like building a neighbourhood network. It’s about moving from ‘us vs. them’ to ‘we’re all in this together’. Initiatives enhance the school reputation, while making the community feel invested in the educational journey of its pupils.

This staff meeting starter provides an opportunity for teachers to consider the current position of the school and development strategies to shift from a ‘top-down’ approach to one of active collaboration to improve attendance, boost academic outcomes and foster a genuine sense of belonging.

Linked resources

Premium subscribers can access a self-evaluation document to help school leaders audit community involvement and engagement. This will provide leaders with the relevant information to identify areas to improve school-community relationships and strengthen local ties by planning community involvement strategies for the school, whilst balancing this with the school improvement priorities. It can be found in the resource bank.

119. The importance of motivation

Motivation in the primary classroom is the driving force that converts a child’s potential into actual learning. It’s the spark that fuels curiosity, builds a lasting love of learning, and helps children develop the resilience they need when things get tricky. When pupils feel motivated, we see it straight away in their engagement, behaviour, and progress…it’s the bridge between effort and achievement.

Motivated learners don’t give up easily. They ask questions, stay curious, and begin to develop the self-regulation habits that will support them throughout their education. In the primary years, this matters enormously: these early experiences shape how children see themselves as learners and how confident they feel tackling new challenges.

This staff meeting starter helps staff to consider how they foster motivation in pupils through cultivating autonomy, competence and relatedness.

118. Why understanding pupils’ lived experiences matter

A child’s world outside of school acts like a blueprint for how they’ll do inside the classroom. When they have a stable home and solid relationships, they’re naturally more curious and ready to dive into learning.

But if they’re dealing with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), things like neglect, abuse, or constant high stress, it changes how their brain works. Instead of focusing on a maths problem, their brain stays stuck in survival mode, making it incredibly hard to concentrate or even just show up to class. The good news is that school can also be a safe haven. Positive school experiences and supportive teachers can actually help ‘buffer’ the impact of a difficult home life and build up a child’s resilience.

This staff meeting starter encourages staff to consider how well they know individual pupil’s lived experiences and how they use this information to support pupils in their educational journey.