The Team Teach Podcast

In this episode, Clare talks to John Murray, Principal Team Teach trainer and education consultant at Jogo Behaviour Support, about the functions of behaviour. John outlines the challenges that professionals face when thinking about the underlying factors that drive behaviour, and explores what individuals might be trying to communicate through their words, actions, and body language.  John has be...

Dave Smallwood, Principal Team Teach trainer, talks to Clare about supporting staff emotional wellbeing at work. They discuss the importance of focusing on our own needs, as well as the needs of those we support, and reflect on how we can take care of each other as professionals.  They also highlight the correlation between wellbeing and staff retention, and explore sustainable, systematic ways to...

Dave Smallwood, a Principal Team Teach trainer, talks to Clare about how to support individuals on off-site trips. They explore the challenges that such occasions can pose, dealing with unforeseen situations, and how to best support individuals when outside of their usual environment.    Dave has extensive behaviour support experience. He has worked in special schools, for both the local authority...

In this episode, Clare talks to Dave Smallwood, Principal Team Teach trainer and Director at SENse Training and Consultancy. They discuss the difference between reacting and responding to behaviour, and how the culture and ethos of a setting influence our ability to empathise with and support the individuals in our care.  Dave has worked in special schools, for both the local authority and the Nat...

In this episode, Clare talks to Nancy Hooper, Health & Social Care Lead and a principal trainer at Team Teach, about creating positive cultures at work. She suggests that culture is defined by the experiences and behaviour of staff and caregivers, and discusses the importance of embodying shared values, welcoming different perspectives, and making sure everyone in an organisation feels recogni...

Simon Holding and Doremi Littlewood talk to Clare about effective de-escalation in complex needs services and settings. Reflecting on their years of experience in both adult social care and primary special education, they highlight the importance of self-awareness and emotional availability within staff teams and explore the impact of practitioners’ own experiences and preconceptions on those they...

In this episode, Clare talks to Dean Cotton, a Principal Team Teach trainer, about the use of rewards and consequences to support behaviour. Dean describes the impact of using rewards, and explores how they can sometimes inhibit the development of intrinsic motivation.    Dean worked in Early Years for 15 years, followed by a period in a school specialising in children and young people with SEMH n...

Hollie Edwards joins us on today's show to discuss supervision sessions and how these can benefit education settings. Hollie is the Director of Mental Health & Wellbeing at a junior school, as well as a supervisor, and counsellor. She is author of the book, Reflective Supervision in Education: Using Supervision to Support Pupil and Staff Wellbeing. In this episode, Hollie talks about her exper...

Speech therapist Karen Massey, joins Clare to discuss supporting individuals with Down Syndrome, particularly with speech and language. Karen talks specifically about education settings, but this episode may also be useful for anyone supporting individuals with Down Syndrome. As an award-winning child speech therapist, Karen has worked as a therapist both for the NHS in special education and priva...

Dr Tina Rae is discussing Emotionally Based School Avoidance, or EBSA, in Part 2 of a two-part bumper episode. Dr Tina Rae has 40 years’ experience working with children, adults, and families in clinical and educational contexts within local authorities and specialist services. She is currently working as a Consultant Educational and Child Psychologist in a range of specialist and mainstream conte...

Today, Dr Tina Rae is discussing Emotionally Based School Avoidance, or EBSA, in Part 1 of a two-part bumper episode. Dr Tina Rae has 40 years’ experience working with children, adults, and families in clinical and educational contexts within local authorities and specialist services. She is currently working as a Consultant Educational and Child Psychologist in a range of specialist and mainstrea...

Clare is joined by Lynn McCann, an autism, ADHD, and PDA specialist teacher to discuss supporting children with a demand-avoidant profile. Lynn has published 5 books and particularly enjoys working with young people to enable their voices to be heard in their educational support. Lynn delivers training to a wide range of settings, including schools, charities and parent groups. Lynn's new book is...

In this episode, Hannah Smart discusses all things related to positive relationships and why she feels these are the foundation of great schools and effective classroom practice.      Hannah is an Executive Headteacher of two special schools which are part of the Transforming Futures Multi Academy Trust. The trust is based predominately in Plymouth but covers, through their Alternative Provision (...

In this episode, guest Debs Kemp discusses the impact behaviour can have on staff wellbeing and practical ways to support staff, particularly in education settings. Debs Kemp is an experienced Assistant Headteacher in the South East. She has extensive experience leading on behaviour, teaching and learning and student voice. She is also a regional lead for WomenEd, a group for women leaders in educ...

In this episode, our guest, Nick Burnett, joins Clare to talk about restoring and repairing relationships through restorative practice. Nick explains the key principles around restorative practice and its roots in restorative justice programmes. Both Clare and Nick share their experiences of how the process can be adapted for those with pre and non-verbal communication. As with all Team Teach Trai...

Aaron Newcombe joins Claire in this episode to discuss how we can help to support individuals with multiple and complex needs through a crisis. Aaron has supported in the community in adult day services for over sixteen years. His career spans from working as a support worker for those with multiple and complex needs and learning difficulties to coordinating all day services across the Midlothian...

This episode is a must-listen for professionals supporting trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) and those who are in teacher training themselves. After teaching in primary schools for 17 years, spending time supporting in nurture groups and Pupil Referral Units, Dr Emma Clarke is now a senior lecturer for an initial teacher training course. Her interests include approaches to supporting behavi...

Host Clare discusses the importance of positive approaches to behaviour with expert guest, Jonathan Newport. Jonathan is the Global Director of Team Teach , leading providers of positive behaviour training and the power behind My Family Coach, a free resource for parents and carers. He has over 25 years’ experience working in education, including as headteacher of a Barnardo’s school. Jonathan's w...

In this episode, Ali Martin talks to Clare about understanding behaviour as a communication, specifically when working with children and young people. She focuses particularly on anxiety levels and the messaging children and young people can hear. Ali discusses how we can often misread behaviours which are driven by fears and anxieties, and clarifies the differences between having worries and anxi...