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Isolation rooms, sometimes called “reset rooms” or “calm spaces”, are now a common feature in many secondary schools. They’re designed to maintain classroom order and allow lessons to continue without disruption. But a new study suggests that this approach may be causing more harm than good, particularly for the most vulnerable learners.

At Strategy Education, we support schools and teachers across the country. Behaviour management is one of the toughest parts of school life, and it’s easy to see why internal exclusion feels like a practical option. Yet growing evidence suggests it can damage relationships, reduce a sense of belonging, and widen existing inequalities.

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Every teacher has had moments where emotions run high. A lesson unravels, students push boundaries, and the volume in the room seems to escalate by the second. In these moments, the instinct to raise your voice can feel natural and even necessary. But neuroscience tells us a different story.

At Strategy Education, we support teachers and school leaders across the UK, and part of that support includes advocating for approaches grounded in both research and real classroom experience. One area gaining more attention is the link between emotional safety and effective learning.

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Further Education (FE) is one of the most diverse and ever-changing parts of the education system. Yet it is often overlooked at the national level and in media coverage. At Strategy Education, we know the sector’s impact is enormous: helping learners to develop practical skills, confidence and independence long after school.

Across England, colleges and training providers are working with students from every background, offering everything from A‑levels and T‑Levels to vocational qualifications and adult learning. More than 1.7 million students study in Further Education each year, supported by dedicated teachers who combine subject expertise with life experience.

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When the new school year begins, the message to teachers, especially those just starting out, is consistent: get behaviour right from day one. This advice is sound. Clear routines and consistent expectations create safety and stability. But if we stop there, we risk overlooking something even more fundamental: how students actually learn.

We have seen time and again that behaviour and learning are not separate priorities; they are deeply connected. When we understand the limits of working memory and how attention functions, we can create classrooms where good behaviour flows naturally from effective learning.

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Every September seems to bring something new. A change in policy, a different assessment system, or a shiny new set of resources. Teachers are expected to adapt quickly, but the truth is, many of these changes are made without asking the people who actually use them.

I have lost count of the number of times I have sat in meetings and thought, If only someone had asked a classroom teacher first. Teachers know which ideas work in practice and which will add hours to the workload for very little gain. When that voice is missing, research can feel disconnected from real school life.

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As classroom demands evolve, teachers aren’t just educators, they’re behaviour managers, pastoral leaders, and role models. But how many teachers feel confident explaining how learning actually happens in the brain?

At Strategy Education, we often work with schools seeking teachers who not only deliver lessons but also understand the science of learning. It’s an area too often overlooked in both recruitment and professional development.

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In classrooms across the UK, teachers encounter far more than academic challenges. Students arrive at school carrying invisible burdens such as anxiety, low self-esteem and trauma, that can manifest as disengagement or disruptive behaviour.

Behind the visible behaviours often lie emotional barriers to learning, yet many teachers feel unprepared to respond in a way that goes beyond standard behaviour policies.

According to recent statistics, one-third of pupils in England don’t meet expected standards by the end of primary school. For disadvantaged children, that figure approaches half. Referrals to mental health services have increased by 35% in just one year, with many young people facing long waits for support.

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The Hidden Cost of the 60-Hour Week

In education, long hours are often worn like a badge of honour. Late nights marking, weekend planning, and early morning meetings all feel like part of the job. But a new neuroscience study suggests these long working weeks might be doing more than just exhausting teachers. They could be changing their brains.

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Are learning styles truly outdated, or can they still be helpful?

The Persistent Myth in Modern Teaching

If you’ve been in education long enough, chances are you’ve seen lesson plans labelled “visual”, “auditory”, or “kinaesthetic”. Maybe you’ve even written a few yourself. The theory behind learning styles, which involves teaching pupils based on their sensory preferences, has become a go-to planning habit for many teachers. But what if this widely accepted practice is not only ineffective but potentially damaging?
Recent research from Hattie & O’Leary (2025) puts the final nail in the coffin. After analysing 17 meta-analyses involving over 100,000 students, they found that matching teaching to a student’s “preferred learning style” has no significant impact on achievement. So why is this myth still so widespread and what should we be doing instead?

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