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Five-session mentoring course

Sensory regulation for neurodivergent pupils

Who it's for

Consider this course for a pupil showing:

  • Covering ears, avoiding eye contact, or flinching in response to noise, light or crowded spaces
  • Meltdown or shutdown after busy periods (corridors, assembly, lunch hall)
  • Strong avoidance of specific textures, sounds, smells or physical contact
  • Fidgeting, rocking, or other self-regulating movements, particularly under pressure
  • Difficulty transitioning between activities or environments without warning

What it works towards

  • Build the pupil's understanding of the pupil's own sensory profile in accessible, non-clinical language
  • Identify environments and situations that are most likely to cause sensory overwhelm
  • Build a practical, personalised sensory toolkit for regulation
  • Practise communicating sensory needs to staff and peers
  • Reduce the frequency and intensity of meltdown or shutdown episodes through planning, not correction

The five sessions

  1. Session 1 Getting to know my senses Pupil can identify at least two senses that feel more intense or sensitive for the pupil than others.
  2. Session 2 My triggers Pupil can name at least two specific school environments or situations that are hardest for the pupil sensorially.
  3. Session 3 My sensory toolkit Pupil can name and try at least two sensory regulation tools that work for the pupil.
  4. Session 4 Communicating my needs Pupil can rehearse asking for a sensory break or accommodation using the pupil's own words or a signal card.
  5. Session 5 My sensory support plan Pupil has a personalised sensory support plan shared with relevant staff.

A sixth session follows, without the pupil: the mentor writes the support plan and agrees next steps.

The approach, and where it comes from

This course treats sensory differences as a difference to plan around, not a behaviour to correct, a distinction that matters both for pupil wellbeing and for staff response. It reflects DfE's rapid evidence reviews on identifying and supporting pupils with sensory, physical and autism-related needs, and supports Ofsted's Inclusion focus, which expects mainstream settings to make reasonable, evidenced adjustments. This course complements, but does not replace, any existing EHC plan or SENCO-led support.

Try it with a small group

Three weeks free, no card, up to three staff and ten pupils. Everything recorded during the trial carries over if you continue.

Start the free pilot

Or read the white paper, which sets out the evidence behind each of the twenty courses.

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