Sensory Inclusive Schools

In our most recent SIS Network drop-in session, we reflected on personal regulation. We explored how our own nervous systems respond when life is busy, unpredictable, or demanding, and how those internal states quietly shape what we notice, how we interpret behaviour, and how we show up for the young people and adults we support.

In schools, we are often the steadying presence. We lend our nervous system through our voice, our pace, our posture, our facial expression, and our ability to stay curious rather than reactive. But co-regulation is not an endless resource. If we are running on empty, stretched, or holding too much stress, our capacity to co-regulate narrows. We may still be kind and skilled, but it becomes harder to stay patient, flexible, and responsive. This is not a personal failing. It is a predictable nervous system response when demand outweighs capacity.

We discussed that sensory inclusive practice is not only about what we put in place for pupils. It also includes what we put in place for ourselves. If we want to be the people who help others feel safe, we need to create the conditions that help our own nervous system feel safe, too.

So I invite you, if you can, use the half-term break to prioritise your own regulation. Spend time engaging in your sensory joys, whatever they are, and doing the simple supportive things that help your nervous system feel more settled. Your capacity matters. It is one of the foundations of sensory inclusive change.

All the best

Beth