Worry

Provision and/or strategies: approaches, adjustments and specific interventions expected to be made by settings according to the ages and stages of the CYP

Universal

• Recognise that cognition and learning differences can impact self‑esteem, leading to anxiety, frustration or avoidance.
• Be aware of protective factors, including:
  • Supportive relationships (family, staff, peers)
  • Opportunities for success beyond academics
  • Recognition of strengths
• Maintain a strengths‑based approach, valuing each CYP's abilities and contributions.
•  Create a safe, predictable environment by:
  • Providing consistent routines and clear expectations to reduce uncertainty
  • Clarifying task demands and success criteria before starting activities
  • Noticing and responding to task avoidance, understanding its underlying function
  • Adapting tasks so that barriers do not prevent participation or success
• Support engagement and motivation by building positive associations with learning through:
  • High levels of encouragement and support
  • Meaningful, relevant and accessible tasks
  • Focusing on effort, progress and strategy use rather than outcomes alone
  • Providing regular, specific positive feedback, including strengths-based marking
  • Using rewards thoughtfully, balancing intrinsic motivation with appropriate external reinforcement
  • Using Positive Marking approaches (Feedback | EEF)
• Build confidence and success by planning frequent opportunities for success, including:
  • Scaffolded tasks
  • Differentiated outcomes
  • Backward chaining where needed
  • Identifying and nurturing individual strengths and interests
  • Providing opportunities for CYP to demonstrate competence, such as explaining or teaching others
• Develop ownership and independence by:
  • Encouraging CYP voice, asking what helps and what doesn't
  • Supporting goal setting and reflection (e.g. using visual trackers or checklists)
  • Regularly reviewing CYP progress
• Promote metacognition, helping CYP understand how they learn and succeed.
• Support regulation and resilience by explicitly teaching self‑regulation strategies, such as:
  • Managing frustration
  • Calming techniques
  • Problem-solving approaches
• Provide structured scaffolding, gradually reducing support over time.
• Teach independence and self‑help skills through planned practice.
• Promote a growth mindset by:
  • Promoting the belief that ability develops through effort and practice.
  • Normalising mistakes as part of learning.
  • Using consistent language that emphasises progress, effort and persistence.
• Provide structured opportunities to demonstrate competence, including:
  • Supported presentations.
  • Teaching peers or younger learners.
  • Practical or non-written tasks.
• Link learning to interests, strengths and real-life relevance.
• Reinforce strengths consistently across contexts.
• Teach and practise strategies in real contexts, not just in isolation.
• Use highly scaffolded, achievable tasks to ensure early success.
• Build in frequent, planned success points within tasks.
• Explicitly teach alternative behaviours to avoidance, such as:
  • Asking for help.
  • Requesting a break.
  • Using a strategy.
• Use graded exposure, gradually increasing task demands.
• Break the avoidance cycle by:
  • Starting with the easiest step.
  • Using backward chaining.
  • Reducing initial demands.

Targeted

• Identify specific barriers to engagement, e.g. fear of failure, low confidence, past negative experiences and avoidance behaviours.
• Use structured observations and pupil voice to understand triggers, patterns and preferred supports.
• Consider underlying needs, including cognition, communication, emotional regulation and sensory factors.
• Provide a consistent key adult to develop a secure, trusting relationship.
• Use regular check-ins to build connection, monitor wellbeing and reduce anxiety.
• Adopt a relational approach, responding calmly and predictably to avoidance or distress.
• Set highly individualised, short-term goals focused on engagement (e.g. starting a task, persisting for 5 minutes).
• Use visual goal trackers to show progress and build motivation.
• Provide structured choice (e.g. choice of task format, order, or topic).
• Use specific, process-focused praise linked to effort and strategy.
• Deliver small group interventions, focusing on:
  • Recognising emotions
  • Managing frustration
  • Coping with challenge
• Use co-regulation approaches, gradually transferring responsibility to the CYP.
• Use coaching and CBT approaches to develop independence and self-belief.
• Use consistent, tailored reinforcement systems, including:
  • Immediate, specific praise
  • Personalised rewards linked to effort
• Shift gradually from external rewards to intrinsic motivation.
• Work closely with families to ensure consistent approaches.
• Actively support CYP to develop their independence (especially post‑16) by:
  • Developing self-advocacy skills, including expressing needs and preferences.
  • Supporting resilience in real-life contexts (e.g. work experience, transitions).
  • Linking motivation to future goals, employment and independence.