Positive handling training for schools
Positive Intervention is our six-module programme for the whole school team. Staff learn to understand behaviour, prevent incidents and, when there is no other option, intervene safely, lawfully and with dignity.
What is Positive Intervention?
Schools often come to us looking for positive handling training, a behaviour management course or an alternative to Team Teach. Positive Intervention covers all three.
It is positive handling set within a wider, trauma-informed approach: prevention first, de-escalation second, and physical intervention only as a last resort. Every course is delivered by an Ofqual-assessed trainer and backed by ongoing access to clinical and education psychologists.
How Teach+ compares with traditional providers
Schools that switch to us usually want the same thing: training that is more rigorous, more trauma-informed and delivered by trainers whose quality is checked by someone else.
What The Course Covers
Six modules take staff from understanding behaviour to recovering well after an incident. Each is delivered by an Ofqual-assessed trainer and informed by clinical psychology.
Understanding SEND and trauma
Staff learn the root causes of challenging behaviour: special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), trauma and attachment. The module reframes behaviour as communication.
Supporting SEND needs through a trauma-informed approach
From understanding to action. Staff learn practical, evidence-based ways to support pupils with SEND every day, and how to create classrooms where every pupil feels safe and regulated.
Positive intervention skills and restorative practice
The heart of the course. Staff build verbal and non-verbal de-escalation skills, learn to spot the early stages of the aggression curve, and use restorative practice to repair relationships after an incident.
Understanding the law
Clear guidance on the legislation that applies to school staff, plus dynamic risk assessment and individual behaviour planning. Staff learn to act with confidence rather than hesitation.
Applying physical intervention
When every other strategy has been tried, staff need to know how to act safely and with dignity. Graded physical techniques designed for schools, taught as an emergency last resort by trainers with real classroom experience.
Wellbeing
Post-incident debriefing, staff recovery, restorative conversations with pupils, and building a culture of psychological safety, supported by ongoing access to our psychologists.
The law your staff need to know
Uncertainty about the law is one of the main reasons staff hesitate at critical moments. Module 4 covers:
WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH · ALL STAFF ROLES
Who Should Attend
A whole-school approach gives the most consistent results. The training is for everyone who works with pupils regularly:
Teachers and form tutors
Front-line confidence, grounded in the law
Teaching assistants
Often the people managing the most complex behaviour
SENCOs and SEND teams
Deeper SEMH knowledge and individual behaviour planning
Senior leaders
Legal duties, Ofsted expectations and policy
Pastoral and behaviour staff
Crisis support and restorative practice
Lunchtime and support staff
A consistent approach across the whole school day
What Schools Achieve
Fewer serious incidents
Schools report fewer and less severe behaviour incidents, with fewer exclusions and fewer injuries.
More confident staff
Staff who know what to do, and know the law, feel less anxious. That matters for retention, especially in schools with high SEMH needs.
Clear evidence for Ofsted
Consistent practice across the school and a clear record of staff development.
"The emphasis on de-escalation and understanding the psychology behind behaviour has transformed our approach. Our staff now have the confidence and skills to prevent situations from escalating, and when intervention is necessary, they can do so safely and effectively."
Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo)
Knowsley
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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The terms are often used interchangeably. Positive handling usually refers to safe physical responses. Positive Intervention includes positive handling but places it within a wider, trauma-informed approach that puts prevention, de-escalation and psychological support first.
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Description text goes here
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Yes. Teach+ is registered with the CPD Standards Office, follows DfE guidance and is delivered by Ofqual-assessed trainers. The course was designed by Level 3 Physical Restraint Instructors with Dr Carol Sadler, Chartered Clinical Psychologist. It covers the same legal ground as other providers, with far more depth on psychology and prevention.
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No. Modules 1, 2, 3 and 6 focus on understanding, preventing and recovering from incidents without physical intervention. Module 5 teaches physical techniques as an emergency last resort only.
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On-site at your school, by a Teach+ trainer. Choose full-day, half-day or twilight sessions. We work with schools across the UK.
Ready to see how Teach+ could work in your school?
Book a free behaviour audit. We will review your current training and policies and send you a written report with clear recommendations, with no obligation.