🎄 The December Checkpoint: Reflecting on Term One

Supporting School Staff Through Term One: Celebrating December and Preparing for January with Evidence-Based SEMH Strategies

👋 Welcome to SEMH Education

I post weekly strategies and insights for professionals supporting children with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs.

I’m Kieran, a former teacher and current Education Officer. Each week, I share evidence-informed tools, practical advice, and real-world reflections to help you create safer, more inclusive learning environments.

📌 In this post: A letter for the end of term, plus the most-read posts you may have missed this autumn.

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Dear Teacher, Dear TA, Dear Pastoral Lead,

You made it.

Not just to Friday. Not just to the end of a lesson or the end of a tough conversation with a parent. You made it to December. The first big milestone of the academic year.

And that deserves to be named.

Because September feels like a lifetime ago now, doesn’t it? All those fresh starts, new displays, and carefully planned seating plans. The optimism. The nervous energy. The hope that this year might just be a little easier.

And then October happened. Then November. And suddenly you’re here at the end of December, maybe holding it together, maybe barely, wondering how it’s only been one term!

🎄 What This Term Has Asked of You

You’ve held space for children who didn’t know how to hold themselves.

You’ve co-regulated when your own nervous system was frayed.

You’ve adapted lessons on the fly when a child’s dysregulation derailed your carefully timed plan.

You’ve had conversations with parents that required more emotional labour than anyone outside of education will ever understand.

You’ve written reports, managed behaviour, covered colleagues, attended meetings, and still found a way to smile at the door every morning.

You’ve noticed the quiet ones. The angry ones. The ones who are just starting to fade.

And even when it felt like you weren’t doing enough, you were doing everything.

💚 A Pause Before January

If you’re reading this during the holidays, I’m glad you’re here. But I also want to say this gently: you don’t need to be thinking about school right now.

Rest isn’t a luxury. It’s not something you earn after you’ve caught up on planning or sorted your classroom. Rest is a necessity. Your nervous system needs it. Your body needs it. Your relationships need it.

January will come. The children will come back. The challenges will still be there. But you’ll meet them better if you’ve actually stopped.

So if you’re reading this with a cup of tea, half-watching something mindless on TV, good. Stay there. You’ve earned it.

📚 If You Are in Reflection Mode: Posts You May Have Missed

That said, I know some of you find the holidays are when you finally have headspace to think, plan, or just absorb something useful without the pressure of applying it immediately.

If that’s you, here are the most popular posts from this term. Each one is packed with practical, immediately usable strategies. And if you missed them in the chaos of September to December, now’s a great time to catch up.

🧠 Building Reflective Practice Into Everyday Routines

This one resonated with so many of you. It’s about making reflection a habit, not a luxury, and includes a free downloadable Reflective Thinking Wheel to use in staff meetings, supervision, or solo after a tough day.

If you’re someone who struggles to pause and process, this post gives you the structure to do it without adding to your workload.

Why read it now? The holidays are a natural time for reflection. This post will help you think about what worked this term, and what you want to carry into January.

🪞Building Reflective Practice Into Everyday Routines ✨

⚡ 3 Quick Wins for a Dysregulated Class

When the whole room feels off and your usual strategies aren’t landing, these three techniques can help you reset without needing to replan your entire lesson.

From art-based regulation tasks to strategic use of movement and mindfulness, this post gives you tangible tools you can try on Day 1 of next term.

Why read it now? January can feel like another September. Pupils (and staff) often come back dysregulated after the break. Having a few quick-win strategies ready can make all the difference.

🧘‍♂️3 Quick Wins for Regulating a Dysregulated Class 🎨📺

📦 How to Introduce a Regulation Station Into Any Classroom

This was one of the most saved and shared posts of the term. It breaks down exactly what to include in a low-cost, high-impact regulation station, and how to introduce it without it becoming a distraction or a free-for-all.

Even if you don’t have space or budget, this post shows you how to start small with a box on a shelf.

Why read it now? If you’ve been thinking about trying this but haven’t had the time, the holidays are the perfect moment to gather a few fidget tools, sensory items, or calming activities ready for January.

📦 How to Introduce a Regulation Station in Any Classroom

🔄 Transitions That Work: Supporting Vulnerable Pupils Through Every Change

Transitions aren’t just September to October, or Year 6 to Year 7. They’re lesson to lesson, break time to learning time, and weekend to Monday morning. This post unpacks why transitions are so hard for vulnerable pupils, and what you can do to scaffold them at every level.

It includes up-regulation and down-regulation activities, quick-win classroom adjustments, and guidance on supporting pupils through managed moves, AP placements, and reintegration.

Why read it now? January is a transition. Pupils will be coming back from two weeks of different routines, different sleep patterns, and different levels of structure. Anticipating this now will help you support them when they return.

🤝 Transitions That Work: Supporting Vulnerable Pupils Through Every Change

😞 When Children Say “School’s Not for Me”: A Roadmap for Supporting Attendance

This post hasn’t been published yet, but I’m expecting it to be one of the most impactful of the year. It walks you through every stage of Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), from early withdrawal to persistent absence, and what you can do at each point.

It includes relational strategies, multi-agency working, how to use alternative provision effectively, and what to do when you’ve tried everything.

Why read it now? Attendance often dips in January. If you’ve got a child on your radar who’s been struggling, or you know a family who’s close to breaking point, this post will give you a clear, compassionate framework for how to help.

🌟 What January Asks of You

You don’t need to be perfect in January. You don’t need to transform your practice overnight or implement five new strategies before the kids walk through the door.

You just need to show up. To notice. To hold space.

The children who struggled in September will still be struggling in January. But you’ll know them better now. You’ll understand their patterns. You’ll recognise their early signs of dysregulation. And that knowledge is powerful.

You’ve already built relationships that matter. You’ve already made a difference, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.

January isn’t about starting over. It’s about continuing, with more wisdom, more patience, and hopefully, a little more rest behind you.

💬 A Reminder Before You Go

If this term has felt impossible, if you’ve questioned whether you’re making any difference at all, I want you to know: you are.

Every time you stayed calm when a child wasn’t.
Every time you adapted your plan to meet a need.
Every time you checked in, followed up, or simply noticed.

You were teaching something far more important than your subject. You were teaching that adults can be safe. That school can be a place where you’re seen, not just managed.

And that’s the work that changes lives.

🧡 Thank You

Thank you for doing this work.
Thank you for showing up when it’s hard.
Thank you for being the adult a child needed today.

You matter. You’re needed. You’re not alone.

Rest well. You’ve earned it.

With warmth,
Kieran
SEMH Education

💬 What’s one thing you’re proud of from this term? Drop it in the comments, I’d love to celebrate it with you.