We know that schools come with their own well-established systems and pressures. The Brain Friends doesn’t aim to replace what's already in place, it builds upon it. We've listened to teachers and parents and designed a model that addresses the gaps many have experienced: a lack of interoception, relatable neuroscience, and an easy way to bring everyone - staff, pupils, and families onto the same page.

This is a whole-school solution that respects the foundation you've already built. We understand that time is limited, experience varies, and schools need approaches that meet them where they are, not where a manual says they should be. The Brain Friends is not just a tool, it is a complete model for emotional development, relational teaching, and inclusive behaviour support. It is fully adaptable to your school’s context and can be used as a standalone framework to embed emotional regulation, neuroscience-informed practice and wellbeing across the curriculum and school culture. It teaches children how their brains and bodies work together, and how to regulate from the inside out. It’s practical, playful, inclusive, and grounded in science.

The Brain Friends help schools to:

✔ Support all children, including those with SEND and sensory differences

✔ Foster co-regulation and connection instead of compliance

✔ Empower children with tools they can actually use — in class, at home, and for life

✔ Create consistency across staff teams and support adults to respond with compassion

It also works really well alongside existing models. Whether your setting uses The Zones of Regulation, Emotion Coaching, or Restorative Conversations, The Brain Friends enrich and complement these approaches. They provide the shared language and foundational brain-based understanding that helps children connect the dots between what they feel, how they behave, and what they need. 

By focusing on co-regulation, interoception, and a compassionate lens for behaviour, The Brain Friends brings everything together, empowering children to better understand themselves and empowering adults to support them in doing so.

How The Brain Friends Support Restorative, Connected Behaviour Conversations

The Brain Friends model helps teachers move beyond behaviour charts and consequences by offering a compassionate, neuroscience-based approach to understanding what’s really going on beneath the surface of children's actions.

A New Language for Behaviour

Instead of asking, “Why did you do that?”, teachers can use the Brain Friends to open a more reflective dialogue:

• "Was your Lenny (body) feeling unsafe or overwhelmed?"
• "Did Mylo (feelings) sound the alarm with a big emotion?"
• "Was Orla (thinking brain) taking a break when that happened?"

This language gently shifts the focus away from blame and towards curiosity and connection.

Why This Works

Children often don’t know why they acted a certain way, especially if they were dysregulated. The Brain Friends® framework helps them:

• Reflect on which brain state they were in
• Make sense of their bodily sensations and emotions
• Identify what they needed in the moment

It also helps teachers:

• Respond with empathy and insight rather than punishment
• Guide children through co-regulation
• Build long-term behavioural flexibility through emotional literacy

How It Supports Restorative Conversations

When conflict arises or rules are broken, The Brain Friends can support restorative practices by:

• Naming what happened in a safe, non-blaming way
• Understanding what the child was feeling and why
• Exploring what might help next time
• Repairing relationships and rebuilding trust

Here are some ways to use The Brain Friends during a behaviour check-in:

• "Let’s talk to Lenny. What was your body telling you?"
• "What feeling was Mylo showing you?"
• "Do you think Orla could help you figure out what to do next?"

By using this shared language, children begin to see behaviour as something they can learn from, not something they should be ashamed of. This is the heart of a relational, restorative classroom culture.

Integrating The Brain Friends® and The Zones of Regulation: A Whole-School Approach

Many schools already use The Zones of Regulation as a helpful starting point for supporting children with emotional awareness. The Brain Friends® model builds on this familiar framework, offering a more complete and inclusive approach that still allows for Zones-style tools to be used in tandem. See 'How to Integrate with Zones guide below'.

The Brain Friends® help children understand not only what they’re feeling, but why they’re feeling it — and what to do next. It adds in the missing links of brain science, body awareness (interoception), and personalised regulation strategies for all learners, especially those with SEND.

Why The Brain Friends Makes the Difference

The Zones of Regulation introduces basic emotional vocabulary — but The Brain Friends® take it further by teaching children how their brains and bodies work together, and how to regulate from the inside out. It’s practical, playful, inclusive, and grounded in science.