Why "Anxiety Awareness" is Failing Our Schools—And What to Do Instead
In the last three years, "Anxiety Awareness" has peaked in UK schools. We have the posters, we have the assemblies, and we have the terminology. Yet, attendance figures remain at crisis point, and pastoral teams are reporting record levels of burnout.
The truth is, awareness only identifies the fire; it doesn't provide the extinguisher.
The Problem with "Wait and See"
For many schools, the standard procedure for an anxious student is to monitor the situation while waiting for a clinical referral. But with CAMHS waiting lists often stretching into years, "wait and see" effectively becomes "wait and worsen."
When a child is stuck in a state of high anxiety, they aren't just "worried"—their brain has physically shifted out of the "Learning Zone" and into a survival state.
The Science of Regulation: The "Learning Zone"
To learn, a child must be within their Window of Tolerance. When anxiety pushes them out of this window, they enter Hyper-arousal (flight/fight, disruption, panic) or Hypo-arousal (shutdown, school refusal, masking).
The STILL Method doesn't ask the child to "stop being anxious." Instead, it provides a neuro-inclusive framework to widen that window. We teach staff and students how to regulate the nervous system in real-time.
From Listening to Coaching: The 5-Step Shift
Most pastoral support is built on listening. While vital, listening doesn't always build resilience. The STILL Method shifts the conversation toward coaching using five specific steps:
STOP: Techniques to physically interrupt the adrenaline spike.
TALK: Identifying the "Thinking Traps" that fuel the anxiety.
IMAGINE: Using cognitive tools to rehearse a different outcome.
LISTEN: Tuning into the body’s signals before they become a crisis.
LEARN: Building a personalized "Calm Toolkit" the student can use independently.
How to Bring the STILL Method to Your School
If you are ready to move beyond awareness and give your staff a practical toolkit, there are three ways to get started:
Train a Specialist: Send a member of your pastoral or SEND team to our Accredited Anxiety Coach Training or our Emotional Regulation Training.
Self-Paced Learning: Access our Online Training Portal for flexible staff development.
Whole-School Approach: Book a consultation call to discuss bespoke training for your entire trust or teaching team.
Don't just manage anxiety. Coach through it.
