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A noisy workshop can feel like a storm, but what if the path to learning starts with rhythm, not rush? We sit down with D&T teacher Ailis Brown from a specialist SEMH school in Leeds to unpack how safety, trust, and regulation turn short lessons into meaningful progress. From clocks and board games to careful joinery, Ailis shows how a flexible bank of projects meets pupils where they are and gently moves them forward.

We compare mainstream pressures with the reality of SEMH: small classes that still stretch a teacher’s attention, 40-minute slots that yield 15–20 minutes of true learning, and the need to plan projects that run in parallel because attendance and readiness vary. You’ll hear how TAs act as experts on the child while the subject teacher guards the craft, and why writing individual objectives on the board can become a quiet briefing that keeps everyone aligned. The standout insight is rhythm: repetitive tasks like sanding and filing act as regulation tools, helping students steady their breathing, settle their senses, and rejoin cognitive work without confrontation.

Ailis is candid about shifting aims—from grade targets to life readiness—and honest about the moral weight of results-driven systems. We explore practical strategies for mainstream teachers supporting students with SEMH needs: build calm routines, reduce waiting, prepare fallback tasks that still feel purposeful, and remember the mantra, “you can’t fight chaos with chaos.” Expect takeaways you can try tomorrow, along with a renewed sense that design and technology isn’t just about products; it’s about giving young people a safe place to practise patience, precision, and pride.

If this conversation helped you rethink your workshop or classroom, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so others can find it. Have thoughts or a story to add? Send a voice memo via Speakpipe or email us—links in the show notes.

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