Across the education sector, staff are working hard to create safe, inclusive environments where children and young people can thrive. For many schools, the challenge lies in balancing the needs of individual pupils with the collective wellbeing of the classroom. Sometimes, despite proactive strategies, children can become highly distressed and may need additional support to regulate emotions and regain a sense of calm.

National guidance on the use of force in schools states that any intervention should prioritise de-escalation, be reasonable and proportionate, and always be focused on keeping everyone safe. Training organisations such as Team Teach and Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) emphasise a whole-school approach to positive behaviour support. Their frameworks encourage preventative strategies, clear communication, and restorative practices, ensuring that physical interventions are only ever a last resort.

Within this landscape, the Safety Pod has emerged as a therepeutic, child-centred resource designed to compliment existing behaviour support practices in schools.

A Safety Pod is a soft, modular piece of supportive equipment designed to help staff provide comfort and security to children in moments of heightened distress. Unlike traditional furniture, its shape and materials allow children to feel contained and grounded, reducing the sensory overload that often fuels crisis behaviour.

Safety Pods are not about “holding” children or enforcing control. They are about creating a supportive environment where the child feels safe enough to calm, process emotions, and re-engage with learning. in many schools, they are already being used within sensory rooms, nurture spaces, and wellbeing hubs as a tool to support regulation and resilience.

A Therapeutic Alternative:

The Pod’s design provides deep pressure feedback, which is recognised by occupational therapists and behaviour specialists as beneficial for children with sensory processing needs, autism, or heightened anxiety. This feedback can reduce feelings of chaos and help the child transition back to a calmer state.

Embedding Positive Behaviour Approaches:

Consistent with training approaches like Team Teach, the Safety Pod supports the principle of “helping children to help themselves.” Rather than staff “doing something to” the child, the Safety Pod allows staff to “do something with” them- creating an opportunity for co-regulation and trust. Furthermore, our creative pathways have been specifically designed to involve children in the process of design, ensuring they play a lead role in the conversation around how best to support them in times of distress.

Reducing Escalation:

By offering a physical structure that feels safe, the Safety Pod helps to de-escalate situations before they reach crisis point. This reduces the likelihood of incidents where restrictive practices might otherwise be considered, aligning closely with Department for education guidance to minimise the use of force in schools.

Inclusion and Engagement:

Many schools have found that having a Safety Pod available as part of their behaviour support toolkit has improved outcomes for pupils who may otherwise struggle to remain in mainstream settings. By supporting emotional regulation, the Safety Pod promotes inclusion and gives children the tools they need to remain engaged in education.

Sensory Rooms and Calm Spaces:

A Safety Pod can act as a safe base where a child can retreat with staff support, accessing soothing sensory input while remaining supervised.

Nurture and Pastoral Support:

During periods of transition, anxiety, or social difficulty, the Safety Pod offers a physical reassurance that can aid therapeutic conversations.

Behaviour Support Plans:

For pupils with behaviour support plans, a Safety Pod can be integrated as part of staged de-escalation strategies, providing a structured and consistent option across staff teams.

Staff Training and Confidence:

When staff are trained in positive handling approaches and supported with tools like the Safety Pod, their confidence in managing challenging behaviour increases. This leads to safe, calmer outcomes for boht staff and pupils.

The Department for Education’s guidance emphasises that schools should seek to minimise the need for restrictive intervention by promoting positive relationships and creating supportive learning environments. The Safety Pod aligns with this ethos. By embedding therapeutic, child-centred resources into everyday practice, schools are better equipped to meet the needs of pupils who may otherwise require intensive intervention.

Schools already familiar with approaches such as those promoted by CPI and Team Teach will recognise the synergy: both stress proactive, preventative strategis, clear communication, and restorative follow-up. The Safety Pod strengthens this framework by offering a physical, therapeutic aid that enhances co-regulation and recovery.

As schools continue to invest in wellbeing and behaviour support, the Safety Pod provides a practical, evidence-informed option that prioritises care, safety, and inclusion. As a therapeutic resource, schools can ensure they remain aligned with national guidance while providing children with the best possible opportunity to succeed.

Every child deserves to feel safe, understood and supported in their school environment. With the right tools, training, and ethos, schools can continue to build cultures of compassion and resilience- and the Safety Pod can play a key role in making that vision a reality.

“The ethos behind the project aligned perfectly with what we stand for. We’re working hard to become a trauma- and attachment-informed school, and we’re in the process of opening a SEMH (Social, Emotional, and Mental Health) base provision, so engaging with this project was a very easy yes!”
Green Lane Primary School

“It was very positive as we were able to express our emotions and feelings in a creative way. I hope that I too can make something that is worthwhile like the inventor.”
Pupil- aged 14

“This project is excellent in empowering children who are often disempowered by the system. It increased the children’s confidence and sense of self-worth.”
Richmond Foundation, Malta

“Students have expressed a strong preference for the Safety Pods. Many report feeling more in control of their emotions and behaviours when they have access to a designated space where they can retreat, calm down, and regroup. The ability to use the Safety Pods as a proactive tool rather than a reactive measure has empowered students, giving them a sense of agency over their own emotional regulation.”