When I was studying history in senior school 3 million years ago, I remember my favourite teacher (Miss Halford ) talk about how when we write we need to give pro’s and cons for everything. How even though we may have a clear answer in our head we must always share opinion from both sides of an argument to get a more rounded decision from the reader. So this post is just that, Archie and I DO have a clear favourite, but that’s just our view through our own personal experience. Each child and situation is unique so we are totally ok with you disagreeing with us, we just want to share what we have learned to help school staff moving forward and who knows…you may feel the same?
As all SENCO’s will testify, supporting children’s sensory needs is one of the most powerful ways to help them succeed in school—academically, socially, and emotionally. On a regulated child can learn! Two supporting approaches often chatted about are sensory circuits and sensory movement breaks. Both can be brilliant tools, but they work in very different ways and in my years of school support I’ve learned that for me, one has offered more flexibility, practicality, and real-world impact.
But in the words of Miss Halford “Let’s take a look at each before we give away our conclusion”
So,What Actually Are Sensory Circuits?
Sensory circuits are structured, three-part activity routines often embedded into a timetable. They should include:
- Alerting activities
- Organising activities
- Calming activities
A well-designed and well supported sensory circuit can help regulate a child’s sensory system and prepare them for learning. When they’re done right, they can make a real difference. There are so many positives to sensory circuits ( when they are done in the right frame of time and with a well trained deliverer.)
They can be…
- Predictable and consistent: Children who thrive on structure often respond well to the routine.
- Holistic regulation: Covering alerting, organising, and calming activities ensures a full sensory “reset.”
- Research-informed: Many circuits are built on strong occupational therapy principles.
But Here’s the Harsh But True Reality I See In Multiple Schools…
( not their fault BTW!)
In theory, sensory circuits are brilliant but…
In practice, unless a school has a permanent, dedicated setup, they can be a massive job to set up and take down every day. TA’s are already extremely thin on the ground and space is often at a premium.
In my many years of delivering in-school support, I’ve seen this becoming a massive barrier. Staff don’t always have the time, the space, or the training to implement sensory circuits consistently and with the accuracy that they need and deserve. And when something isn’t consistent (IMO) it loses effectiveness and can sometimes make things worse. For example, if you run out of time and don’t hit enough “calming end” to really get a child regulated, you could be sending a pupil into a maths lesson more active than they were when they went in. Likewise, if you make a child too calm they may become so relaxed and almost sleepy that getting in gear for a tough lesson could be near impossible. Its way more complex than many people think!
So, What Are Sensory Movement Breaks?
Sensory movement breaks are short, responsive, flexible moments throughout the day that support what a child needs right then and there. They might include:
- A quick alerting activity
- A grounding or calming strategy
- A simple organising task
- A brief walk
- A regulation tool that helps “reset” the individual child’s sensory system from its starting point.
There is no rigid structure, it is just what works for that child in that moment. That’s why I LOVE IT!
Positives of Sensory Movement Breaks
- Completely individualised: You respond to sensory needs as and when they arise.
- Flexible and easy to deliver: No equipment or dedicated time or space is needed.
- Prevents escalation: Because they’re immediate, they often stop dysregulation before it grows. We always prefer proactivity where possible but it supports reactivity too!
- Natural fit in a busy school day: Staff can often integrate them without major disruption to either schedule or budget.
So, which do Archie and I prefer?
Over the years, and working directly with hundreds of children in schools, I’ve found that sensory movement breaks give me the freedom to use my judgement, professional intuition, and real lived experience knowledge. It’s literally what I have done with my own children their whole lives.
Every child presents differently from day to day, lesson to lesson, moment to moment.
Every classroom has a different atmosphere that can also change in an instant.
Every day brings different challenges, different starting points and different end goals. Even the speed or exertion of the school commute can have a huge impact . There is a real difference in need from a child that has traveled an hour by car compared to the child that has walked for 20 minutes to get in! One will need a calm or soft landing, the other will need a ” wake me up” or an alerting activity to get their brain ready for learning. Some need organising tasks to bring focus while others simply need to calm their body and mind before re-entering learning.
See….its tricky!
In my experience, this level of responsiveness isn’t something you can always get from a pre-planned, fixed sensory circuit. How can it when there are so many variations in need?
And the truth is, many school staff simply haven’t been given the in depth training or lived experience to confidently identify what areas of the sensory circuit need longer than others etc. This isn’t their fault—schools right now are over- stretched, support staff are juggling multiple responsibilities, and sensory expertise isn’t always accessible. Even the ITT packages are very “Surface level “when it comes to SEND training ( IMO) let alone TA the training.
That’s why we champion sensory movement breaks and TA’s with lived experience at Awesome Archie Non Profit.
For me they feel a little more practical, sustainable, child-centred and easier for staff to learn and embed with support. They empower adults to support children in the moment, rather than relying on a system that might not be possible to run consistently.
Sensory circuits absolutely have value, Sensory movement breaks do too, but the approach that works best is always the one that can be delivered consistently and effectively, with the child’s unique sensory profile at the heart…again , IN MY OPINION!
At Awesome Archie, our lived experience has shown time and time again that flexible, responsive sensory movement breaks are the most realistic and impactful option for most school environments and thats why you’ll often see me and my student on the floor of a corridor with lego 🙂
If your school would like help implementing sensory strategies, training staff, or understanding children’s sensory profiles, we’d be delighted to support you at Neurocreative Media where we can create a bespoke online presentation for you to share with your staff. www.neurocreativemedia.co.uk.
http://www.neurocreativemedia.co.uk
