Challenging Behaviour Training

As someone who works with children, it's likely that you have encountered challenging behaviour at some point in your career. It can be difficult to know how to deal with this sort of behaviour - research by the Department for Education in 2019 showed that it is a major reason for teachers to leave the profession. However, with the right knowledge and techniques - and the understanding that there is usually an underlying cause that needs to be identified and supported - you can handle challenging behaviour effectively, appropriately, and confidently.
This Challenging Behaviour training course provides learners with the knowledge they need to respond to challenging behaviour in children of all ages. It goes into detail about the underlying causes and functions of the behaviour, the proactive strategies you can use to reduce the likelihood of it occurring, and how to deflect or react to low-level behaviour. The course will also discuss extreme challenging behaviour, including how to de-escalate incidents and put support in place (such as behaviour support plans, restorative practice, and targeted interventions) to help the child after the event.
- Developed by education and behaviour specialists
- Accredited by CPD
- Fully online course and assessment with no time limits
- Full audio voiceover
- Accompanying course workbook and a range of downloadable, interactive resources
- Approximate duration: 3 hours
- On completion, certificate is posted the next working day
Who should take this course?
This online course is recommended for professionals who want to have a better understanding of how to respond to the behaviour of the children and young people that they work with. This includes:
- Teachers and teaching assistants.
- Childcare workers.
- Early years professionals.
- After-school club workers.
This course was created for all ages of children and young people, though some techniques may need to be adjusted to suit your setting and age range.
Certification

All of our courses are accredited by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to universally accepted Continuing Professional Development (CPD) guidelines.
On successful completion of the course you will be sent a quality assured certificate through the post the next working day. This can be used to provide evidence for compliance and audit.
Screenshots (click to view)
If you wish to try this course then register for a demo by clicking the 'interactive demo' button. You will be given the option to purchase and continue with your course at the end of your demo!
Interactive Demo
Course content
Module | Description | |
---|---|---|
1 | Understanding Challenging Behaviour | What is challenging behaviour, the impact of challenging behaviour, functions of behaviour, underlying causes of behaviour, understanding and explaining behaviour, the whole-school approach. |
2 | Proactive Behaviour Strategies | Modelling positive behaviour, building relationships, language, voice, and vocabulary, giving clear instructions, gaining pupils' attention, rules and routines, visual prompts, expectations, consistency, preparation, culture and challenging behaviour, rewards and recognition, the learning environment, engaging with parents and carers. |
3 | Managing Low-Level Disruption | What is low-level disruption, strategic ignoring, redirection, peer praise, correction, set responses, restorative practice, sanctions and consequences. |
4 | Responding to Extreme Behaviour | What is serious or extreme behaviour, de-escalation strategies, physical intervention, sanctions and consequences, resolving behaviour incidents, monitoring or documenting behaviour, behaviour support plans, interventions. |
5 | Expert Tips and Resources | Supporting yourself and others, self-care, research-based behaviour tips, behaviour audit survey, top tips infographic, challenging behaviour podcast, further reading, behaviour model, downloadable course summary. |
Download Course Overview (PDF)
Aims of the course
By the end of this course, you will:
- Understand what challenging behaviour is, theories behind it, its potential causes and functions, and the impact it has on the child and those around them.
- Be able to monitor and assess an individual child’s behaviour using tools such as a behaviour support plan.
- Understand the importance of a whole-school approach to behaviour.
- Be able to use proactive strategies, including building positive relationships with students, teaching rules and routines, optimising the learning environment, and using rewards effectively.
- Be able to use deflective strategies, such as redirection and peer praise, in response to low-level disruption.
- Be able to apply reactive strategies, such as set responses, sanctions, and consequences effectively.
- Understand how to respond effectively to extreme behaviour, including de-escalation strategies and physical intervention during the event, and restorative practice and targeted interventions after the incident.
Assessment
The online assessment is taken on completion of the training material. You will be asked 20 multiple choice questions with a pass mark of 80%. The answers are marked automatically so you will instantly know whether you have passed. If you don't pass don't worry! You can take the test as many times as you need with no extra charge.