BrightPaths

15/10/2026

We’ve been thinking about how we could give young people more opportunities to have a say in what we do at BrightPaths and we have an idea we’d love your thoughts on…

We’re exploring bringing together a small group of young people aged 16-25 who might be interested in psychology, education, SEND, mentoring or youth work or those that just care about making things better for other young people.

They could help us shape resources, share their thoughts on campaigns and ideas, tell us what they think is (and isn’t!) helpful.

In return, we hope it could be a chance to explore their interests, build confidence and skills, meet other young people, get involved in projects and gain some useful experience.

We’re thinking of starting small with one online meeting a month, and seeing how things go. Before we develop the idea any further, we want to know what young people think.

If you’re 16-25 and might be interested or you know a young person who might be - we’d love to hear from you. Send us a DM or let us know in the comments 💬

If you know someone in your network who might like to be involved, we’d really appreciate you sharing with them too ☺️ Thank you!

14/10/2026

This.

In our work with young people, we see this so much - a diagnosis used to explain a young person's distress. This is never ok.

A young person's needs must be understood in the context of their environment irrespective of whether they are neurodivergent.

We must get better at listening to what children are telling us and make adjustments to lessen these feelings of distress.

Beadle Speaker

10/10/2026

Sometimes, “What’s wrong?” is just too big a question.

At BrightPaths, we use visual statements and cards in sessions to give children and young people another way to tell us what’s going on.

They might choose one that feels like them, decide it’s not quite right, change it or add an important “yes, but…”. Sometimes that’s where the most useful conversation starts.

The statements in this post aren’t direct quotes collected in response to one question. They’re based on the sorts of things children and young people have expressed to us through talking, choosing cards, drawing and doing activities.

“I need space” might become “I need space, but I still want you nearby.”
Anger might actually be overwhelm.
And what helps one young person might be completely different from what helps another.

That’s why listening isn’t only about asking the question. Sometimes we need to make it easier for young people to show us the answer.

We’ve created a simple downloadable worksheet this to help children and young people explore what a difficult day can feel like for them, and what might help.

Download it here: https://brightpaths.org.uk/blog/explore-our-new-free-wellbeing-resource-hub/

08/10/2026

We really liked this from the British Dyslexia Association, particularly the idea of thinking about the tools that help different people learn.

It’s easy to see that a child is struggling with something, but understanding which part they’re finding difficult can be much harder.

A child who can read the words but struggles to answer a question about them may have used so much effort decoding that they’ve lost track of the meaning. A child who seems not to have listened to an instruction may have understood it perfectly well, but struggled to hold all the steps in their working memory.

The thing we see – forgetting, avoiding, getting stuck or giving up, isn’t always the thing we need to solve. Sometimes it helps to ask - which bit is actually hard?

Because once we understand that, we can start thinking about what might make that particular bit easier, rather than changing what we ultimately want the child to achieve. If the goal is understanding a story, perhaps someone else reading the text aloud helps, if the goal is practising decoding, perhaps reducing the amount of text makes that task more manageable. That way, the goal hasn’t changed, but the route to getting there has.

Understanding the barrier for the child or young person can make it much easier to find the tool that helps.

🏫 Bring into your primary school!

Looking for a ready-to-run way to help children understand dyslexia and celebrate different ways of thinking?

Our free Dyslexia Awareness Week 2026 school resource is designed for learners aged 5 to 11 and includes a ready-to-deliver assembly or lesson, plus a hands-on activity exploring the tools and adjustments that help people learn, communicate and feel confident.

📚 Includes a presentation, quiz, discussion scenario, lesson plan, teacher guidance, age-specific adaptations and printable activity sheets.

👉 Download the free resource and get your school involved in Dyslexia Awareness Week 2026: https://loom.ly/eqPn5Mw

03/10/2026

We often encourage children to recognise and name their emotions so they can begin to understand what they need to help them find ways to regulate big feelings.

But we’ve been thinking about what happens when recognising those emotions is difficult in the first place?

For children with alexithymia, identifying and describing how they feel can be difficult. So how can we expect them to cope with their feelings, if they are unable to identify their emotions?

If a child can’t easily recognise the emotion they’re experiencing or understand what they need, they might find other ways to regulate or feel ‘okay’.

Sometimes that can look like the behaviour adults tend to praise, but what looks like a child coping well on the outside may be masking negative feelings and what’s really happening for them, simply because they’re trying so hard to keep everyone else happy.

A child shouldn’t have to understand everyone else’s emotions before they understand their own.

What can we do as parents and professionals to make that a little easier? Visit our wellbeing hub (link in comments) to find out more about alexithymia, masking and self-suppression, along with some small changes we can make to the way we communicate and respond that may help children feel safer being themselves.

02/10/2026

We’re very proud to see our CEO, Tasha Leader, featured by Twinkl Resources!

Tasha spoke to Twinkl about fidget tools and why we need to think differently about the conversations we have around them.

Rather than deciding that a particular fidget is helpful or unhelpful, Tasha encourages us to look at the individual child and think about what the tool might be doing for them. It could be helping them regulate, concentrate, process information or manage what is happening around them. For another child, the very same tool might not help at all.

That approach is an important part of how we work at BrightPaths - children don’t all experience the world in the same way, so it makes sense that the things that help them won’t always be the same either. Taking time to understand what is happening for a child, and listening to what they tell us helps, can make such a difference.

You can read her conversation with Twinkl here:

Instant access to inspirational lesson plans, schemes of work, assessment, interactive activities, resource packs, PowerPoints, teaching ideas at Twinkl!

25/09/2026

New research from Impetus and Public First suggests that the school attendance crisis is about disengagement, rather than simply behaviour.

The slides below share some of the findings from the research, including what school staff said may be driving persistent absence and the support they felt could make a difference.

Teachers linked persistent absence to unmet SEND needs, anxiety, CAMHS waiting lists and disappearing local services. They also highlighted trusted adults, mentoring, home visits, transition support and relationship-building as approaches they considered effective.

For parents and carers, one of the most important messages is that persistent absence is rarely as simple as a child “not wanting to go”. There may be anxiety, unmet needs, overwhelm or a growing sense that they no longer feel safe, understood or that they belong.

Every family’s circumstances are different, and for some young people the right path may not look like a straightforward return to school. What matters is understanding what is driving the difficulty and making sure the young person has consistent, trusted support around them.

That reflects something at the heart of our approach at BrightPaths. Our mentoring gives young people a consistent adult who has the time to get to know them, build trust and support them in a way that works for them.

You can read the full research here: https://impetus-org.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/publications/Report/FINAL-Attendance-Report-2026.pdf?dm=1788870994

24/09/2026

Do you enjoy creating social media content and making things look good in Canva?

We’re looking for a volunteer Social Media & Content Creator to join BrightPaths and help us share friendly, useful and relatable content for children, young people, families and schools.

You’ll be working from an existing content plan, creating around one to two posts a week, with plenty of support, templates and guidance along the way.

If short-form video is your thing, there’s room to get creative with that too – but it’s definitely not essential.

It could be a lovely opportunity for someone wanting to build their portfolio, use their creative skills for something meaningful, or gain experience with a small values-led organisation.

Take a look at the full role and please share with anyone who might be a good fit 👇

Apply for Social Media & Content Creator - Volunteer at BrightPaths Support CIC in Silsoe, England, United Kingdom. Volunteer Not Applicable role. See responsibilities, qualifications, and similar jobs on LinkedIn.

22/09/2026

You might be noticing that your child is struggling with certain things, but not know why. You might be wondering whether they need extra support, what you can ask school for, or who you’re even supposed to speak to.

And often, parents are trying to work all of this out while also supporting a child who is having a difficult time.

Recent research from the University of Cambridge found that SEND professionals recognised an “over-dependence on parents’/carers’ advocacy” as one of the factors affecting SEND provision and outcomes.

It made us think about the families who don’t know what to ask for yet.

Parents know their children best, but they shouldn’t have to become experts in the SEND system before their child can get the right support. Not knowing the terminology, the process or which questions to ask doesn’t make a child’s needs any less important.

At Bright Paths, we believe support should start with the child in front of us: what they’re finding difficult, what might help and what we can do now. A diagnosis can help us understand a child better, but support doesn’t always need to wait for one.

That’s what early intervention should be about: noticing when a child is struggling and responding before things become harder for them and their family.

We’ll share the research in the comments for anyone who would like to read more.

20/09/2026

Did you know that neurodivergent children don’t always express distress with words?

Sometimes, the signs that children use to communicate that something’s wrong, are not as we expect. Over-apologising, neglecting self-care, experiencing meltdowns, burnout, or stimulation-seeking urges, are all ways that neurodivergent children might communicate. But sometimes these signs are misinterpreted.

This is why, this September, we are joining the International Association for Su***de Prevention in ‘changing the narrative’ on su***de prevention. Changing the narrative for children means allowing them to access support at the first signs of distress. Learning to recognise the different signs, and listen to what they are telling us, is the first step we can take to help neurodivergent children who need support.

Our free guide for parents and professionals will help you to spot different signs of distress so that you can look out for them in your neurodivergent children, pupils or patients, and will provide you with key information so that you can start learning how to interpret different communication.

Visit our free wellbeing resource hub to view and download this information guide and to access all sorts of resources designed to support children with their mental health.

https://brightpaths.org.uk/blog/explore-our-new-free-wellbeing-resource-hub/

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