EMspace

For schools & SENCOs

Your behaviour system isn’t failing. But it may be looking in the wrong place.

Exclusions, detentions, isolation rooms. The cycle keeps repeating, because behaviour is only the surface. EMspace helps you look beneath it.

Refer a student Download our research report

EMspace has relocated to the East Midlands and is now building new school partnerships in the region. Not sure whether we cover your area? Get in touch.

The problem schools face

Does this cycle look familiar?

You introduce a new behaviour policy. It works for a while. Then the same children, the same patterns, the same escalations. So you adjust the policy, and the cycle begins again.

Diagram showing the behaviour cycle: Behaviour system → Announcement → Incentives → Failure → Consequence → repeat, with a child curled up in the centre

Our founder’s research found this cycle playing out in schools across the West Midlands, regardless of Ofsted rating. The problem is not the policy. The problem is that behaviour is being treated as the issue, when behaviour is simply the symptom. What lies beneath it, unmet emotional needs, anxiety, a lack of self-regulation skills, is what the policy never reaches.

“The aim is not to punish them. It is to help them to learn.”

The scale of the challenge

The numbers schools are living with

41%rise in permanent exclusions over five years (DfE data, 2018)
89%of schools report violent behaviour has significantly increased (NASUWT, 2023)
56%of school CAMHS referrals came from primary schools (RCPCH/NSPCC, 2018)

A different way of looking at it

Beneath the behaviour

The iceberg theory holds that the most obvious reasons for a behaviour are almost never the complete explanation. What we see above the surface, the disruption, the defiance, the withdrawal, is only a fraction of what is actually happening for that child.

What schools see

  • Disruptive behaviour in class
  • Defiance and refusal
  • Withdrawal and disengagement
  • Conflict with peers or staff
  • Repeated sanctions

What often lies beneath

  • Anxiety and emotional overwhelm
  • Lack of self-regulation skills
  • Difficulties at home
  • Attachment and trust challenges
  • Inability to express feelings in words

What EMspace offers

In-person support, and resources your staff can use independently

In-person · structured intervention

The Journey

A structured but flexible 1:1 intervention framework, working directly with the child, their school and their family. Can be delivered in person or remotely using our digital Journey platform. Can also incorporate parental support — ask us for details.

  • Seven-stop framework tailored to each child’s needs
  • Weekly 1:1 sessions with an EMspace practitioner
  • Regular feedback to school and family throughout
  • Structured closure with recommendations
See how The Journey works →
Supplementary · standalone resource

The Resource Bank

A growing library of SEMH and SEL resources, available to schools independently or as a supplement to The Journey.

  • Practical tools for staff working with emotionally vulnerable pupils
  • Aligned with The Journey framework and the CASEL SEL competencies
  • Free access available; full Investor access for subscribing schools
  • Available at emspaces.org.uk
Visit the Resource Bank →

How it works in practice

A straightforward process from referral to closure

  • 1. You raise a concern. A member of staff identifies a child who is struggling. Using our pre-screening card, the concern is discussed with the child and parents, and a referral is submitted to EMspace.
  • 2. We agree the plan. We confirm that The Journey is the right approach, agree the length of the intervention, and make sure school and family are on board.
  • 3. Sessions begin. Weekly 1:1 sessions run in school, at the child’s pace, with regular updates to a named member of staff.
  • 4. Structured closure. The Journey ends with a clear closure process and a summary of progress and recommendations.

What EMspace is built on

25 years of practice, a West Midlands track record

Rob Aymer has worked directly with children and young people for more than 25 years. Between founding EMspace in 2016 and relocating to the East Midlands, EMspace worked with seven primary and secondary schools in the West Midlands. We are now building new partnerships with schools in Derby, Nottingham and the wider East Midlands.

25+years working directly with children and young people
7schools EMspace worked with in the West Midlands, 2016–2026
12weeks is the average length of a Journey, agreed at the start

“Every pupil who has been referred to EMspace has wanted to attend the regular sessions and has given positive feedback themselves. Both practitioners have worked hard to engage with parents as well, which has been most useful. I would recommend the service.”

Secondary school, West MidlandsWorked with EMspace for eight years

Get in touch

Ready to find out more?

Whether you want to refer a young person, ask about partnering as a school, or just have an initial conversation, we are here. We reply within two working days.

Mentoring referral

Ready to refer a young person? We will respond within two working days.

Email us to refer

Partner with us

A school or trust in the East Midlands interested in working with EMspace.

Start a conversation

General enquiry

Not sure where to start? We are happy to have an initial conversation.

Get in touch