This is a whole-school cognitive support and functioning framework designed to help schools understand and respond to how pressure affects thinking, decision-making, and performance in educational settings.
It is not a therapy programme, not a wellbeing intervention, and not an exam-technique manual.
This resource exists to support schools in recognising when cognitive load, stress, or pressure disrupts normal functioning, and how learning and participation can be restored without labelling or lowering expectations.
What This Resource Is For
This guide supports schools in:
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Understanding how pressure affects thinking and memory
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Recognising when students are temporarily unable to function at their usual level
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Supporting regulation, clarity, and recovery in learning contexts
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Protecting learning access during high-stress moments (assessment, transition, overload)
It focuses on functioning, not diagnosis.
What This Resource Covers
The School Resource Edition provides structured guidance around:
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Cognitive load and overload
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How stress narrows thinking and decision-making
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Why capable students can temporarily under-perform
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The difference between ability and availability
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Restoring clarity without adding demand
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Supporting return to normal functioning once pressure reduces
The emphasis is on process awareness, not fixing students.
What This Resource Is Not
This guide:
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Does not diagnose learning or mental health conditions
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Does not replace counselling or therapeutic support
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Does not introduce intervention programmes
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Does not track, measure, or profile students
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Does not reduce academic expectations
It supports understanding and response, not classification.
How Schools Use This Resource
Schools typically use this resource:
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As a staff awareness and alignment tool
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To support learning support, SEN, pastoral, and mainstream contexts
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During exam periods, transitions, and high-pressure points
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To ensure students are not misjudged during temporary difficulty
It may be used in staff training, planning, or reflection settings.
Who This Resource Supports
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Students across all abilities and stages
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Staff seeking to understand pressure-related learning disruption
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Schools aiming to respond proportionately and safely
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Settings prioritising access, dignity, and recovery
Format & Delivery
Legal / Use Notice
This resource supports educational understanding and proportional response to cognitive pressure.
It does not replace teaching, assessment, counselling, or statutory educational obligations.
Licensed for school use only. Redistribution outside the licensed school is not permitted.
