The Team Teach Podcast

Warning: This episode includes candid discussions around suicide and self-harm which some listeners may find distressing. Please use discretion when listening and take a break if needed. In this episode, Clare talks to Marie Greenhalgh, Relationships Director at Inclusion Education, about how to have sensitive conversations around suicide and suicide prevention.Marie explains what ‘suicidal ideation’ means and what some risk factors might be. They discuss the role that education can play in suicide prevention and the importance of training, to help prepare staff to have sensitive conversations and keep everyone safe. Marie also highlights the need to look after our own mental and emotional wellbeing as practitioners, as suicide can be an upsetting topic for everyone involved.Marie is Relationships Director at Inclusion Education, where she has worked for over 16 years, building programmes and education provision that support young people with mental health needs and neurodivergence.She was Project Lead for Baton of Hope Tour, Basingstoke in 2025 and co-authored ‘All the Things They Never Told You About Teaching: Facilitating Sensitive Conversations with Our Learners’ and 'Supporting Bereaved Children in the Primary Classroom’, both of which are published by Routledge. She is also a Community Ambassador for Winston’s Wish, and monthly columnist for Fusion Magazine UK. Marie is passionate about diversity, inclusivity, wellbeing, and challenging the stigma and discrimination that surrounds mental health and suicide. You can find Marie on LinkedIn or go to Inclusion Education to find out more about how to support children and young people in your organisation. Marie also shares three tips during the episode:Normalise discussing suicide and practise having sensitive conversations, as talking can save lives.Get to know the warning signs that indicate someone might be struggling with their mental health.Look after your own mental and emotional wellbeing. The Team Teach podcast shares the latest thinking in behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use in your setting.Find out how Team Teach can help your organisation.The Team Teach podcast is created in the UK, adhering to UK law and guidance. Practitioners should exercise their professional judgment to determine the appropriateness of any Team Teach material for their specific sector and geographic region, and be aware of the applicable laws and guidelines governing their organisation.

In this episode, Clare talks to Dave Smallwood, Principal Team Teach trainer and Director at SENse Training and Consultancy, about reducing spitting.They discuss the contextual factors that can lead to spitting and explore what this behaviour might be communicating. They also highlight the fact that reducing spitting is not a ‘quick fix’ but is an ongoing and individualised process.Dave has worked in special schools, for both the local authority and the National Autistic Society and has extensive experience of supporting young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities. When he worked as a staff development co-ordinator for the National Autistic Society, Dave developed and delivered training in autism, and equality, diversity, and rights.You can find Dave on LinkedIn.He also shares three tips during the episode:We need to take an individualised approach to spitting, remembering that what works for one person may not work for another.There is a need to balance ‘in the moment’ safety with longer-term solutions, to keep everyone safe.Work together as a team to reflect on what an individual might be trying to communicate with this behaviour. The Team Teach podcast shares the latest thinking in behaviour, all in handy 15-minute (ish) bite-sized chunks. Each episode features a new guest chatting about a different aspect of behaviour and leaves you with three handy tips to use in your setting.Find out how Team Teach can help your organisation.The Team Teach podcast is created in the UK, adhering to UK law and guidance. Practitioners should exercise their professional judgment to determine the appropriateness of any Team Teach material for their specific sector and geographic region, and be aware of the applicable laws and guidelines governing their organisation.