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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

An anxious brain doesn’t learn. It survives. So why do we expect anxious kids to just ‘push through’ school? Maybe learning starts with feeling safe first. 💙 #Neurodiversity #Education #Wellbeing Photo by Joice Kelly on Unsplash

A young woman sits on the floor leaning on the back of a sofa. She wears an orange top and a navy skirt. She is looking down and has her hands crossed on her chest.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

No excuses’ policies reward silence, not thinking. What if behaviour policies built agency instead of just compliance? Our new blog explores more. #EBSNA #Education #MentalHealthMatters #YoungPeopleMatter

bluesquidlearning.com

From Compliance to Collaboration: Rethinking Behaviour Policies - Blue Squid Learning

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Some students seem to cope one day but struggle the next. Does that mean they need more support... or more resilience? In our latest blog, we explore the grey zone between mental health and resilience-building, and why schools should rethink assumptions. #MentalHealthMatters #thisisAP #Anxiety

bluesquidlearning.com

Navigating the Grey Zone: Balancing Mental Health Support and Resilience in Young People

Some students need mental health support. Others need resilience. But most need both - at different times. How do we navigate the grey zone?

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

What if we stopped forcing young people to fit the system and started making the system fit them? 💙 #Education #Neurodiversity #SchoolAnxiety #thisisAP #YoungPeopleMatter #MentalHealthMatters

A table top with a selection of Lego pieces on it. On the table is a board with the letters of the alphabet. Each letters has been assigned a specific Lego piece. There is also a board with a secret message written in Lego pieces. Some young people are working to decode this message. Other spy training challenge cards also lie on the table.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Students who can regulate their emotions learn better, behave better, and feel better. But emotional regulation isn’t automatic, it needs to be taught. Our latest blog explores why it matters and how teachers can embed it in the classroom. #MentalHealthMatters #YoungPeopleMatter #thisisAP

bluesquidlearning.com

Why Every Student Needs to Learn Emotional Regulation

When students learn emotional regulation, behaviour improves, learning thrives, and classrooms become calmer. How teachers can support this vital skill.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

No one learns when they feel unsafe. Anxiety shuts down learning, so why do we keep expecting kids to ‘push through’ it? What if we created safe spaces first? 💙 #Education #Wellbeing #Neurodiversity #MentalHealthMatters #YoungPeopleMatter #thisisAP #AlternativeProvision

An orange life ring hangs on a white wall.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

It’s not skipping school. It’s anxiety. For some kids, school is too much: too loud, too fast, too overwhelming. It’s not about attitude; it’s about fear. Maybe the problem isn’t the child. Maybe it’s the system. 💙 #thisisAP #youngpeoplematter #mentalhealthmatters #alternativeeducation

A black iphone sits on a white background. On the screen is the word anxiety in spiky black capital letters on a bright pink background.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

School doesn’t have to be desks, bells, and stress. What if learning looked different? For young people struggling with school anxiety, the ‘traditional’ way isn’t always their way. And that’s okay. 💙 There’s more than one way to thrive. #Education #SchoolAnxiety #AlternativeProvision #thisisAP

Two boys stand on a pile of hay bales. It's cold and they're wearing coats, enjoying the fresh air.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

At Blue Squid, we’re not just about academics - we’re about building trust, creating community, and helping young people feel safe and supported. It’s a place to grow, one small step at a time. 💙 Curious? Let’s chat. #BlueSquidCambridgeshire #youngpeoplematter #mentalhealthmatters #thisisAP

A grey and white cuddly sloth sits on top of a white bookcase. In the background, there is a star shaped lamp.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Alternative education isn’t a last resort - it’s a proactive, future-focused choice. At Blue Squid, we see young people with EBSNA thrive in the right environment. Read our latest blog challenging misconceptions about non-traditional schools. 👇 #thisisAP #youngpeoplematter #mentalhealthmatters

bluesquidlearning.com

Changing the Narrative About Alternative Education

Alternative education isn’t a last resort—it’s a proactive, future-focused choice. Read how non-traditional schools help young people thrive.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

School doesn’t have to feel like a roller-coaster ride! 🎢 At Blue Squid, we focus on calm vibes, fresh air, and steady progress. 🌿 Think of us as your child’s anxiety-free zone. Ready to explore? Let’s chat! #thisisAP #Cambridgeshire #mentalhealthmatters #youngpeoplematter

Two dandelions stand in a patch of grass. In the background, a blue sky.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Sometimes, all it takes is the right environment and the right support to spark a transformation. At Blue Squid, we’ve seen young people go from avoiding school entirely to feeling excited about their future. 💙 Could we help your child too? #thisisAP #youngpeoplematter #mentalhealthmatters

A quote - white text on a blue background. "My son feels very comfortable in this low pressure environment and he's taken to the child led learning approach like a duck to water."

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

We know that progress isn’t always a straight line, sometimes it’s more of a funky dance. 🕺 At Blue Squid, we celebrate the little wins: a smile, a question, or trying something new. 💙 Let’s help your child find their groove again. #BlueSquidCambridgeshire #thisisAP #mentalhealthmatters

A white table covered in objects to help learn about space: a book open to a page entitled: The Apollo programme; a light-up moon; a book about Neil Armstrong; a coloured in map of the surface of the moon; maps and coloured pencils.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

If this is the story of your mornings, we see you. It’s not easy watching your child struggle with something so many people don’t fully understand. School refusal isn’t about bad behaviour - it’s about fear, overwhelm, and sometimes just pure exhaustion. 1/2

A quote - it's not being difficult, it's anxiety. White writing on a blue background with pink highlighting.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Flexibility in education isn’t optional - it’s essential. Discover how alternative provisions like Blue Squid are transforming lives by meeting young people where they are. Read our latest blog and see how thinking differently changes everything. #thisisAP #youngpeoplematter #mentalhealthmatters

bluesquidlearning.com

Flexible Learning: the Unstoppable Revolution

Joe's journey shows how flexible, alternative education can transform lives, helping children rediscover learning and thrive on their own terms.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

What if school didn’t have to feel so stressful? At Blue Squid, we combine academic support with a calming environment and a focus on emotional wellbeing. Imagine a place where your child feels safe to learn, grow, and just be. 🌳 1/2

A felt blue squid sits next to three succulents on a table.

A wicker box of fidget toys sits next to a red sofa.

A low white bookcase. On the shelves are books with the titles Be Confident Be You, Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, You Are Incredible Just as You Are, Why do I Feel Like This, Emotional Intelligence. There is also a lit star.

A white dog sleeps on a cream footstool in front of a bookcase of books.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

School doesn’t work for everyone. At Blue Squid, we’ve created a space where children experiencing high levels of anxiety can breathe, feel understood, and rebuild their confidence. If this sounds like what your family needs, we’d love to hear from you. 💙 #thisisAP #AlternativeProvision

A view of Blue Squid's learning room. Wooden beams run across the ceiling, decked out with fairy lights and low-intensity hanging lights. There's a cream sofa in the foreground, with two blankets and a pillow featuring a blue octopus. At the back of the room, there's a red sofa. In the centre, there's a white table, surrounded by four red comfortable chairs. Under a window, there are two white desks with office chairs and three sets of drawers. On top of the drawers are wooden pots containing pens and pencils. An electronic piano sits underneath a map of the world. The overall vibe is calm, cosy and welcoming.

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Reposted by Blue Squid Learning

Sally Michaels @sallyjmichaels.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

This term, we’ve been talking a lot about getting back up when things get tough, and this morning’s trip to a dry ski slope was a great time to practise this! Everyone had at least a few turns down the small slope and one lad was so enthusiastic, he definitely got his money’s worth! #ThisisAP

A young person is walking up a dry ski slope, carrying a ski in each hand. They wear black trousers, a grey top and a white helmet. To their right is an orange netting barrier.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

When a student’s brain is stuck in fight, flight, or freeze, learning just isn’t possible. 🧠💡 Our latest blog explains how stress impacts the brain, how to spot dysregulation in students, and why giving them space to self-regulate is essential. #ThisisAP

bluesquidlearning.com

How To Respond When Stress Blocks Ability To Learn

Learn how stress impacts the brain recognise dysregulation in students and create space for self-regulation to support learning.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

🎄 A Christmas Miracle at Blue Squid! 🎄 We’ll admit it – we’d been (just a little bit!) dreading putting up the Christmas tree this year.

A tall, slim fake Christmas tree stands in the corner of a grey rug. It’s been decorated with tinsel and baubles. Underneath sit two snowmen.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

Getting ready for tomorrow 🤩 Our learners often have dyslexia or dyslexic traits, so we know the value of a multi-sensory approach. Here’s tomorrow’s spelling board - one of the many practical activities that will be available to practise spelling. Plus, we’re putting up the tree tomorrow! 🎄

A whiteboard showing the question can you unscramble the words. Five words are written below, with the letters scrambled up, along with the corresponding magnetic letters.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

AP places available now for KS3 & KS4 pupils experiencing EBSA in Cambridgeshire! Blue Squid's new alternative provision has places available now: an ideal provision for young people experiencing emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA). Oh, and sometimes this bundle of fur joins us!

Betty the white schnoodle snoozing next to a pillow featuring a squid.

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Blue Squid Learning @bluesquidlearning.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Imagine how much easier it would be to regulate if your learning environment looked like this ❤️ Our focus is on reducing school and learning-based trauma and allowing young people to make their way back to academic work. #thisisAP #mentalhealthmatters

Two young people work on laptops. They are sitting on a sofa and an armchair, wrapped in blankets. An adult supports one of them in their work.

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