04/05/2025
Every day, children walk into our schools already carrying invisible burdens. Not because they’re “difficult.” Not because they “don’t want to learn.” But because their most basic needs aren’t being met—through no fault of their own.
We know from neuroscience, from education, from lived experience: Resilience isn’t just a personality trait. It’s a reflection of what’s been resourced, modelled, and supported.
Many young people are living in homes affected by poverty, housing instability, or limited access to nutritious food. They may come to school having had:
Poor or interrupted sleep (especially when screens and overstimulation stretch into the night)
-No breakfast, or inadequate nutrition
-No quiet space to get ready, calm down, or just breathe
-Long, stressful journeys—sometimes alone or in unsafe conditions
-High emotional stress carried from trauma, caregiving roles, or relational breakdowns
-They arrive at school already dysregulated—before the first bell, before a single word of learning has begun.
And yet, we expect them to sit still. To listen. To engage.
As educators and professionals, we must ask: Is their brain ready to learn?
The Boing Boing Blackpool Resilience Framework (which inspired our own Brain Friends version) reminds us that resilience is relational, social, and structural.
Yes, it includes internal coping and mindset. But it begins with the basics:
-Feeling safe
-Being nourished
-Having rest, movement, connection
-Feeling seen, soothed and supported
When these foundations are missing, everything else wobbles.
That’s why we created The Brain Friends Resilience Framework—to help professionals, families, and schools understand how regulation, learning, and connection work from the inside out.
It gives children and adults a shared language to talk about:
🦎 Lenny Lizard – the body and safety brain
🐵 Mylo Monkey – the emotion and memory brain
🦉 Orla Owl – the thinking and problem-solving brain
🧠 Brilliant Brain – when all parts of the brain work together
When children are dysregulated, it’s not a sign of disrespect—it’s a signal that Lenny or Mylo need support before Orla can show up. That insight can be game-changing for teachers, support staff, and parents alike.
Models like The Brain Friends aren’t just “nice to have.” They are essential. Because in classrooms across the UK right now, some children are learning on an empty stomach, or from a dysregulated nervous system. Others are surviving instability, caring for younger siblings, or navigating digital overwhelm without guidance.
We can't separate wellbeing from learning. We can't talk about resilience without first talking about access, equity, and regulation.
The Brain Friends approach is simple, science-backed, and deeply human. It doesn’t pathologise. It empowers. It doesn’t blame. It builds.
By embedding these ideas into our schools, our families, and our language, we offer something every child deserves:
✨ A regulated adult.
✨ A safe environment.
✨ A chance to understand themselves—and to thrive.
Download the Brain Friends Resilience Framework here
Get in touch to bring this model to your school or setting
🔗 www.thebrainfriends.co.uk
