Inhibitory control helps a pupil ignore information that is available but not relevant to the current goal. During independent work, an untidy resource set, several open applications or movement around the room can compete with the task.

The aim is to create one practical boundary and teach the pupil to manage it. It is not to isolate, monitor or punish them.

Make the current priority explicit

State what the pupil is working on now and what they need to produce. A vague instruction such as “focus on your work” does not identify what should win their attention.

A clearer prompt is: “Your current task is the first paragraph. Keep the source and planning sheet open; the extension material can stay in the folder.”

Before a practical activity, tell the pupil what to listen for and what to do first before equipment is collected.

Agree one boundary

Choose the source of competition that most often interferes with the task. The boundary might be:

• keeping only the current materials on the desk;

• placing later resources in a tray or closed folder;

• opening only the application or browser tab required for the task;

• silencing unrelated notifications on a school-managed device where systems allow;

• facing the demonstration during the safety instruction before handling equipment;

• using a consistent place for finished and unfinished work.

Keep it proportionate. Removing every object or placing the pupil apart from peers can be more intrusive than the task requires.

Primary example

During independent writing, keep the book, plan and pencil on the desk and place later resources to one side. State the immediate goal: “Write the opening sentence using your plan.” If attention moves to another item, use an agreed brief cue and point back to the current resource.

During device work, show the page being used and close unrelated classroom applications. This is about the learning task, not a general judgement about screens.

Secondary example

Before independent research, agree the source or application required for the first stage and the output to be produced. The pupil might keep the question and note template visible while unrelated tabs remain closed.

In a practical subject, set out only the equipment needed for the current stage. In complex work, separate core material from optional extension resources until the first outcome is complete.

Follow school policy

Personal mobile phones and similar devices should be managed through the school’s current policy. Department for Education guidance expects schools in England to be mobile phone-free by default from September 2026, while retaining their duties to make reasonable adjustments where necessary.

For school-provided laptops or tablets, follow the school’s acceptable-use, filtering and monitoring arrangements. A classroom recommendation should not create a separate surveillance system for one pupil.

Move responsibility to the pupil

At first, an adult may set up the boundary and use a discreet return cue. Next, ask the pupil to prepare the workspace themselves. Later, prompt only when the boundary has been forgotten.

Useful review questions include:

• “What needs to stay open?”

• “What can be put away until later?”

• “What is the current output?”

• “What will tell you this stage is finished?”

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using isolation as the default response.

• Removing normal classroom stimulation without evidence that it interferes.

• Treating a reasonable adjustment as a sanction.

• Confiscating or monitoring devices outside school policy.

• Giving repeated verbal corrections instead of one agreed cue.

• Maintaining adult control when the pupil can set up the boundary independently.

Further reading

• Mobile phones in schools (Department for Education)

• Metacognition and self-regulation (Education Endowment Foundation)