Schools have become much better at recognising that behaviour isn’t always a behaviour problem. We know that anxiety, trauma, SEND and mental health can all influence how a young person presents in school.

What still gets missed surprisingly often is executive functioning.

Executive functioning isn’t another label. It’s the set of cognitive skills that allow us to plan, organise, prioritise, sustain attention, regulate emotions and adapt when things don’t go to plan. They’re the skills students rely on every lesson, regardless of the subject being taught.

The difficulty is that problems with executive functioning rarely announce themselves clearly.

A student who repeatedly forgets equipment may simply look disorganised. A pupil who never starts independent work might appear unmotivated. Someone who hands work in late every week can easily be seen as lacking resilience or effort.

The challenge for schools is that the behaviour is visible, but the reason behind it isn’t.

As waiting lists for specialist services continue to grow, schools are increasingly making decisions with incomplete information. SENCOs, pastoral teams and classroom teachers are expected to identify needs early while balancing finite time and resources. That makes understanding why a student is struggling more important than ever.

When staff understand executive functioning, the conversation changes. Rather than asking why a student isn’t trying harder, they start asking which part of the task is creating the barrier.

Is it getting started?

Holding several instructions in mind?

Planning a sequence of work?

Managing distractions?

Knowing when a piece of work is actually finished?

Those questions lead to very different interventions than simply encouraging a student to “be more organised.”

One thing I’ve learned through working with schools is that the most valuable information isn’t information that gives you an answer. It’s information that helps you ask a better question.

Schools already collect huge amounts of data, ranging from attendance, behaviour, attainment, safeguarding. All of it is important, but it mostly tells us what has happened, rather than explaining why.

Understanding executive functioning helps bridge that gap. It provides another lens through which teachers can interpret behaviour and learning, allowing support to become more targeted rather than more intensive.

Importantly, this isn’t just relevant for pupils with identified additional needs.

Executive functioning exists on a spectrum. Every student has strengths and weaknesses, and these skills continue developing well into early adulthood. Helping young people learn how to plan, prioritise, organise themselves and regulate their attention isn’t simply an inclusion strategy; it’s part of preparing them for life beyond school.

Executive functioning shouldn’t only enter the conversation when something has gone wrong. The earlier schools understand how students think, not just how they perform, the more likely they are to provide support before small challenges become bigger ones.

Ultimately, understanding executive functioning doesn’t replace professional judgement.

It gives educators another piece of evidence to make better decisions for the young people they’re supporting.