Adele Bates
Adele Bates is a UK-based behaviour and education specialist who works with school leaders and teachers to develop inclusive, practical approaches to behaviour, engagement, and social, emotional and mental health in education settings.
- Author of “Miss, I don’t give a sht”: Engaging with Challenging Behaviour in Schools* (Corwin/SAGE).
- Nearly 20 years’ teaching experience across mainstream primary and secondary, pupil referral units, alternative provision, and special schools.
- Delivers training and keynote sessions for education audiences including the National Education Union and Amnesty International Education.
- Educational Associate for Trauma Inform and Associate on Behaviour with Independent Thinking.
- Winner of a WeAreTheCity Rising Star Award in Education.
- Appeared on BBC Radio 4 as an expert contributor on teenagers and behaviour.
Full Profile
Key speaking topics
- Inclusive behaviour strategies in schools
- Engaging pupils with challenging behaviour
- Social, emotional and mental health in education
- Whole-school approaches to behaviour and consistency
- Supporting staff confidence and classroom relationships
- Trauma-informed practice in education
- Alternative provision and specialist education settings
Ideal for
- School leaders and senior leadership teams
- Teachers and classroom practitioners
- Multi-academy trusts and local authorities
- Education conferences and professional development events
Audience outcomes
- Practical strategies for engaging pupils with behavioural needs
- Clear approaches to building consistent, relationship-led classroom practice
- Greater confidence in responding to challenging behaviour
- Understanding of inclusive and trauma-informed approaches in schools
Why organisations work with Adele Bates
- Combines extensive classroom experience with published expertise in behaviour and engagement.
- Provides practical, school-tested strategies applicable across mainstream and specialist settings.
- Experienced in delivering training and keynote sessions for national education bodies and professional audiences.
- Supports whole-school thinking aligned with inclusive practice and staff development.
Biography
Adele Bates is recognised for her practical, evidence-informed work on behaviour, inclusion and social, emotional and mental health in education. She supports schools and education organisations to build consistent, relationship-led approaches that strengthen engagement, improve staff confidence and embed inclusive practice across whole settings.
Her expertise is grounded in nearly two decades of teaching across mainstream primary and secondary schools, pupil referral units, alternative provision and special schools. This breadth of frontline experience enables her to address the realities facing classroom practitioners and senior leaders, translating complex behavioural challenges into clear, workable strategies.
Adele is the author of “Miss, I don’t give a sht”: Engaging with Challenging Behaviour in Schools*, published by Corwin/SAGE. Through her writing, training and keynote speaking, she equips education professionals with structured approaches to supporting pupils with behavioural needs and SEMH, while maintaining high expectations and strong relationships.
She has delivered training and keynote sessions for organisations including the National Education Union and Amnesty International Education, and has appeared on BBC Radio 4 as an expert contributor on teenagers and behaviour. Her professional roles include Educational Associate for Trauma Inform and Associate on Behaviour with Independent Thinking, alongside contributions to education media and books.
A winner of a WeAreTheCity Rising Star Award in Education, Adele brings credibility, clarity and practical insight to conferences and professional development events. Organisations engage her for grounded, school-tested expertise that aligns inclusive values with operational delivery and staff development.
Talks
An exploration of teenage development and the realities of classroom behaviour, unpacking how the teenage brain works, how this shapes learning and behaviour, and how educators can respond in ways that help young people thrive.
Key takeaways:
- Insight into how teenage brain development influences behaviour and learning
- Greater understanding of why teenagers may react strongly to everyday classroom requests
- Practical approaches to supporting teenagers to engage positively in school and social change
Drawing on extensive classroom experience and her book “Miss, I don’t give a sht”: Engaging with Challenging Behaviour in Schools*, this talk shares practical strategies for improving behaviour, rebuilding positive relationships and embedding consistent approaches across classrooms or whole schools.
Key takeaways:
- Practical behaviour management strategies grounded in classroom experience
- Tools to strengthen positive relationships between staff and pupils
- Approaches to aligning classroom practice with a coherent whole-school behaviour focus
A practical examination of equality, privilege and bias in education, and how these issues connect directly to behaviour, engagement and outcomes for both staff and pupils.
Key takeaways:
- Understanding of how equality and bias influence behaviour and engagement
- Practical tools to embed inclusive approaches within a school setting
- Clear links between inclusion, staff wellbeing and pupil learning outcomes
An evidence-informed and experience-led exploration of why emotional wellbeing underpins academic progress, positive outcomes and organisational culture in schools, with practical guidance for embedding wellbeing at every level.
Key takeaways:
- Insight into the link between emotional wellbeing and academic achievement
- Practical strategies for embedding wellbeing across the organisation
- Approaches to explicitly teaching and supporting emotional wellbeing for staff and pupils
A focused session on understanding SEMH and extreme behavioural needs, clarifying what these needs are, why some pupils struggle to regulate behaviour, and how to differentiate learning environments so that all pupils can thrive.
Key takeaways:
- Clear understanding of SEMH and its impact on behaviour and learning
- Practical differentiation strategies for supporting pupils with extreme behavioural needs
- Approaches to maintaining positive relationships and learning focus while supporting complex needs