Professional blog cover showing the ExCeL London with Behaviour Smart branding for Bett UK 2026, highlighting real-time insights and data-driven behaviour solutions.

Behaviour Smart at Bett 2026: AI-Powered Behaviour Insights for Schools & Care Settings

December 28, 2025•12 min read

TL;DR

💡Behaviour Smart will be exhibiting at Bett UK 2026 at ExCeL London from 21–23 January 2026, showcasing AI-powered behaviour insights and behaviour management software.

💡The platform supports mainstream schools, special schools, APs and children’s homes with real-time incident recording, behaviour analytics and trauma-informed Post-Incident Learning (PILD).

💡Behaviour Smart Lite, Plus and Care offer flexible options for analytics, AI feedback, Smart Plans and behaviour management software for children’s homes and care settings.

💡Leaders can use Behaviour Smart to evidence Behaviour in schools guidance, the Education inspection framework (EIF) and expectations around suspensions and permanent exclusions in England.

💡Visitors to Bett UK 2026 can see live demos, explore MIS integration, and pre-book Behaviour Smart packages or a tailored behaviour support for schools and children’s homes demo.

Introduction: Bett UK 2026 & The Future of Behaviour Support

Premium event graphic for Behaviour Smart at Bett 2026, ExCeL London, January 21-23, featuring AI-powered behaviour support analytics and professional branding.

From 21–23 January 2026, more than 30,000 educators, policymakers and EdTech innovators will gather for Bett UK 2026 at ExCeL London, the world’s leading education technology event.

Behaviour Smart will be exhibiting throughout the three days, showcasing how AI-powered behaviour insights and Behaviour Smart behaviour management software can support:

• Mainstream schools

• Special schools and alternative provisions

• Children’s homes and residential care settings

to respond to behaviour more confidently, reduce staff workload, and improve outcomes for children and young people with SEN and SEMH needs.

This blog explains:

• Why behaviour and inclusion are such a key theme in 2026

• How our behaviour management software for mainstream schools, special schools, APs and children’s homes works in practice

• What you can see and do when you visit Behaviour Smart at Bett UK 2026

The behaviour Challenge in 2026: Time, Complexity & Pressure

A professional data visualization chart for a blog post showing a rising trend line for school suspensions and exclusions in navy blue, contrasted with a declining orange line representing the impact of proactive, data-informed behaviour support.

Rising exclusions, complex needs

Recent Department for Education statistics on Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England show that levels of suspension and permanent exclusion remain high, with disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEN disproportionately affected.

Alongside this, national data on absence highlights persistent challenges with attendance since the pandemic, with severe absence affecting a significant minority of pupils.

For leaders and staff, this translates into:

• More time spent managing behaviour incidents and follow-up

• Higher expectations around accurate, consistent incident recording

• Pressure to show that systems are fair, inclusive and responsive to SEN/SEMH needs

Behaviour, Ofsted & DfE expectations

The DfE guidance “Behaviour in schools: advice for headteachers and school staff” sets out clear expectations for whole-school cultures, monitoring and evaluating behaviour over time, and responding appropriately to pupils with SEND.

Alongside this, updated school exclusion guidance on suspension and permanent exclusion explains how decisions must be lawful, reasonable and procedurally fair, and how schools should consider the impact on pupils with SEND.

Ofsted’s Education inspection framework (EIF) places “behaviour and attitudes” as one of four key judgement areas, emphasising calm, orderly environments and respectful relationships, and expecting leaders to understand and act on behaviour.

In practice, schools and providers need to be able to show:

• How incidents are recorded and followed up

• How they monitor behaviour patterns for different groups, including pupils with SEND

• How learning from incidents informs support, policy and practice

Many settings still rely on paper forms or basic behaviour modules within their MIS. These can be time-consuming, inconsistent and hard to analyse, especially under current pressures.

This is the gap Behaviour Smart is designed to fill.

What is Behaviour Smart?

Behaviour Smart is a behaviour management software and analytics platform built specifically for:

• Mainstream and secondary schools

• Special schools and APs

• Multi-academy trusts

• Children’s homes and residential settings

The platform combines:

• Incident recording designed for speed and consistency

• Real-time dashboards and analytics on behaviour, context and outcomes

• AI-powered behaviour insights and incident feedback

• Post-Incident Learning & Development (PILD) prompts, including our Post-Incident Learning (PILD) app

• Smart Plans that translate data into practical support strategies

All of this is underpinned by a trauma-informed, child-centred approach that focuses on understanding need rather than labelling children.

Behaviour Smart is available in three main Behaviour Smart packages:

• Behaviour Smart Lite – Real-time analytics for behaviour and incidents

• Behaviour Smart Plus – Adds AI-powered insights and Smart Plans

• Behaviour Smart Care – Behaviour management software tailored for children’s homes and residential care

Our behaviour support for schools and children’s homes is built around helping staff feel more confident, connected and informed when responding to behaviour.

Why Behaviour Smart Matters for SEN & SEMH

For children and young people with SEN and SEMH needs, behaviour is often a form of communication. Changes in behaviour can reflect:

• Sensory overload or processing differences

• Difficulties with transitions or unstructured times

• Emotional regulation challenges

• Experiences of trauma, loss or instability

When incidents are only recorded as short descriptions, settings can miss important patterns around triggers, context and protective factors.

Behaviour Smart supports more inclusive practice by helping staff to:

• See patterns over time, not just isolated incidents

• Identify times, spaces and activities linked with dysregulation

• Consider underlying SEN and SEMH needs when reviewing incidents

• Evidence graduated responses and reasonable adjustments clearly

This aligns with Behaviour in schools: advice for headteachers and school staff, which emphasises monitoring and evaluating behaviour, and with the Education inspection framework (EIF) focus on safe, inclusive environments.

Behaviour Smart Lite, Plus & Care: What Each Offers

Behaviour Smart Lite: real-time analytics for busy staff

Behaviour Smart Lite focuses on making behaviour recording and analysis quick and manageable. It offers:

• Short, structured incident forms on any device

• Standardised fields so data is consistent across staff and sites

• Real-time dashboards that update as incidents are logged

• Flexible filters and reports by pupil, time, location, staff, need or incident type

This helps SENCOs, behaviour leads and SLT to answer questions such as:

• “Which times of day are most challenging?”

• “Are particular spaces regularly linked with dysregulation?”

• “Which pupils are involved in repeated low-level incidents that need proactive support?”

For schools exploring behaviour management software for mainstream schools, Lite offers a scalable starting point that can be rolled out across classes and key stages.

Behaviour Smart Plus: AI-powered insights & Smart Plans

Behaviour Smart Plus adds AI-powered behaviour insights and Smart Plans to the core analytics. It can:

• Provide immediate reflective prompts after an incident to support PILD

• Highlight emerging patterns in behaviour, context and staff responses

• Help staff build Smart Plans that link strategies to identified triggers and needs

• Track impact over time, so teams can see what is working and what needs adjusting

This helps staff move from “recording what happened” to “understanding why and what next”, reducing repeat patterns and improving experiences for children and adults.

Behaviour Smart Care: designed for children’s homes

Behaviour Smart Care is a behaviour management software for children’s homes and care settings, where behaviour, safeguarding and regulatory expectations are closely connected. It helps teams to:

• Record incidents in a trauma-informed, reflective way

• Capture learning and changes to care planning after incidents

• Monitor patterns across young people, staff teams, routines and placements

• Evidence safe, consistent practice for inspectors and responsible authorities

Alongside this, behaviour management software for special schools and alternative provisions can be configured to reflect complex SEN and SEMH profiles, ensuring that behaviour recording supports each young person’s plan and outcomes.

How Behaviour Smart Works: From Incident to Insight

Below is a typical four-step Behaviour Smart workflow that visitors can see in action at Bett UK 2026.

Professional four-step infographic for Behaviour Smart showing the workflow from incident recording and trauma-informed reflection (PILD) to data analysis and strategic planning.

1. Record the incident

A member of staff logs an incident in Behaviour Smart Lite, Plus or Care:

✅Key details (who, where, when)

✅Context and potential triggers

✅Strategies used before, during and after the incident

✅Outcomes, follow-up and agreed next steps

Forms are designed to be quick and intuitive, so staff can focus on supporting children rather than juggling paperwork.

2. Reflect & learn with PILD

Immediately after submission, Behaviour Smart Plus and Care can offer reflective prompts to support Post-Incident Learning & Development (PILD), including through the Post-Incident Learning (PILD) app. Prompts might include:

✅ What might have been happening for the child beforehand?

✅ Which strategies helped to de-escalate the situation?

✅ What, if anything, could we adjust in the environment, routine or relationships?

These prompts are designed to be supportive, not blaming, helping staff process what happened and think about proactive changes.

3. Analyse patterns

Across days, weeks and terms, leaders can:

✅ View dashboards showing trends in behaviour and incidents

✅ Filter by individual pupils, groups, times, locations or staff

✅ Identify hotspots where changes to environment, routine or support could help

✅ Monitor the impact of new strategies or interventions

This turns behaviour data into a practical decision-making tool for SLT, SENCOs, behaviour leads and residential managers.

4. Plan & review support

Using Smart Plans, staff teams can:

✅ Link strategies directly to identified triggers and needs

✅ Agree clear, shared approaches across staff

✅ Set review points and track progress

✅ Evidence graduated responses and reasonable adjustments

This end-to-end cycle supports a more co-ordinated, trauma-informed approach to behaviour and inclusion.

What You Can See at the Behaviour Smart Stand at Bett UK 2026

At Bett UK 2026 at ExCeL London, visitors to the Behaviour Smart stand will be able to:

1. See live demonstrations

🔎 Walk through realistic incident scenarios in mainstream, specialist or residential settings

🔎 Watch how incidents are logged, reflected on and analysed in real time

🔎 Explore dashboards that summarise trends across the whole setting

2. Explore Smart Plans & PILD

💡 See how Smart Plans are created and linked to behaviour data

💡 Explore examples of post-incident learning workflows

💡 Understand how the system supports staff supervision and CPD

3. Talk through your setting’s challenges

The team will be available to discuss:

📢 Existing behaviour policies, processes and recording systems

📢 Pressures around inspection, parental communication and evidence

📢 How our MIS integration connects Behaviour Smart with your existing MIS and safeguarding processes

4. Plan next steps

You can:

📝 Arrange a full online demo for your SLT or MAT

📝 Discuss pilot options for a group of schools or homes

📝 Explore which Behaviour Smart packages (Lite, Plus or Care) best fit your context

Benefits for schools, APs and Children’s Homes

Visiting Behaviour Smart at Bett UK 2026 can help you explore how to:

Save staff time by simplifying incident recording
Improve consistency across staff, sites and trusts
Strengthen safeguarding with clearer behaviour patterns and oversight
Support SEN & SEMH needs with data-informed, trauma-aware plans
Evidence impact for Ofsted, local authorities, trustees and families
Build a learning culture, where incidents are opportunities for reflection and growth

For many settings, the combination of behaviour expertise, AI-powered behaviour insights and easy-to-understand dashboards offers a realistic way to move behaviour work forward in 2026.

How Behaviour Smart Supports UK Policy & Inspection Frameworks

Behaviour Smart is designed to sit comfortably within existing frameworks rather than adding another layer of work. It helps leaders to:

Implement Behaviour in schools: advice for headteachers and school staff in a concrete, operational way.
Demonstrate proactive, inclusive practice around SEND and SEMH
Provide clear evidence for the Education inspection framework (EIF), especially the behaviour and attitudes judgement.
Respond to national conversations on Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England with robust data and thoughtful analysis.

In short, Behaviour Smart helps settings join the dots between behaviour incidents, SEN/SEMH support, leadership oversight and regulatory expectations.

Plan your visit: Bett UK 2026 Event Details & Behaviour Smart

Event: Bett UK 2026 – the world’s leading EdTech event
Dates: 21–23 January 2026
Location: ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL.

If you are:

✅ A headteacher, SENCO or behaviour lead

✅ A MAT or trust leader

✅ A children’s home manager or responsible individual

✅ Or part of a local authority or partner service

we would be delighted to welcome you to the Behaviour Smart stand.

A product comparison graphic for Behaviour Smart, featuring three side-by-side tiles for Lite, Plus, and Care versions, detailing key benefits like AI analytics and safeguarding tools with 'Book a demo' calls to action.

If you would like to:

✅ Pre-book a demo slot at Bett UK 2026

✅ Arrange a post-event conversation for your leadership team

✅ Discuss behaviour management software for mainstream schools, special schools, APs or children’s homes

you can:

✅ Email [email protected]

✅ Use the contact us form

✅ Explore our Behaviour Smart packages and find out more about behaviour support for schools and children’s homes on our website

For existing partners, resources and guides are available in the Behaviour Smart Help Centre, and new customers can read independent feedback via Behaviour Smart reviews before booking a demo.

Sources

• Bett UK 2026 event details and visitor information

• DfE “Behaviour in schools: advice for headteachers and school staff” (guidance from 1 September 2022)

• DfE “Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England” statistics collection and recent termly releases

• DfE “School exclusion” guidance on suspension and permanent exclusion.

• Ofsted Education inspection framework (EIF) and behaviour & attitudes judgement

Dean Cotton

Dean Cotton, the founder and CEO of Behaviour Smart, kicked off his career in 1992 as a Nursery Nurse. Fast forward seven years, and he found himself working at a school for students experiencing Social, Emotional, and Mental Health challenges. It was here that he introduced a simple incident recording system that made a huge difference in how behaviour was managed. In 2005, Dean completed his Masters in Teaching and Learning, and before long founded Positive Behaviour Strategies Ltd, he was in high demand as a keynote speaker, author, expert witness, and behaviour consultant. Realising that incident recording was often time-consuming with little payoff, and armed with support from schools and children's homes and health care settings, Behaviour Smart was born!