A practical SEND and behaviour support guide for teachers and Early Years practitioners supporting a child who runs away from adults, activities or classroom spaces.

When a child repeatedly runs away in school or an Early Years setting, immediate safety must always come first. Once the child is safe, practitioners also need to consider what the behaviour may be communicating.

Running may be connected to sensory overload, anxiety, demands, difficult transitions, movement needs or a child’s inability to communicate that they need a break.

This free behaviour as communication resource helps staff move beyond asking, “How do we stop the child running?” and begin identifying patterns that may help reduce the need to run.

The guide includes:

✓ Possible reasons a child may run away

✓ Questions to identify triggers and patterns

✓ Practical regulation strategies

✓ SEND and inclusive classroom adjustments

✓ Ideas for supporting transitions

✓ Alternative communication strategies

✓ A simple Regulate, Understand, Change approach

How I use this resource:

Use the guide following an incident or when reviewing repeated patterns of running. Consider what happened immediately before the child ran and where the child attempted to go. This information can support professional reflection, SEND discussions and proactive planning.

This resource does not replace safeguarding procedures, supervision requirements or individual risk assessments.

Ideal for Early Years practitioners, primary teachers, teaching assistants, Special Educational Needs Coordinators, inclusion leads and new teachers.

Supports SEND, behaviour as communication, dysregulation, emotional regulation, early intervention and inclusive practice.

Last updated: July 2026.