Support your pupils to stay focused and pay attention to their learning

Impact Wales will be running two Improving Attention Workshops this autumn term. This workshop is for middle and senior leaders who have a responsibility for teaching & learning or for teachers wishing to build their skills in this area.

November 12th 2026 - Merthyr - 9.30am - 2pm

November 19th 2026 - Conwy - 9.30am - 2pm

First place - £295 + VAT

Additional places - £195 + VAT

What is stealing your pupils' focus?

"Pupils' attention spans seem to be getting shorter and shorter"

"They just can't cope with multi-step instructions, or anything longer than a Tik-tok video"

"Pupils don't seem to be able or willing to focus, or keep going when things get tough."

In the age of social-media, pupils seem to be more distractable than ever. Our children and young people just can't seem to pay attention long enough to learn anything.

These statements might seem overly dramatic, but our pupils seem to be obsessed with their digital devices and teachers feel that's what is ruining their attention spans. Is this really the case, are digital devices making focusing and paying attention in school impossible? And what whole school, departmental and cross-phase actions can you take to build and develop your pupils' ability to focus, attend and sustain that attention in their learning?

This workshop will explore what focus and attention are. The different types of attention and why building good attention habits is so crucial for everyone, but especially children and young children. It will also use research to explore how to design learning that controls, models and sustains pupils' attention.

Drawing on Fin's upcoming book "The Illustrated Pocket Guide to Focus & Attention - a handbook for teachers" this workshop will look at common learning problems caused by poor attention habits, how to recognise when pupils are distracted and how to control and shape pupils' growing attention as they develop as learners.

What You Will Learn

Participants will:

Recognise the methods the brain uses to control focus and attention, but also the limitations of cognitive control
Explore the difference between spotlight and distributed attention
Examine the purpose of distractions and interruptions
Consider the impact of environmental distractions, external interruptions, and episodes of 'mind wandering'
How to use metacognition to develop good attention habits & greater resilience in learning
Address the "boredom trap" and why novelty isn't a solution to poor attention habits

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

Have a clear mental model of how cognitive control works and its limitations
Be able to assess their own learning environments for distraction & interruption
Have a bank of learning strategies that support focus and actively control attention
Create a whole school action plan to improve attention and reduce the effect of digital distraction on learning

Workshop Approach

Interactive presentation and exploration of foundational research
Practical worked examples and scenario-based exercises
Scaffolded deliberate practice tasks
Peer collaboration and structured feedback sessions
Action planning for immediate application in your school context

A Little More About Impact Wales

Who am I? - I’m Fin Wilson, company director at Impact Wales, author and illustrator. I have been working in and with schools for more than 25 years.

What's my experience? - I'm a former teacher, coach and trainer. I have worked for Welsh Government supporting schools & senior leaders across Wales. I have spent more than 10 years supporting schools across the UK with professional learning, curriculum development, assessment and school improvement. All of my books and school support is grounded in research. I focus on translating research into practical strategies for classrooms and leadership...but if you need to know more visit the Impact Wales website for testimonials from schools I've worked with.

Why should you book our support? - Put simply, because we believe in impact. We do exactly what our name suggests. Our workshop keeps things simple and ensures school actions really work. Our focus is always on delivering measurable impact for pupils

Email: fin@impact.wales
Website: www.impact.wales
Phone: 02921 679140
Facebook: facebook.com/impactwales123
LinkedIn: Finola Wilson | LinkedIn