What classroom adjustments help a child who cannot focus or sit still?

The short answer

Begin by locating the first point where access breaks down. A child may lose a long spoken instruction, wait because the first step is unclear, move in order to stay alert, be distracted by the environment, struggle to hold information while writing or need help returning after interruption. Match the adjustment to that point. Options to test include short written steps, modelling, checking the first action, reducing unnecessary copying, a less distracting seat chosen with the child, purposeful movement, brief planned breaks, a quiet working option, visible time and an agreed prompt. Movement is not automatically misbehaviour, and stillness is not proof of attention. Agree when the support applies, how the child accesses it, what staff will observe and when it will be reviewed. Keep learning access distinct from exam arrangements, which follow separate rules.

• Identify whether the difficulty is receiving, starting, sustaining, shifting or recording.
• Reduce working-memory load without removing the thinking the lesson is meant to teach.
• Treat movement as information and test whether planned movement improves access.
• Choose seating with the child rather than assuming the front is always best.
• Make prompts private, specific and easy to withdraw as independence grows.
• Review task access and wellbeing, not only quietness or compliance.