OMATAS Blog: Resources, Articles & Podcasts

When a child is struggling at school, it is easy to assume they need immediate, high-level intervention, whether that’s speech therapy, remedial support, or seeing an educational psychologist.

But as Lauren Edmunds explains, those specialised therapies can’t do their job if a child’s basic foundation isn’t there.

In this episode, Lauren talks about the four non-negotiables we have to get right first: sleep, nutrition, unstructured movement, and genuine, screen-free family connection.

If we want a child to reach the top of a mountain, we cannot simply stand at the peak and expect them to find their own way up.

We have to go down to the bottom, meet them exactly where they are, and help them unpack the invisible weight they are carrying, whether that is anxiety, sensory overwhelm, or a lack of self-belief.

In this episode, Lauren Edmunds challenges the traditional ideas of what a classroom should look like.

When a child arrives at school stressed, overtired, or buzzing from screen time, they aren’t in a position to take in a maths or reading lesson. Before any teaching can actually happen, the teacher first has to invest valuable time into helping them settle, focus, and find a state of calm alert.

In this episode, school founder Lauren Edmunds breaks down the mechanics of “dysregulation” and why classroom disruptions are often a child’s instinctive attempt to ground themselves. She shares the hidden cost of chaotic mornings on actual teaching time and offers practical, simple adjustments parents can make during the school run to ensure their children walk through the gates truly ready to learn.

Many parents assume children automatically know how to study, but effective revision and exam-taking are skills that must be actively taught.

In this episode, Lauren breaks down the mechanics of learning, explaining how memorisation automates basic understanding to free up the brain for higher-level critical thinking.

Lauren challenges the common ‘learn, forget, relearn’ cycle that leaves students struggling on exam day, sharing practical ways to build strong recall pathways instead.

Moving a child who is struggling into a smaller class feels like the ultimate fix, but it’s actually just the starting line.

In this episode, Lauren Edmunds breaks down why a smaller environment isn’t a magic cure-all.

While fewer kids in a room gives your child better access to the teacher, it really just grants the space and time needed to uncover the actual barriers to learning.

Lauren shares her “onion” analogy, explaining how solving the first obvious issue often unpeels a deeper, trickier layer underneath that was being masked.

Real, lasting change doesn’t come from rewards, punishments, or making someone feel small.

In this episode, Lauren Edmunds shares a gentle and highly practical approach to helping children, friends, and even ourselves break out of automatic habits.

True transformation can only happen when we move away from unconscious reactions and step into deliberate thinking.
Lauren breaks down her step-by-step method for highlighting unhelpful habits without triggering defensive shame.

By building a kind, conscious awareness and teaching new skills alongside a child, parents and teachers can guide them smoothly from automatic mistakes to genuine self-reliance.

It is a longer journey that requires patience, but it is the ultimate way to build real capacity and independence for adult life.

Your attitude to life and learning becomes your child’s truth.

Lauren Edmunds discusses how parental perspectives on subjects like maths or daily habits like brushing teeth directly impact a child’s ability to overcome challenges.

Drawing on insights from experts like Professor Jo Boaler and Gordon Neufeld, she explains how to move from a “burden” mindset to one of curiosity and encouragement.

Learn how to “collect up” your children at the end of the day and use the school run to set them up for success, ensuring they enter the classroom with a willingness to learn rather than a combative spirit.

Lauren Edmunds challenges the modern tendency to overcomplicate parenting with endless books, social media advice, and podcasts.
Using the analogy of consuming “twenty chocolate cakes,” she warns against the overwhelm of seeking answers in external sources while neglecting the basics.

This episode is a refreshing call to return to the essentials: connecting through eye contact, modelling good manners, and maintaining consistent routines for sleep and nutrition.

Lauren reminds parents that they don’t need to be perfect all the time, but doing their best in the moments they are with their children is what truly makes the difference.

In this episode, Lauren Edmunds explores why accountability is a value taught at home rather than at school. She discusses how a parent’s reaction to homework and daily chores can either “rob” a child of the opportunity to develop character or help them grow into self-led adults.

Lauren explains that by fostering responsibility early on, even through simple tasks like clearing a dinner plate, parents can equip children, particularly those with special educational needs, with the depth of character required to navigate life’s challenges, manage relationships, and lead productive lives.

In this episode, Lauren Edmunds explores the powerful link between choice and consequence in parenting.

She reflects on how lasting change in children often begins with a shift in our own behaviour, encouraging parents to model positive habits, embrace change, and focus on small, consistent actions that make a meaningful difference over time.