NLP for Education
NLP for Teaching Professionals
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) now forms part of the fast-track PGCE teacher training programme. It is rapidly attracting attention as a set of practical principles, approaches, techniques and strategies that can radically enhance classroom management practices.
In a recent TES article, Liz Robinson, Head at Surrey Square Junior School in Southwark stated NLP was “essentially a set of communication skills, used to build rapport between individuals and groups. In a classroom, that is incredibly useful … My own experience is that [NLP] is revolutionary and empowering.” Following a whole-school NLP training, her school was recently judged by Ofsted as outstanding and “what really impressed them was the rapport between teachers and pupils”.
Watt Works are pleased to offer the following programmes:
- A One-Day Staff Development Programme – for schools and colleges, providing an overview of NLP for education, and outlining a range of practical NLP strategies to enhance and improve classroom management skills.
- A Three-Day Course in ‘NLP for Classroom Management’ – providing a more thorough grounding in the use of NLP for classroom management to help you and your staff significantly improve the quality of both teaching and learning.
How to Book
You may book online immediately here to secure your place, or call us on 01565 759893.
View our payment terms and conditions here.

What is NLP?
NLP has been defined as “the study of excellence” and is a set of principles, approaches, skills and techniques that helps us to understand how we experience and make sense of the world around us.
NLP enables us to explore how our patterns of thinking, language and behaviour all arise from this way in which we make sense of the world. More importantly, NLP helps us to determine what works in our thinking, language and behaviour – and what we can do to ensure we do more of it – so we can achieve the results that we really want on a consistent basis. NLP also helps us to recognise those aspects of our thinking, language and behaviour that don’t work, so we can create more choices for ourselves and find strategies that work with us.
Much of NLP is directly concerned with how we can communicate more effectively with others, and it provides a wealth of practical strategies that can be used to make significant improvements in teaching practice.
Teaching Today …
A fundamental requirement for teachers today is the ability to operate successfully within an environment that is increasingly characterised by a range of issues that include challenging behaviour, discipline, negative attitudes and poor student engagement.
In addition, many schools and colleges are finding that many of the strategies that worked well in the past are now ineffective. They are left with outmoded and futile disciplinary and enforcement policies and processes to manage challenging behaviour, and at the same time are pressured to retain students in order to ensure they achieve.
Schools and colleges are, in short, penalised from carrying out these policies to successful conclusion under existing funding constraints. Any attempts to deal with challenging behaviour using these traditional means are consequently seen by students as empty and hollow, whilst failing to improve the teacher-student relationship. At the same time, many more students now display negative attitudes to learning.
Meanwhile, poor student behaviour is seen as top irritant for FE lecturers according to a recent Institute for Learning (IfL) survey, leading to issues of staff retention, morale and a range of performance issues for schools and colleges. This behaviour may be exhibited in low-level disturbance, chattering, attention seeking behaviour, swearing, bickering, aggression, intimidation, refusal to engage or refusal to participate. The impact this has on staff retention and morale will, in turn, increase recruitment costs, create issues with parental satisfaction, increase agency costs, and reduce the quality of overall provision.
Finally, all of this is taking place at a time when student-centred learning has quite rightly taken centre stage as part of best-practice. However, in order for student-centred learning to be effective, two things need to happen. Firstly, students need to be equipped with the skills they need to work collaboratively. Secondly, lecturers themselves need to be able to successfully facilitate activities with large groups of learners. Failure to address each of these properly will lead to greater disaffection, contributing to the increase in behavioural problems.
Teaching today requires a new set of strategies.
NLP is now emerging as a valuable source of tools, techniques and skills that can equip educational professionals with a wide range of strategies they need to operate successfully.
The One-Day Staff Development Programme
The one-day ‘NLP for Classroom Management’ staff development programme opens the door to being able to change the way you approach the development and learning of your students. It will maximise the effectiveness of both teaching and learning. At the same time, you will find the strategies provided are equally applicable to other areas of your personal and professional life, and you’ll begin to understand how NLP may be a powerful tool for creating positive change.
A variety of concepts will be covered and concrete strategies in the following areas may be provided:
- Establishing and Maintaining Individual and Group Rapport
- Communicating Effectively
- Positive Phrasing and Other Language Patterns
- Importance of State – Self and Student
- Dealing with Challenging Behaviour
The programme is available as either a whole-day programme or as two x 3-hour sessions, and provides an overview in the use of NLP within a teaching and classroom management context.
The Three-Day Programme – ‘NLP for Classroom Management’
The three-day ‘NLP for Classroom Management’ programme provides a thorough grounding in the use of NLP for classroom management – helping you and your staff significantly improve the quality of both teaching and learning.
This course will provide a wide range of practical strategies to help create and maintain effective relationships and rapport, enhance your communication, improve your ability to motivate and influence, manage your own state, deal with challenging behaviour and more.
As with our one-day programme above, you will find the strategies provided are equally applicable to other areas of your personal and professional life, and you’ll begin to understand how NLP may be a powerful tool for creating positive change.
A variety of concepts will be covered, and concrete strategies n the following areas will be provided:
- Establishing and Maintaining Individual and Group Rapport
- Communicating Effectively
- Body Language to Influence and Enhance Credibility
- Positive Phrasing and Other Language Patterns
- Managing State – Self and Student
- Ensuring Sponsorship
- Improving Motivation
- Using Metaphor and Story-Telling as a Powerful Aid
- Dealing with Challenging Behaviour
The programme may also be provided as part of our open programme or at your own site – as either a single block of 3 days or over an extended period of days, or evenings.
Cost and Location
Attendance on our open programme 3-day course is available at a cost of £580 + Vat (inc. all materials, lunch and refreshments).
The course is available at one of our luxurious training premises across the UK …
Booths Hall, Knutsford, Cheshire – An 18th Century manor house set in 220 acres in the heart of the Cheshire countryside – within easy reach of Manchester, Liverpool, Warrington, Preston, Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, Birmingham, Wrexham and Chester and the counties of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside Staffordshire, Shropshire, West Midlands and Flintshire. Delegates will be able to enjoy the beautiful parkland, woodland walks along with the extensive sporting facilities available.
Carlton House, Westminster, London – This stylish and comfortable venue has been extensively modernised whilst retaining its period character and boasts high quality, comprehensively equipped training rooms ideally suited for the delivery of the company’s growing range of business and personal development focused training courses. Although situated in a desirable, easily accessed location close to Pall Mall, traffic noise is minimal and delegates can experience a sense of comparative tranquility whilst engaging in their learning.

