Our Approach

Our approach has emerged from our research into the “ideal school” and the use of the latest neuroscience to explain our findings. This approach is universal in its application to the individual, and, indeed, teams and organisations. 

From research in neuroscience we have developed the concept of the Blue and Red Zones as a way of understanding this research. These zones describe two important mind/brain states (or subsystems) that vie for the brains more or less fixed amount of energy resources (“attention”). 

The Red Zone approximates the old part of our brains, clustered at the base of the skull above the spinal column, which operates the basic functions of the organism and is optimised for survival. 

This part of the brain is similar to a primate’s brain e.g. a chimpanzee. The Red Zone continues to operate in ways which were useful for survival in a dangerous, natural environment, particularly by trying to maintain the status quo and by triggering the fight/flight response, but that are no longer so helpful in a modern setting. 

The Blue Zone represents the newer part of our brain which, being energy intensive, achieves higher blood flow via a greater surface area as the brain’s outer layer sitting above and in front of the old brain. 

It is the Blue Zone that makes us human, distinguishes us from other primates. New activities take place in the Blue Zone and, if deemed by the brain to be useful to keep through their repetition, they are transferred into the older part of the brain as “habits”, activities that we can do efficiently and without paying much attention.