There are no consistent answers to why challenging behaviour is perceived to be a problem across time and place. This article explores challenging behaviour and how it is constructed as a problem by professionals in North West England. The research was designed as a qualitative single case study that analysed the perspectives of staff from two primary schools and a local authority. The works of Michel Foucault and his interlocutors form the basis of the theoretical framework. This article shows that there are competing perspectives amongst practitioners regarding the problem of challenging behaviour. Deconstructing representations of challenging behaviours offers practitioners and researchers insight into how differing constructions of the problem shape policy solutions and educational experiences in schools.