Use effective assessment tools to identify an overall profile of emotional wellbeing at the whole school and classroom level, for example, from those that have been identified as effective measures for schools to use from the Education Endowment Foundation.
Arrange relevant training for school staff from external support services where needed including attachment/ trauma, resilience and whole staff training re. Mental health eg Emotionally Friendly Schools.
Consider preferred learning style (eg visual, kinaesthetic) and motivational levers (eg link learning task to interests, a break following task completion) for children when differentiating.
Consider environmental factors such as classroom organisation, seating and group dynamics.
Put in place clear boundaries and routines, supported by visuals, eg visual timetables, now and next boards and visual classroom rules.
Implement a transparent system of expectations (flexibly applied dependent on need, eg reasonable adjustments), which is consistent across staff.
Invite selected parents to participate in the Incredible Years course.
Build community relationships, eg hold parent mornings.
Create a safe and happy playground in collaboration with stakeholders, eg children, staff. The EPS has experience of research into playground projects and can offer guidance and support (speak to your school link EP).
Other whole school approaches may include:
Consider the use of effective assessment tools to measure and demonstrate the impact of an intervention or programme over time. Tools will be dependent on the intervention used/ goal to be achieved – see sections below for specific examples.
Obtain and record child’s views through pupil voice activities, eg Blob Tree.
Obtain and record parental information and views. These can include questionnaires, parents’ evenings, assemblies and social media forums.
Consider the following whole-class/ group-level emotional well-being interventions:
Consider the use of accredited school-based counselling providers.
Observe and record the child’s presentation (eg using an ABC – antecedent, behaviour, consequence – chart or STAR - situation, Trigger, Actions and Rewards/Avoidance) across a range of varied contexts/times during the school day to understand whether need is contextual/situational and to inform possible strategies.
Use appropriate assessments to identify difficulties early, establish a greater understanding of the child’s needs and inform appropriate referral to other services.
Set realistic targets and review termly in collaboration with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinators (SENDCo), teaching staff and the child/parents/carers where appropriate. For example, use Individual Education Plans (IEPs), child profiles, behaviour support plans.
Consider risk and protective factors to provide a profile of the child, eg BOING BOING.
Implement appropriate interventions for children with specific individual needs, eg anxiety-based difficulties and attachment difficulties (examples are provided under specific needs below).
Key adult support at specific times that have been identified as challenging for the child, eg unstructured times. 1:1 time to build up a relationship between a child and key adult to be built into the child’s timetable. Key adult characteristics: nurturing yet able to hold firm boundaries, resilient, patient, empathic and able to seek and accept support from another adult. The key adult should be part of the team around the child, kept informed of their targets and the provision in place to meet these.
Explore possible emotionally based non-attendance and establish a process for how to support children and families. (Contact Educational Psychology Service for further information).
Refer to relevant external agencies, eg Primary Inclusion Team, Educational Psychology Service, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Virtual School Team.
Use the Plan-Do-Review process to monitor the child’s progress, alongside any external agencies’ advice, whilst collating evidence of the impact of the strategies being used (refer to ‘Best Practice Walkthrough’ document).
Where the child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), refer to described outcomes and provision and implement. Continue to use the Plan-Do-Review process against the specified outcomes and provision. Regularly update with strategies as they are tried. Complete Annual Review of EHC Plan (refer to ‘Best Practice Walkthrough’ document).
Continue to request and act on advice from external agencies as necessary.
Identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the whole class/ whole school’s needs, for example:
Use turn-taking games and co-operative learning activities during subject lessons.
Adopt a planned PSHE curriculum that involves whole class discussion and activities that explore different relationships, eg Quality Circle Time, Philosophy for Children.
Implement No Outsiders - a whole school approach to inclusion.
Access to Mental Health First Aid training for staff to support their understanding of fostering positive peer relationships.
Consider implementing Restorative Justice Practice to prevent conflict, build relationships and repair harm by enabling people to communicate effectively and positively. Provide access to supervision and training to encourage staff to reflect on their current practice within their school environment, e.g. trauma-informed practice. The EPS can also support with this.
Identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the child’s
needs and inform group interventions, for example:
Offer small group interventions to promote positive peer interactions including:
In consultation with relevant outside agencies (eg PIT, EPS), provide 1:1 tailored intervention planned to enable the child to meet specific targets in relation to peer integration/friendships.
Identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the child’s needs and inform individual intervention: Emotional Literacy Assessment.
Provide planned opportunities to learn and practise social and emotional skills during structured activities, eg role playing.
Use stories and other stimuli that generate problem solving around different social situations, modelling and practising the use of skills.
Ensure preparation for changes to activities/ routines/staffing.
Provide a plan and support for unstructured and/or transition times.
Utilise visual timetables/schedules.
Use role play/verbal rehearsal before activities to reinforce behavioural expectations and reduce anxiety.
Implement ‘Talk Time’, a timetabled opportunity to discuss PHSE related topics, news, class concerns, etc.
Identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the child’s
needs and inform group interventions, for example:
Social Skills Improvement System (SSiS).
Promote interaction with a child’s peer group through small group interventions:
Identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the child’s needs, for example:
Use personalised Social Stories (Carol Gray) to reaffirm appropriate behaviour in specific situations according to the needs of the individual child.
Use Comic Strip Conversations to reflect on real-life events and consider alternative ways of responding.
Create a calm, positive and nurturing classroom environment.
Embed whole class approaches to teaching emotional regulation strategies eg Go Noodle.
Observe and record ‘impact on learning’ (using a behaviour log, if appropriate) across a range of contexts across school day to understand whether need is contextual/situational and to inform strategies needed.
Use emotional validation strategies when a child is upset, angry or distressed, eg Emotion Coaching approach.
Discuss and model feelings and emotions often, using a wide vocabulary of feelings and emotions words.
Create displays focused on developing emotional vocabulary.
Identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the child’s needs, for example:
Offer small group support to develop skills related to emotional regulation and emotional literacy eg recognising and labelling emotions, self-calming techniques.
Use appropriate emotional awareness and regulation workbooks or programmes within individual or a small group, such as:
Work with a group of key staff to identify the individual profile of the child to gain an understanding of their individual triggers, observable behaviours, as well specific escalating and de-escalating adult responses. An example of this might be the RAMP (Reducing Anxiety Management Plan). Contact Educational Psychology Service, for support with implementing this.
Assign a key adult/ team of adults for daily check ins.
Teach self-calming techniques, such as breathing, visualisation or repetitive, soothing or calming activities (colouring, play dough, theraputty). Ensure access to these activities at all times through use of a ‘calm box’.
Use gentle praise when self-calming strategies are attempted, even if unsuccessful.
Use the Incredible 5-Point Scale to aid emotional self-regulation. Adults to understand the arousal curve and the arousal continuum to support the child.
Utilise specialist therapeutic interventions, eg play therapy, art therapy. Reintegration to class/school following therapeutic work needs to be managed sensitively and appropriately.
Utilise Restorative Justice interventions for conflict resolution.
Consider the child’s individual sensory profile with interventions planned in line with this. Provide movement breaks for those with sensory needs.
Embed a whole class growth mindset approach coupled with effective differentiation.
Embed whole class activities that encourage identification of strengths eg creating visual reminders of their strengths through posters, certificates, stickers and other visuals. These can be collected in a ‘Good to be Me’ or ‘All about Me’ book.
Utilise resilience-based frameworks and interventions such as the Boing Boing Framework, Resilience Doughnut.
Identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the whole class/ whole school’s needs, for example:
Offer opportunities for children to take on jobs and responsibilities in class and school.
Identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the child’s needs, for example, the Boxall Profile.
Offer small self-esteem groups as a supportive way of building children’s confidence and self-esteem.
Plan out self-esteem building exercises as part of a group to enable children to receive positive
messages and acceptance from one another. Self- esteem building programmes can be used eg Cool Connections, Pyramid Club.
Ideas for activities can be found within Emotionally Friendly Schools and an intervention package is available on the ELSA support website.
Identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the child’s needs, for example:
Assign a key adult/team of adults to provide daily opportunities for the child to talk through success and achievements experienced that day.
Provide daily opportunities to spend time identifying and building on strengths with an adult, on a 1:1 basis. E.g. make a strengths jar, use the Finding hidden treasures approach (Ioan Rees, 2005) using strengths cards.
Use whole class approaches to teaching emotional regulation strategies, eg Zones of Regulation, cosmic kids yoga, peer massage, calm boxes.
Use stories and therapeutic metaphors to teach about feelings and normalise feelings of anxiety, eg Margot Sunderland books.
Explore negative thinking styles as part of PSHE curriculum, as well as strategies to challenge these.
Practise calming strategies as a class routinely, particularly after a transition from break or lunch, eg colouring or mindful breathing exercise.
Embed growth mindset as a whole school approach. This could be done by creating posters that are displayed in classrooms and around the school and having regular assembles and PSHE lessons that focus on developing a growth mindset, for example celebrities or inventors who failed many times before succeeding.
Identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the child’s needs, for example:
Consider Cognitive Behavioural approaches to group work provided over specified period of time eg
Implement Pyramid Club.
Identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the child’s needs, for example:
Offer a daily check in for children with a key adult/ team of adults.
Allow engagement with a neutral task or complete an assigned ‘job’ at school to reduce feelings of anxiety.
Work with a group of key staff to identify an individual profile of the young person to gain an understanding of their individual triggers, observable behaviours,
as well specific escalating and de-escalating adult responses. An example of this might be the RAMP – Reducing Anxiety Management Plan (contact Educational Psychology Service for further information).
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