Social and Emotional Learning

Alongside the teaching of The National Curriculum, a large a part of our role involves supporting the children’s emotional and social needs. We want to provide the children the skills to articulate and manage their emotions, deal with conflict, solve problems, understand things from another person’s perspective, and communicate in appropriate ways so they are more successful socially and academically.

These ‘social and emotional skills’ are essential for children’s development, support effective learning, and are linked to positive outcomes in later life.

At Heber we use RULER to teach these vital skills. RULER is an approach developed by YALE University that aims to integrate the principles of emotional intelligence into the immune system of school children, informing how leaders lead, teachers teach, students learn, and families support students. For more information, click here. 

RULER stands for:

R - recognising emotions

U - understanding emotions

L - labelling emotions

E - Expressing emotions

R - regulating emotions.

Each of these skills is taught through 4 anchor tools. The Charter, The Mood Metre, The Meta Moment and The Blueprint.

The Charter helps enhance the school's climate and community well-being through establishing common goals and a shared vision. It is a document created by each class and clearly and specifically outlines what is needed to build a supportive and productive learning environment. The Charter fosters a sense of shared accountability for behaviours and reduces unkind behaviours. Please follow the link below to a Family Charter template you could use at home. Family Charter Template

 

The Mood Meter helps develop emotional awareness through recognition and communication of feelings. It is a colour-coded chart used to graph feelings based on energy and pleasantness levels. The Mood Meter helps families and teachers know how to best meet children's needs. Please follow the link below to a Mood Meter template you could use at home. Mood Meter Template

 

 

The Meta Moment helps pupils handle strong emotions so that they can make better decisions. It is a brief ‘step-back’ from the situation. It teaches students to pause and think before acting and consider how their ‘best self’ would react in the situation. Meta Moment - Please follow the link below to a Meta Moment template you could use at home. Meta Moment Template 

The Blueprint helps pupils and teachers manage conflict. The children learn to consider a disagreement from another person’s perspective and develop empathy through considering the feelings of others. This tool helps people work together to identify healthy solutions to conflicts. Please follow the link below to a Blueprint template you could use at home. Blue Print Template

 

At Heber we have two qualified Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA). Their role is to be a point of contact for a young person who may be experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress. The Mental Health First Aiders give a young person the chance to open up about their mental health - they are often the first step to seeking support. The MHFA at Heber are Mr Aziaya and Mrs Jefford.​