SEAL: Why a whole school approach?

Check-in

What do we want children to be able to do? In addition to good academic results, we all want children and young people who ‘…..learn how to communicate their feelings, set themselves goals and work towards them, interact successfully with others, resolve conflicts peaceably, control their anger and negotiate their way through the many complex relationships in their lives today and tomorrow’. Adapted from Reva Klein, Defying Disaffection.

What is SEAL? From 3 – 16 years… A structured and progressive curricular and whole-school approach to helping children develop the social, emotional and behavioural skills that underpin effective learning, positive behaviour, relationships and success in its broadest sense.

So it underpins… Effective learning Positive behaviour and good attendance Staff effectiveness Emotional health and well-being Positive relationships

SEAL: A continuum of curricular provision within a positive environment Additional highly personalised interventions Small-group intervention for children who need additional help in developing skills, and for their families Quality first teaching of social, emotional and behavioural skills to all children; Whole-school policies and practice. Staff CPD building skills and confidence THE ENVIRONMENT EHWB for all Family and community involvement Explicit teaching Interactive learning and teaching strategies

SEAL: Gateways to learning Self-awareness + self- valuing Managing feelings Motivation –Goal setting and achieving –Persistence and resilience –Responsibility and autonomy Empathy Social skills –Communication –Assertiveness –Problem-solving + conflict management

Self-awareness

Managing feelings

Motivation

Empathy

Social Skills

Some examples of SEAL Learning Outcomes Self-awareness 4. I recognise when I should feel pleased with, and proud of, myself and am able to accept praise from others. 9. I understand why feelings sometimes ‘take over’ or get out of control and know what makes me angry or upset Managing my feelings 17. I understand how health can be affected by emotions and know a range of ways to keep myself well and happy. Motivation 20. I can break a long-term goal into small, achievable steps. Empathy 31. I can work out how people are feeling through their words, body language, gestures and tone, and pay attention to them. Social Skills 39. I can communicate effectively with others, listening to what others say as well as expressing my own thoughts and feelings.

A quick activity Work with someone you don’t know Partner A: Ask partner B to spell a difficult word Partner B: Ask partner A to answer a mental arithmetic problem (without writing it down)

The social and emotional demands of cognitive activities What feelings did you experience when tackling this task? How did you manage them? What social skills did you use in the discussion? Challenge! Are there any sorts of learning tasks that do not require emotional management and/or social skills?

SEAL: A whole school concern ( 1) Employers’ needs Employers are looking for more than just technical skills and knowledge of a degree discipline. They particularly value skills such as communication, team working and problem solving. Job applicants who can demonstrate that they have developed these skills will have a real advantage. Digby Jones, Director-General, Confederation of British Industry

SEAL: A whole school concern ( 2) Skills for a changing society…

 A changing society – a recognition that schools need to be part of the solution  1 in 10 young people between 5-15 suffers from a diagnosable mental health disorder (3 in every class) These children are more likely to have academic and interpersonal difficulties and to use drugs, alcohol and attempt suicide. (Green et al, 2005). In a school of 1000 pupils this means: 50 with depression 10 affected by eating disorders 100 experiencing ‘significant distress’ with obsessive compulsive disorder 5-10 attempting suicide (