Welcome to the SEAL community!
Social and emotional learning helps children and young people to:
‘… 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’.
This kind of learning underpins positive behaviour and attitudes to learning, personal development and mental health and wellbeing. It is at the heart of PSHE, relationships and health education.
Research shows it also helps raise attainment. Social and emotional learning is attracting increasing attention in schools. On this website you will find age-related teaching resources and whole school frameworks to support your work.
Many of them come from the national ‘Social and emotional Learning’ (SEAL) initiative. By registering with us (which is free, quick and easy), you can immediately find and download all of the national SEAL curriculum materials and teacher guidance. There’s a progression in learning objectives that can be used in any school, and training materials if you want to introduce or refresh a whole-school SEAL approach. Click on National Resources then click the Getting Started with SEAL tab.
If you would like regularly updated teaching resources, you can also join our SEAL Community. Set up and supported by leading experts in the field, the SEAL Community is a not-for-profit organisation which aims to promote and develop SEAL through sharing news, practice, resources and expertise. Joining costs £30 for individuals, £75 for schools/settings and £100 for local authorities or other multi-school organisations. Click here to join
News update
Calls to Childline from children under 11 struggling with loneliness have risen by 71 per cent in just five years, latest data shows.
Children and young people who feel safe in school, enjoy coming to school, and that they belong in school were less likely to have a mental disorde
The primary collection features 40 books for 3-11-year olds; the secondary collection has 25 books for 12-16-year olds.
Sharing practice
One school in the US has turned a room into a brilliant social and emotional learning centre.
Eight schools in the Pentrehafod cluster in Swansea (seven primary, one secondary) did some great work with the organisation EmpathyLab.
RULER is a well-researched American SEL programme which uses four main tools: a class or school Charter, a Mood Meter, tools to m
At Sebright Primary in Hackney, November is ‘kindness month’.
Beckley Ashley Irving, SENCO at Tetney Primary School, describes how her school promotes wellbeing.
Resource roundup
The Anna Freud centre and DfE have released a number of useful new resources, including:
The organisation PAPYRUS has free help and advice resources, including conversation starters, distraction techniques, information leaflets, an
Practical tools
Help children understand that ‘we have more in common than that which divides us’ by playing Just Like Me:
We came across a new metaphor for explaining to children how the brain works and really liked it. It goes like this.
Combine primary maths work on graphing and coordinates with social and emotional learning using RULER’s mood
If your school isn’t ready for a full, taught social and emotional curriculum then try this approach from Nicole Green ...
New research
You may have heard of the ‘marshmallow experiment’ which tested young children’s ability to delay gratification.
Top resource
In this book by Kate Milner, a young boy discusses the journey he is about to make with his mother...
This is the Education Endowment Foundation's guidance report...
We really like this programme to teach young people aged 8 – 16 years to manage their own anxiety and worry. It helps them develop techniques to use on their own when they begin to feel worried; these are printed onto a fan to keep in their pocket or bag.