The Edward Betham C of E Primary School

Zones of Regulation

Intent

At our school, we believe that understanding and managing our emotions is a vital part of learning to live well together — in faith, hope and love. Through our Zones of Regulation curriculum, we aim to equip every child with the self-awareness, language, and strategies to recognise and regulate their feelings so they can flourish both emotionally and academically.

Our intent is to:

• Foster faith in each child’s ability to understand and manage their own emotions and behaviour.
• Build hope by helping pupils develop resilience and confidence in facing challenges.
• Nurture love by teaching empathy, compassion, and respect for others’ emotional experiences.

We want our pupils to know that all feelings are valid, that they are loved and valued as they are, and that through understanding themselves and others, they can build positive, caring relationships.

Implementation

The Zones of Regulation curriculum is delivered to all pupils for six weeks each autumn term, ensuring that every child begins the school year with a strong emotional foundation for learning and growth.

We implement this through:

• Explicit weekly lessons in the Autumn term introducing the four zones (blue, green, yellow, red) and exploring emotions, triggers, and regulation tools in an age-appropriate way.

• Interactive and reflective activities to help pupils recognise how their bodies feel in different zones and how to respond with self-control and empathy.

• Visual supports displayed in every classroom and across school (e.g. class zone charts, regulation stations, emotion check-ins) to reinforce shared language and consistency.

• Modelling and reinforcement by all staff, who use the same language and strategies to help pupils apply their learning throughout the school day.

• Faith-based reflection opportunities, linking emotional understanding with Christian values of love, patience, forgiveness, and kindness.

• Parental engagement through newsletter articles and shared resources to strengthen emotional literacy at home.

This consistent, whole-school approach ensures that emotional regulation is not a standalone topic but a living part of our ethos and daily practice.

Impact

The impact of our Zones of Regulation curriculum is seen in pupils who:

• Recognise and name their emotions accurately and confidently.

• Select and use strategies to manage their feelings and behaviour independently.

• Show empathy and compassion, responding to others with love and understanding.

• Approach challenges with hope, showing resilience and self-belief.

• Demonstrate faith in their own ability to make positive choices and restore relationships.

As a result, children are calmer, more focused, and ready to learn. They grow in emotional maturity and spiritual understanding, living out our Christian vision of faith, hope and love in the way they treat themselves and others.