Zones of Regulation

At Greenfield Academy, we have launched the Zones of Regulation throughout the whole school. From time to time, all of us (including adults) find it hard to manage strong feelings such as worry, anger, restlessness, fear or tiredness, and this stops us from getting on with our day effectively. Children who feel these emotions often find it hard to learn and concentrate in school. The Zones of Regulation aims to teach children strategies to help them cope with these feelings so they can get back to feeling calm and ready to learn. These coping strategies are called ‘self-regulation’. 

We will be introducing the Zones through discrete teaching lessons and through our PSHE curriculum. We will also be using the Zones language as part of daily school life so all staff will be referring to them, not just their class teacher.

Our aim is that we will help children to:

• Recognise when they are in the different Zones and learn how to change or stay in the Zone they are in.
• Increase their emotional vocabulary so they can explain how they are feeling.
• Recognise when other people are in different Zones, thus developing better empathy.
• Develop an insight into what might make them move into the different Zones.
• Understand that emotions, sensory experiences such as lack of sleep or hunger and their environment might influence which Zone they are in.
• Develop problem-solving skills and resilience
• Identify a range of calming and alerting strategies that support them (known as their personal ‘toolkit’.)

It is even beneficial to use these Zones at home, and to encourage your child to use the Zones language and be able to label their emotions. Over time, we will be sharing more with families about how you can support further.

All chldren took part in an most amazing workshop from @RockKidzUK about well-being and raising self esteem. It was the perfect way to launch our learning on Personal Development and the Zones of Regulation!