Our Wellbeing and Behaviour Curriculum
At William Harding School, we recognise that wellbeing and behaviour are closely connected. Children need to feel safe, secure and understood in order to learn, develop positive relationships and make positive choices.
Our Wellbeing and Behaviour Curriculum brings these areas together. It gives children the knowledge, understanding and strategies they need to develop positive wellbeing, regulate their emotions, manage their behaviour and build successful relationships.
The curriculum is planned around the needs of our school community, while remaining flexible so that we can respond to emerging needs, issues and experiences as they arise.
Wellbeing and behaviour are not taught as standalone subjects. They are explicitly taught through dedicated sessions and are also embedded throughout the school day, our relationships and routines, and the wider curriculum.
Connect → Regulate → Teach
Our curriculum is built around three connected strands:
Connect
Strong relationships are at the heart of our approach.
Every morning, teachers welcome each child individually at the classroom door. This provides a positive start to the day and helps children to feel noticed, valued and ready to learn.
We recognise that positive relationships, belonging and a sense of connection are fundamental to both wellbeing and positive behaviour.
Regulate
Children need to understand their emotions and learn how to manage themselves before they can make positive choices consistently.
Our Daily Wellbeing Sessions give children regular opportunities to check in, reflect on how they are feeling and develop strategies to support their emotional regulation.
Children are taught practical strategies that they can use throughout the school day to help them manage their emotions, behaviour and responses to different situations.
Teach
We explicitly teach children the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to thrive.
Our Weekly Wellbeing Sessions provide dedicated opportunities to explore themes linked to wellbeing, relationships, emotional regulation and positive behaviour.
The content is planned with the needs of our school community in mind and can be adapted when emerging issues, experiences or needs arise.
Wellbeing throughout school life
Our wellbeing curriculum extends beyond dedicated wellbeing and behaviour sessions.
Fortnightly class assemblies
Every other week, class assemblies provide an opportunity to explore relevant wellbeing, relationships and behaviour themes together.
FLD sessions
Every FLD session begins with a wellbeing task, providing another regular opportunity for children to reflect, check in and develop their understanding of wellbeing.
Everyday classroom practice
Staff consistently reinforce and embed the strategies and expectations taught through the curriculum, helping children to apply them in real-life situations throughout the school day.
Across the wider curriculum
Wellbeing and behaviour are developed through other areas of the curriculum, as identified in our curriculum map. This helps children to make meaningful connections between what they learn and their everyday experiences.
Staff knowledge and training
All staff receive training, supporting them to recognise when children may need help and to have positive, supportive conversations about wellbeing.
Our resources
We draw on a range of trusted resources and programmes to support our curriculum, including PiXL, AMHIE and Steps, alongside resources and approaches developed within school.
We regularly review our provision so that it continues to reflect the needs of our children and our wider school community.
Our approach
Connect → Regulate → Teach
By bringing wellbeing and behaviour together, we aim to give every child the knowledge, skills and confidence to understand themselves, manage their emotions and behaviour, build positive relationships and make positive choices.