A caring, confident future for your child

At Ivydale, we place children’s emotional wellbeing at the heart of school life.

Our Approach

We take a graduated approach that recognises every child as an individual, teaching all pupils the skills they need to understand their feelings, build confidence and develop healthy relationships. When children need more support, we adapt our offer to make sure they feel secure, understood and ready to learn.

How we do it

Learning to Understand Feelings

Most children thrive through our universal provision. Each class takes part in weekly sessions that build emotional vocabulary, empathy and self-regulation using approaches such as circle time, RULER, Babywatching and P4C.

These sessions give children time to talk, listen and learn simple strategies for managing big feelings so they feel calm, confident and ready to learn.

Extra Support When Needed

Some children need a little more help to understand their emotions or manage everyday challenges. This might involve small-group work or one-to-one sessions focused on developing confidence, social skills or emotional awareness. Support is carefully tailored so it meets each child’s needs, helps them grow at their own pace and strengthens their wellbeing over time.

Specialist Help for Specific Needs

A small number of children benefit from more specialist support. When this is the case, we work closely with families and involve external professionals where appropriate.

Our wider team includes teachers, SENDCos, teaching assistants, learning mentors, family support, mental health first aiders, pastoral staff and an educational psychologist, ensuring children receive the right expertise when they need it.