Regulation first
Every session opens with an individual emotional check-in using the Zones of Regulation, followed by a therapeutic wellbeing activity chosen around how the child is feeling that day.
Every session follows a calm, predictable rhythm. Children arrive, check in, learn, get out into the community and leave on a positive note - with adults adapting each part of the day to how that child is actually feeling.
Every session opens with an individual emotional check-in using the Zones of Regulation, followed by a therapeutic wellbeing activity chosen around how the child is feeling that day.
Teacher-led curriculum input with visuals and real objects, adaptive teaching, clear learning outcomes and embedded maths and literacy links so every child can take part.
A community visit happens every single day - park, swimming, Goals, shops, cafes, the library or a local walk - where life and social skills are practised for real.
We run a morning and an afternoon session, each following the same structure. Times are a guide - the timetable is a framework that lets adults respond to what each child needs on the day.
| Time | Session | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30 - 08:35 / 12:45 - 12:50 | Arrival, coat and bag | Life skills and independence. Children hang up their own belongings with verbal prompts that reduce over time - a calm, predictable start. |
| 08:35 - 09:15 / 12:50 - 13:30 | Emotional check-in and wellbeing activity | Zones of Regulation check-in, then play therapy, talking and drawing, or Lego therapy - matched to the child's zone and needs that day. |
| 09:15 - 09:45 / 13:30 - 14:00 | Breakfast, lunch and toileting | Choice-making, conversation around the table, practical skills like pouring and spreading, then independent toileting and hand washing routines. |
| 09:45 - 10:15 / 14:00 - 14:30 | Curriculum subject | PE, music or art alternating half-termly, outdoor learning, science and cooking. |
| 10:15 - 11:15 / 14:30 - 15:30 | Community visit | Social and life skills in the real world - road safety, greetings, turn-taking, purchases, ordering and asking for help - alongside social value and giving back to the community, so children contribute to the places they visit while practising managing transitions in busier, less predictable settings. |
| 11:15 - 11:25 / 15:30 - 15:40 | Emotional check-in | A second check-in and reflection on the day, closing with a positive individual goodbye and a success from the session highlighted. |
| 11:25 - 11:30 / 15:40 - 15:45 | Coat and bag | Children collect belongings and put on their own coats, with prompts reduced as independence grows. |
Child-led play in a safe, non-judgemental space where feelings and experiences can be expressed and processed. Staff follow the child's lead, notice themes in the play and offer gentle reflection, informed by each child's "I Have / I Am / I Can" snapshot in the Nurtured Hub.
Children draw their worries, their day or how their body feels in different zones, with conversation alongside. It gives a low-pressure way to say things that feel too hard to say directly, and helps children link events, feelings and behaviour.
Small groups build a model together with defined roles - engineer, supplier, builder - rotating so every child experiences each part. It builds turn-taking, listening, joint attention, verbal communication, compromise and teamwork.
A child in the yellow zone may benefit from the structure of Lego therapy, while a child carrying a worry may need talking and drawing or play therapy. Check-ins also reveal patterns - a child regularly arriving in blue or yellow - which shapes the approach used.
Children express food and drink preferences, stay seated and talk around the table about their food and their morning. At the end of each week they help choose foods to try the following week, which encourages them to try new things.
If a child arrives in the blue zone and stays there despite the strategies used, adults consider what to try differently next time, or whether something deeper needs further attention and support.
Children do not learn from people they do not like.Rita Pierson