Pastoral Support: A Graduated Approach

At Foxfield Primary School, we believe that emotional well-being is the foundation of academic success and personal growth. We know that for a child to access our curriculum and thrive in school, they must first feel a profound sense of safety, value and belonging. Our pastoral support framework operates as a dynamic, graduated approach of care ensuring that every child receives the right support at the right time. This ranges from whole school inclusive practices to highly targeted, specialist interventions.

Tier 1: Universal Offer (For All Pupils)
Universal support forms the cornerstone of Foxfield’s culture. It encompasses the responsibilities of all staff ensuring consistent, trauma informed and evidence based routines in every classroom. This inclusive environment ensures that we know our pupils deeply.

Core Universal Practices at Foxfield Primary School

Whole School Ethos & RHE Curriculum: Comprehensive RHE lessons covering mental health, emotional well-being, physical health, personal safety and healthy relationships.
"Meet and Greet" Routine: Class teachers warmly welcome children at the door and in the playground by name every morning.
Zones of Regulation Framework: Embedded across all environments, this visual helps children identify and categorise their feelings promoting self-regulation tools.
Visual Timetables & Communication Symbols: Universal use of Widgit and visual cues across the school reduces anxiety around transitions and daily routines.
Classroom Wellbeing & Book Corners: Book corners equipped with sensory tools and self-regulation are evident in all classrooms.
Daily Mindful Moments: Structured five minute mindfulness transitions following active times eg) lunchtime.
Pupil Voice & Idea Boxes: Active avenues include a vast range of pupil leadership avenues and all classrooms have Idea Boxes
Inclusion Coffee Mornings & Workshops: Open door sessions held by our Welfare and Inclusion teams to align home and school behaviour and wellbeing strategies.

Tier 2: Targeted Support (Identified Children)
Through identification, a child requiring support different from or additional to universal provision, they enter our targeted phase. Interventions are time bound, evidence based and are led by trained practitioners including our two learning mentors.

Intervention	Focus	Delivery
ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)	Emotional recognition, self-esteem, anger management, loss/bereavement and social skills	Tailored 1:1 or small-group sessions delivered by trained ELSA practitioners.
Drawing & Talking Therapy	Safely processing internal trauma, loss, or emotional distress through art	Short term 1:1 weekly therapeutic drawing sessions.
Emotional Literacy	Developing emotional awareness, naming feelings and building self-regulation skills	Structured 1:1 or small group sessions using visual frameworks (e.g. Zones of Regulation, Colour Monster).
My Emotions	Identifying personal feelings, emotional triggers, and building personal coping strategies	Guided 1:1 or small-group reflective sessions using emotion stones, visual scales, and discussion tools.
Social Skills	Conversational turn-taking, body language, active listening, and building positive friendships	Interactive small-group intervention blocks (e.g., Talkabout or semantic skill-building) led by learning mentors.
Language for Behaviour	Understanding behavioural triggers, processing social scenarios, and communication	Targeted small-group or 1:1 sessions focusing on functional language, social stories, and self-advocacy.
Lunch Club	Building social confidence, self-esteem and emotional literacy	Small, structured daily providing a safe, quiet alternative to busy playgrounds.
Nurture Groups	Building social confidence, emotional readiness, self-esteem, and social integration in a safe environment	Small, weekly group sessions providing targeted social emotional activities
Lego Therapy	Communication, turn taking, collaborative problem solving, and language development	Small group sessions where children take on defined roles (e.g., Builder, Supplier, Architect) to complete shared building projects together.
Bespoke Dietary Interventions	Reducing anxiety around specialized diets in partnership with the NHS	Sensory, pressure free food exploration sessions following clinical guidance.
Community Garden	Regulation, sensory processing, grounding, anxiety reduction, physical coordination, and building self-efficacy through nature	Group or 1:1 structured gardening activities (e.g., seed sowing, soil care, harvesting, and habitat building) facilitated in the garden.
Bereavement	Provide a safe, structured space where an individual student can process their grief, develop adaptive coping strategies, and safely navigate their emotions alongside a trusted adult.	1:1 structured check-ins, indirect creative activities, practical coping toolkit creation
Daily Check Ins	Target setting, emotional regulation and SEMH support	Designated learning mentors catch ups at the start and end of every day with identified children

Tier 3 Specialist and Multi-Agency Support (Select children)

For children experiencing severe or complex mental health, behavioural or safeguarding needs, we work efficiently and effectively within our Tier 3 framework. This stage brings in clinical specialists and multi-disciplinary teams while maintaining active partnership with parents.

Specialist Framework Includes:

Clinical & Therapeutic Referrals: Direct collaboration with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT), Occupational Therapy (OT) and Educational Psychologists.
Individual Plans: Tailored Individual Behaviour Plans also known as ‘My Plan for Success’
Specialised Therapy and Counselling: Facilitate 1:1 access to a qualified Youth Counsellor and Music Therapist
Multi-Agency & Safeguarding Case Management: Early Help support, Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings and Child in Need Plans (CIN) / Child Protection Plans (CP) to support the family.