HELP & SUPPORT

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in Schools

A Guide for UK Educators

What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?

A practical, evidence-based guide to social and emotional learning in UK schools: what it is, why it matters, how it connects to Ofsted and PSHE, and how to embed it effectively using the nurture approach.

Contents

What Is Social and Emotional Learning?

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and young people develop the skills to:

  • Understand and manage their emotions
  • Build positive relationships
  • Show empathy for others
  • Make responsible decisions

These are not abilities that develop automatically. They need to be taught, practised, and reinforced, just like literacy or numeracy.

SEL recognises that how a pupil feels directly affects how they learn. A child who cannot regulate their emotions, manage conflict with peers, or cope with setbacks will struggle to access the curriculum, regardless of their cognitive ability. SEL provides the foundation that makes academic learning possible.

The term “social and emotional learning” was introduced in the 1990s by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) in the United States. But the principles behind it are not new to UK education. The UK has its own rich tradition of SEL practice, from the government’s SEAL programme of the mid-2000s to the nurture approach that is now embedded in thousands of schools across the country.

SEL in the UK: From SEAL to the Nurture Approach

Between 2005 and 2011, the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme was the government’s flagship SEL initiative, reaching around 90% of primary schools and 70% of secondary schools in England. SEAL was a whole-school approach designed to develop pupils’ social and emotional skills alongside academic learning.

When SEAL was discontinued, no equivalent national programme replaced it. Schools were left to develop their own approaches, often without structured guidance or a consistent framework. This gap is part of why SEL practice in UK schools varies so widely today.

In many schools, the nurture approach has filled this space. Rooted in attachment theory and developmental psychology, the nurture approach offers a coherent, evidence-based framework for understanding and supporting pupils’ social and emotional development. Rather than importing a framework designed for American school systems, the nurture approach is built from the ground up for UK school contexts and now operates in over 2,000 schools across the country.

The Six Principles of Nurture: A Framework for SEL

The Six Principles of Nurture provide the foundation for effective SEL practice in UK schools. They offer a shared language and a practical framework that applies across phases, settings, and levels of need.

1. Children’s learning is understood developmentally

Every pupil arrives at school at a different stage of social and emotional development, and that stage may not match their chronological age. A Year 4 pupil who has experienced trauma or disruption may be functioning socially and emotionally at the level of a much younger child. Effective SEL starts with understanding where each pupil actually is, not where the curriculum assumes they should be.

This is where structured assessment matters. Tools like the Boxall Profile® Online help teachers build a detailed, evidence-based picture of each pupil’s social and emotional development, identifying both strengths and areas of need so that support can be targeted rather than generic.

2. The classroom offers a safe base

Pupils learn best in environments where they feel emotionally secure. Before a child can take the risk of putting their hand up, attempting a difficult task, or engaging with a peer, they need to feel safe. A nurturing classroom creates this safe base through predictable routines, consistent boundaries, and warm, attuned relationships between adults and pupils.

This principle has direct implications for school culture. When the whole school operates as a safe base, not just individual classrooms, pupils experience consistency across their day. This reinforces their emotional security and enables them to develop self-management and resilience.

3. The importance of nurture for the development of wellbeing

Wellbeing is not a separate concern from learning. It is a prerequisite for it. This principle recognises that schools have a responsibility to actively nurture pupils’ emotional health, not simply to respond when problems arise. Proactive approaches to wellbeing, including regular emotional check-ins, relationship-building activities, and explicit teaching of coping strategies, build the resilience and emotional literacy that underpin academic success.

4. Language is a vital means of communication

Developing pupils’ ability to express their feelings, needs, and experiences through language, rather than through behaviour, is central to SEL. Many pupils who present with behavioural difficulties lack the emotional vocabulary to articulate what they are feeling. Teaching children to name and talk about their emotions is one of the most effective strategies for improving self-awareness and self-regulation.

In practice, this means embedding emotional literacy across the curriculum through:

  • Circle time and story-based discussions
  • Feelings charts and emotion check-ins
  • The everyday language adults use with pupils

It also means creating space for pupils to practise using this language, not just in dedicated SEL lessons, but throughout the school day.

5. All behaviour is communication

This is perhaps the most transformative principle for schools. When a pupil is disruptive, withdrawn, aggressive, or disengaged, that behaviour is telling us something about their unmet social or emotional needs. Responding to behaviour purely with sanctions, without seeking to understand what is driving it, addresses the symptom, not the cause.

Schools that embed this principle into their behaviour policies and staff training see a shift in culture: from a reactive, consequences-led approach to a curious, relational one. This does not mean there are no boundaries. It means that boundaries are held within a framework of understanding, and that consequences are educational rather than punitive.

6. The importance of transitions in children’s lives

Transitions are points of particular vulnerability for pupils’ social and emotional wellbeing. This includes:

  • Daily transitions such as arriving at school or moving between lessons
  • Year-to-year transitions between classes or key stages
  • Major transitions such as starting a new school or moving from primary to secondary

Children who have experienced instability or disruption in their early lives are especially sensitive to change. Effective SEL provision recognises transitions as moments that require proactive support: careful preparation, clear communication, and additional emotional scaffolding.

The Evidence for SEL in Schools

What UK research shows

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), through its Teaching and Learning Toolkit, has evaluated the evidence for SEL interventions across hundreds of studies. The key findings are:

  • SEL approaches deliver an average of three to four additional months’ academic progress per year, making SEL one of the most cost-effective strategies available to schools
  • Interventions for secondary-age pupils tend to be more effective (approximately five months’ additional progress) compared to primary settings (approximately two months)
  • Impact depends on implementation: SEL is most effective when embedded into routine practices and supported by professional development for staff, not delivered as isolated, bolt-on sessions

The EEF’s guidance report, Improving Social and Emotional Learning in Primary Schools, describes this as the distinction between skills being “taught” through explicit instruction and “caught” through everyday interactions, routines, and school culture.

How SEL supports disadvantaged pupils

SEL programmes consistently benefit disadvantaged pupils disproportionately. The EEF notes that SEL approaches tend to have greater impact for pupils from low-income backgrounds, helping to narrow the attainment gap. The Education Policy Institute’s evidence review found that children from poorer backgrounds tend to exhibit lower levels of emotional health and self-regulation by age three, and that school-based SEL can help address these disparities.

This makes SEL a relevant strategy for any school’s pupil premium provision, and a credible component of closing the disadvantage gap.

The international evidence base

The largest international meta-analysis of SEL programmes (Durlak et al., 2011), covering 213 studies and over 270,000 students, found that participants showed an 11-percentile-point gain in academic achievement alongside improvements in social and emotional skills, attitudes towards school, and reductions in conduct problems. Follow-up research found these benefits persisted into adulthood, with participants showing better outcomes in education, employment, and mental health years later.

How SEL Connects to UK Policy and Inspection

SEL and PSHE/RSHE

Since September 2020, Relationships Education (primary), Relationships and Sex Education (secondary), and Health Education (both phases) have been statutory in all schools in England. The RSHE curriculum covers much of the same ground as SEL: managing emotions, building healthy relationships, understanding mental wellbeing, and making safe decisions.

But PSHE/RSHE and SEL are not the same thing. PSHE/RSHE is a curriculum subject, a set of content to be taught in timetabled lessons. SEL is an approach, a way of developing skills that should be embedded across the entire school experience. The most effective schools use PSHE/RSHE as the “taught” component of their SEL provision while embedding the “caught” component across daily routines, behaviour policies, and the relationships adults model throughout the school.

SEL and Ofsted

Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework includes a judgement on personal development, which encompasses pupils’ character, resilience, confidence, and understanding of how to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy. Schools that embed SEL effectively are well positioned to demonstrate strong personal development.

Since November 2025, Ofsted has made inclusion a standalone area of inspection. This is significant for SEL. Pupils’ ability to participate fully in school life, to manage their behaviour, engage with peers, and access learning, depends directly on their social and emotional development. Schools that can demonstrate a structured, evidence-based approach to understanding and supporting pupils’ social and emotional needs are better equipped to meet this inspection focus.

SEL and SEMH

In the SEND Code of Practice, Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) is one of the four broad areas of need. Pupils identified with SEMH needs may display challenging behaviour, be withdrawn or isolated, or have difficulties with emotional regulation that affect their ability to learn.

SEL provides the universal foundation (Tier 1) that supports all pupils’ social and emotional development. For pupils with identified SEMH needs, targeted interventions (Tier 2) and specialist support (Tier 3) build on this foundation. Understanding the relationship between SEL and SEMH helps schools plan a coherent continuum of support, rather than treating social and emotional development as something only relevant to pupils with identified difficulties.

For more on identifying and supporting SEMH needs, see our SEMH resource guide and our guide to assessing SEMH needs in schools.

What Does SEL Look Like in Practice?

Whole-school approaches

SEL is most effective when it is a whole-school priority, not the responsibility of one teacher or one intervention. A whole-school approach means that SEL principles are reflected in:

  • School policies and behaviour management
  • Staff interactions and modelling
  • The physical environment
  • Relationships between staff, pupils, and families

The Six Principles of Nurture provide a practical framework for this. Schools that adopt a whole-school nurture approach embed these principles into every aspect of school life, creating the consistent, emotionally safe environment in which SEL skills can develop.

SEL in primary schools

In primary settings, SEL often begins with building emotional literacy, helping young children identify, name, and talk about their feelings. Core strategies include circle time, emotion check-ins, feelings charts, and story-based discussions. The EEF recommends pairing these embedded practices with structured programmes that teach SEL skills explicitly.

Programmes used in UK primary schools include PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies), Zippy’s Friends, and nurture groups. Many schools also integrate SEL within their existing PSHE provision, using it as the dedicated “taught” time for social and emotional skills.

SEL in secondary schools

In secondary schools, SEL takes on different dimensions. Pupils are navigating more complex social dynamics, identity questions, peer pressure, and the transition to greater independence. SEL at this phase often focuses on emotional regulation under stress, conflict resolution, perspective-taking, and responsible decision-making.

Despite the common assumption that SEL is “for primary,” the EEF’s evidence shows secondary interventions can be even more effective. The challenge is embedding SEL within a subject-specialist timetable. Successful secondary schools integrate SEL through tutor time, PSHE lessons, restorative approaches to behaviour, and training that equips all teachers, not just pastoral staff, to model and reinforce social and emotional skills.

Tiered support

Effective SEL provision operates across three tiers:

  • Tier 1 (universal) is the whole-school approach: the culture, routines, and relationships that support all pupils. This includes explicit SEL instruction through PSHE or dedicated programmes, and the implicit reinforcement that happens through how adults interact with pupils throughout the day.
  • Tier 2 (targeted) provides additional support for pupils who need more structured help. Nurture groups are one of the most well-established Tier 2 SEL interventions in UK schools: small groups of six to twelve pupils, staffed by two trained adults, providing a structured environment where pupils develop the social and emotional skills they need to thrive in the mainstream classroom. Other Tier 2 approaches include social skills groups, mentoring, and programmes such as Incredible Years and Journey of Hope.
  • Tier 3 (specialist) involves individualised, often multi-agency support for pupils with significant and persistent needs, potentially including educational psychology input, CAMHS, or specialist SEMH provision.

Assessing Social and Emotional Development

Why assessment matters

You cannot support what you cannot see. Effective SEL depends on understanding where each pupil is in their social and emotional development, not just identifying those with obvious difficulties, but building a picture of the whole cohort. Without structured assessment, schools rely on ad hoc identification, which means many pupils with unmet needs go unrecognised.

How UK schools measure SEL

Measuring social and emotional development is more complex than measuring academic progress. Schools typically combine several approaches:

  • Attendance and exclusion data for broad indicators of the school’s social and emotional climate
  • Pupil voice surveys to capture pupils’ own perceptions of wellbeing and belonging
  • Teacher observations for professional judgements about individual pupils
  • Structured assessment tools for a systematic, evidence-based framework

The most effective approach uses these methods together, tracking change over time and using the data to inform both universal and targeted provision.

The Boxall Profile® Online

The Boxall Profile® Online is the most widely used assessment tool for understanding children and young people’s social, emotional, and behavioural development in UK schools. Cited by the Department for Education in its Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools guidance, it provides a detailed, teacher-completed assessment across two dimensions:

  • The Developmental Strands, which measure aspects of a pupil’s social and emotional development that influence their ability to learn
  • The Diagnostic Profile, which identifies patterns of behaviour that may be preventing successful engagement

The Boxall Profile is designed to inform action. Each assessment generates specific, evidence-based strategies tailored to the individual pupil’s developmental needs, moving schools from identification to intervention. It enables staff to assess social and emotional development across whole cohorts, track progress over time, and evidence the impact of their SEL provision for Ofsted, governors, and families.

Start a free 30-day trial of the Boxall Profile® Online

SEL and Teacher Wellbeing

Why teacher emotional competence matters

Teachers are not just facilitators of SEL. They are emotional role models. When adults in a school demonstrate strong emotional regulation, empathy, and relational skills, pupils mirror these behaviours. Conversely, teachers who are stressed, overwhelmed, or emotionally depleted cannot effectively model the social and emotional skills they are asking pupils to develop.

The Department for Education has recognised the importance of staff wellbeing in sustaining positive school cultures, and the DfE’s Education Staff Wellbeing Charter provides a framework for schools to commit to supporting their staff. Without emotionally healthy adults, whole-school SEL cannot function.

How SEL training benefits staff

Professional development in SEL strengthens teachers’ own resilience, emotional awareness, and classroom management, not just their ability to deliver lessons. The EEF’s guidance emphasises that SEL programmes are most effective when teachers receive structured training and ongoing support, and that this training benefits staff as individuals, not just as practitioners.

Schools that invest in SEL-focused CPD, such as nurtureuk’s training programmes on the Relational Approach, nurture group practice, and Boxall Profile assessment, report improved staff confidence and wellbeing alongside more effective support for pupils.

Reducing stress and improving retention

Teacher attrition remains a significant challenge in UK schools, with workload and stress frequently cited as reasons for leaving the profession. Embedding SEL strategies into daily practice, including reflective practice, emotional check-ins, and relationship-building routines, provides teachers with tools to manage their own stress. Schools that adopt whole-staff approaches to social and emotional development report higher morale, lower absenteeism, and better retention.

Getting Started with SEL in Your School

Assess where you are now

Before introducing new programmes or strategies, take stock of what your school already does to support social and emotional development. Many schools embed SEL principles without formally recognising them as such. Use a structured tool like the Boxall Profile® Online to conduct a whole-cohort assessment that gives you a clear, data-driven picture of your pupils’ social and emotional needs.

Build staff understanding and commitment

SEL works when it is a shared priority across the whole school, not the responsibility of a single coordinator. Invest in professional development that helps all staff understand the principles of SEL and how to apply them in their practice. The Boxall Profile training toolkit and nurtureuk’s e-learning courses provide flexible, affordable options for building staff capacity.

Embed, don’t bolt on

The single most important lesson from the evidence: SEL should be woven into everyday teaching and school routines, not treated as a separate initiative. Use your PSHE/RSHE provision for explicit instruction. Reinforce SEL skills through behaviour policies, classroom management, transitions, and the language adults use with pupils throughout the day. The Six Principles of Nurture provide the framework for making this happen consistently across your school.

Frequently Asked Questions About Social and Emotional Learning

What is social and emotional learning in simple terms?

Social and emotional learning is how children and adults learn to understand their emotions, get along with others, make good decisions, and handle challenges. It covers skills like empathy, self-regulation, communication, and resilience: the skills that enable pupils to learn effectively and thrive in school and beyond.

What are the five components of social and emotional learning?

The most widely referenced framework, developed by CASEL, identifies five core competencies:

  • Self-awareness: recognising your own emotions and how they affect behaviour
  • Self-management: regulating emotions, managing stress, setting goals
  • Social awareness: showing empathy, appreciating diversity, understanding social norms
  • Relationship skills: communicating, cooperating, resolving conflict
  • Responsible decision-making: making constructive choices about personal and social behaviour

In UK schools, these competencies are often developed through the nurture approach and embedded within PSHE/RSHE provision.

Is SEL the same as PSHE?

No. PSHE is a curriculum subject: content taught in timetabled lessons. SEL is broader. It is an approach to developing social and emotional skills that should be embedded across the whole school, not confined to one lesson per week. The most effective schools use PSHE/RSHE for explicit SEL instruction while embedding SEL principles in everyday routines, behaviour policies, and school culture.

How does SEL improve academic outcomes?

Pupils with strong social and emotional skills are better able to concentrate, manage their behaviour, engage with learning, and work cooperatively, all of which directly support academic progress. The EEF’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit estimates that SEL interventions lead to an average of three to four additional months’ progress per year, with secondary-age pupils showing gains of up to five months.

What is the best way to assess social and emotional development in schools?

The most effective approach combines attendance and behaviour data with structured assessment tools and qualitative measures such as pupil voice and teacher observation. The Boxall Profile® Online is the most widely used structured assessment for social and emotional development in UK schools, cited by the DfE. It measures both developmental progress and behavioural patterns, and generates targeted strategies for each pupil.

How does SEL relate to Ofsted inspection?

Ofsted’s framework includes a judgement on personal development, covering pupils’ character, resilience, and wellbeing. Since November 2025, inclusion has become a standalone inspection area. Schools with structured, evidence-based SEL provision, supported by clear assessment data, are well placed to demonstrate both strong personal development and inclusive practice.

What are nurture groups and how do they support SEL?

Nurture groups are small classes of six to twelve pupils, run by two trained staff, operating within mainstream schools. They provide a targeted SEL intervention for pupils with social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties, helping them develop the skills to engage with learning and participate fully in school life. There are now over 2,000 nurture groups in UK schools, and the EEF’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit references nurture-based approaches within its SEL evidence.

What does the EEF say about social and emotional learning?

The EEF rates SEL as a low-cost intervention with positive impact, estimating three to four months of additional academic progress per year. Its guidance report, Improving Social and Emotional Learning in Primary Schools, recommends that SEL be taught explicitly, embedded in everyday practice, supported by staff training, and underpinned by a whole-school approach. The EEF also notes that SEL particularly benefits disadvantaged pupils.