The five touchstones of SEAL - self-awareness, empathy, managing feelings, motivation,and social skills - can sometimes seem like just so many touchy-feely words, but what can the social and emotional aspects of learning actually achieve? In one school the approach has been incorporated not just in lessons but across the whole school, and has improved behaviour in pupils. Staff at William Howard School in Cumbria describe how the approach can improve lessons and the quality of learning and how traditional pupil-inclusive initiatives like School Council have been replaced by a much more high-powered Executive Forum. The Forum is run by pupils and is invested with real decision-making power. Registration is enlivened by game-playing using the SEAL approach, and ideas like Thought For The Week and Frustration Circle play out amongst teachers and pupils.

Video Series: Secondary Behaviour and Attendance
Release Date 2008