Regulation at Fern House School

At Fern House School, we integrate The Zones of Regulation into our broader therapeutic and trauma-informed approach to help pupils understand and manage their emotions. We believe that equipping children with self-regulation skills is fundamental to their well-being and success.

The Zones of Regulation: Understanding Our Emotions

Self-regulation is a skill we all develop throughout our lives, helping us navigate challenging circumstances and manage our feelings effectively. The Zones of Regulation provides a simple, common language and visual framework to make this complex skill more accessible. It organises our feelings, alertness and energy levels into four coloured Zones:

• Blue Zone: Feeling sad, tired, sick or bored.
• Green Zone: Feeling happy, calm, focused or ready to learn.
• Yellow Zone: Feeling frustrated, worried, excited, silly or nervous.
• Red Zone: Feeling angry, terrified or out of control.

A core belief of The Zones of Regulation is that all Zones are okay. It is natural to experience different emotions throughout the day. We teach pupils to acknowledge and accept all their feelings, guiding them towards understanding how to move to a more regulated state when needed, rather than suppressing emotions.

The Power of Interoception

Alongside The Zones, we emphasise interoception – the ability to notice and understand our body's internal signals. These signals, like heart rate, breathing, or hunger, provide crucial clues about our emotional state. As neuroscientist Kelly Mahler states, interoception helps us answer the question, "How do I feel?" in any given moment. By teaching pupils to tune into these personal body signals, they gain reliable insights into their emotions and what their bodies need for comfort and regulation.

Putting Self-Regulation into Practice

Our pupils actively use The Zones of Regulation to manage their feelings and make safe choices:

"*** identified himself as being in the Yellow Zone so he looked at the tools he could use. He chose to draw and used the interactive board to draw. After his drawing, he moved himself back to the Green Zone." —  Pear Class (TA)

"When I feel fizzy, the only thing that makes me feel better in the Green Zone is football." — Cherry Class Pupil

"I’m feeling Yellow and need to stroke Honey to help me be calm again." — Pear Class Pupil