Wellbeing

What is Self-Regulation (and why it matters for learning)?

At Skye Primary School, we know that before learning can happen, students need to feel calm, safe and ready.

This is where self-regulation comes in. Self-regulation is a student’s ability to manage their emotions, behaviour and energy levels so they are ready to learn. While this develops over time, it is not something we simply expect students to 'have', it is something we explicitly teach and practise every day.

You may hear your child talk about their Ready to Learn Scale. These help students recognise how they are feeling (for example, calm, unsettled, frustrated or overwhelmed) and understand what they might need to get back to a place where they can focus and learn.

Below are some examples of  our Junior, Middle and Senior School's Ready to Learn Scales. Students mark their scales at the start of the day and after recess and lunch. This allows the teacher to intervene early and get students back on track for learning.

When students are regulated:

• they can concentrate for longer
• they are more able to solve problems
• they interact more positively with others

When students are dysregulated, learning becomes much more difficult. This is why we place such a strong focus on this area across the school.

Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing more about how we support students to build these important skills. If you'd like to see your child's Ready to Learn Scale, feel free to pop into the classroom before or after school.