Regulation by Design: Exceptional Mainstream Practice at Woodland View Junior

11 minutes ago

5 min read

Across the country, schools are navigating rising levels of need. Inclusion is more complex, anxiety is more visible, and SEND reform is firmly back in focus.

Leaders are not short of initiatives. They are searching for approaches that genuinely work in mainstream settings. Sustainable strategies that strengthen wellbeing without lowering expectations.

When I revisited Woodland View Junior School this spring, Sam White invited me in to explore how their approach to regulation had evolved within that context. What I observed was exceptional.

We have been partnering alongside Woodland View for the past two years. (You can read their previous case study here) During that time, the team has intentionally strengthened and aligned what was already working. Refining routines, deepening relational practice and embedding movement as a regulatory tool.

The result is clear. Regulation is no longer something delivered in isolated moments. It is designed into the architecture of the school day.

This is how RISE Up is intended to work, as a multi-year journey where schools build purposefully, aligning movement, relationships and emotional literacy so that regulation becomes cultural rather than additional.

At Woodland View, that culture is now unmistakable.

Redesigning the Start of the Day

In Sam White’s Words

RISE Up Lead & Year 4 Teacher

“We wanted to move away from lining up in the morning. Children were standing around waiting, and you could see the anxiety building before the day had even begun.

Vicky, our SENCo, suggested walking. We trialled it, and then evolved it.”

Now, at 8:35am, Headteacher Heallen Payne opens the gate and everyone walks.

Parents walk with their children. Some pupils walk alongside teachers and teaching assistants. By 8:45, the school has transitioned calmly into learning.

“All of the teachers and TAs are walking. It’s become a shared start to the morning. Because we’re side by side, conversations feel less intense. It’s a natural time to check in.”

Over time, more and more parents have joined the walk.

“It’s strengthened protective factors from ACEs. Children are connecting with trusted adults before they even enter the classroom. They’re already moving, already co-regulating.”

An unexpected impact has also been noticed.

Both educators and parents arrive calmer. Walking alongside children creates a softer start for everyone. The day begins with connection rather than urgency.

Many schools respond to dysregulation once it appears. Woodland View redesigned the start of the day to reduce anxiety before it escalates.

One Year 4 pupil who previously struggled to enter the classroom due to rising anxiety now transitions smoothly.

“With her body already moving, it’s much easier to gently ‘scoop’ her into class. The anxiety doesn’t have space to build in the same way.”

Sam estimates that at least four children have experienced a significant reduction in school-based anxiety since embedding the walking model.

“They’re connecting more with classmates and trusted adults. They’re ready to learn.”

Regulation Woven Through the Day

In Sam White’s Words

The morning walk is not an isolated change. It reflects a broader commitment to proactive regulation.

Breaktimes now include sensory trails built into a second lap, structured activities led by Play Leads, and a designated sensory-focused day each week.

“We’re thinking ahead. Giving children opportunities to regulate before difficulties arise.”

Inside classrooms, movement is normalised rather than restricted.

“We’ve used resistance bands in class for the last three years. We prefer them to wobble boards, they’re quieter and less irritating. This week we’re introducing desk pedals to help children regulate through repeaters during lessons.”

Transitions are supported intentionally.

“We use 5-4-3-2-1 grounding before and after PE. It helps children settle and re-focus.”

The calm space has been redesigned as a restorative environment, somewhere children can regulate with dignity rather than feeling removed.

Alongside this, Woodland View continues to provide:

Art therapy
Drawing and Talking sessions
ELSA support
Stormbreak pathways
Cook and Connect sessions with children and families

This is layered support, aligned rather than fragmented.

Developing Emotional Self-Awareness

In Alice Redgrave’s Words

Zones of Regulation Lead & Year 3 Teacher

“We are introducing Zones of Regulation to build children’s self-awareness and extend the work we’re already doing around body scanning and journalling.”

For Alice, this is not about managing behaviour. It is about developing understanding.

“We want children to recognise what is happening in their bodies and understand that all feelings are valid. It’s about developing language and awareness so they can begin to regulate independently.”

The next step is extending this shared language to parents.

“Consistency matters. When families and school are using the same language around regulation, the impact deepens.”

Zones is being introduced thoughtfully, complementing existing strengths rather than replacing them.

Moving Forward

The work continues to expand. Woodland View is embedding RISE principles into Year 2–3 transition work with Spixworth Infant School, co-delivering PE sessions to build trusted adult relationships early, integrating RISE into nurture provision, allocating time for staff training, and collaborating with James Tuthill to strengthen a wider RISE Up community of best practice across the CARE Federation and Norfolk.

This is not a short-term project. It is sustained, strategic development.

A Culture Built Together

In Head of School Heallen Payne’s Words

For Heallen, the strength of the approach comes from the whole team continually reflecting, adapting and keeping children’s wellbeing at the centre of their decisions.

“I am incredibly proud to work with such a dedicated team and the way in which we work together to put the children's wellbeing at the heart of what we do. We really do CARE.

Our strength lies in working together, continually reflecting on what is working and adapting what is not.

This collaborative approach has helped us embed predictable, consistent and supportive routines, enabling children to feel safe, nurtured, secure and understood within our school community.

By continually refining our practice, we create the conditions for children to be emotionally and socially ready to learn and thrive.”

A Model of Exceptional Mainstream Practice

What makes Woodland View exceptional is not a single tool or initiative.

It is leadership. The willingness to rethink routines. The courage to redesign entry points. The consistency across staff. The commitment to building regulation before expecting performance.

Many schools add wellbeing initiatives. Woodland View has redesigned daily practice.

Regulation is not treated as a response to crisis. It is the starting point for learning.

Woodland View and the wider CARE Federation team are demonstrating what is possible when inclusion, wellbeing and high expectations are aligned.

They are creating the ideal conditions for children to feel safe, understood and ready to thrive.

A heartfelt thank you to Sam White, Alice Redgrave, Heallen Payne and the brilliant team across the CARE Federation for their leadership, openness and relentless commitment to strengthening provision for their children and families.

This is thoughtful, sustainable and deeply child-centred practice. And it deserves to be recognised as exceptional.

If you’d like support to build on what is already working in your school and create a culture where children feel safe, connected and ready to learn, we’d love to explore that journey with you.