Early Emotions at Banks Road Primary School
At Banks Road Primary School, we recognise that emotional development begins long before children can explain how they feel. In our Nursery and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), we use the Early Emotions programme to support our youngest children to recognise, understand and begin to regulate their emotions in a safe, nurturing environment.
Early Emotions forms an important part of our commitment to children’s wellbeing, inclusion and early intervention, ensuring that every child is supported to make a positive start to their learning journey.
What Is Early Emotions?
Early Emotions is a carefully designed EYFS and preschool wellbeing programme that helps young children to:
Recognise different emotions
Begin to understand why they feel the way they do
Learn simple strategies to calm themselves and seek support
Develop positive relationships with adults and peers
The programme uses short, structured lessons, alongside stories, visual prompts and activities embedded into continuous provision. This makes it highly accessible and developmentally appropriate for our youngest learners.
Why Early Emotional Development Matters
At Banks Road, we believe that emotional wellbeing is a foundation for all learning. Young children who can recognise and express their emotions are better able to:
Settle into school routines
Build secure relationships
Engage in play and learning
Cope with change, challenge and frustration
Early Emotions supports children during a critical period of development, helping them to build the skills they need to feel confident, calm and ready to learn.
Aligning with Our School Values
Early Emotions strongly reflects our school values and ethos:
Respect – learning to recognise and respond to feelings respectfully
Friendship – building warm, trusting relationships with peers and adults
Determination – developing early resilience and perseverance
Trust – creating a safe space where children feel understood
Positivity – encouraging a calm, supportive and hopeful mindset
Through consistent language and routines, children begin to understand that emotions are a normal part of life and that help is always available.
A Whole‑School Approach from the Start
Early Emotions complements our wider wellbeing provision across the school, including The Wellbeing School programme in later year groups.
This ensures:
A consistent, progressive approach to emotional literacy
Shared language and understanding across Nursery, EYFS and beyond
Smooth transitions as children move through the school
By starting early, we give children the building blocks they need to thrive socially, emotionally and academically.
Supporting Inclusion and Early Help
Banks Road Primary School is proud of its inclusive ethos and its commitment to meeting the needs of all children.
Early Emotions supports this by:
Helping staff to identify emotional needs early
Reducing barriers to communication for young children
Supporting children with SEND, Speech and Language needs or social communication difficulties
Promoting positive behaviour through understanding rather than punishment
This aligns strongly with our work as an IQM Centre of Excellence, where wellbeing and inclusion are central to our practice.
What This Looks Like in Practice
In our Nursery and EYFS settings, children experience:
Calm, predictable routines
Emotion‑focused stories and discussions
Visual prompts that help children name feelings
Adult modelling of emotional language and regulation
Opportunities to practise calming strategies
Staff receive training and guidance to ensure emotional learning is woven naturally into each day, supporting children without placing pressure or expectations beyond their developmental stage.
Giving Every Child the Best Start
At Banks Road Primary School, we are committed to supporting children not just academically, but emotionally and socially too.
By embedding Early Emotions in our early years provision, we help children to:
Feel safe and secure in school
Build strong emotional foundations
Develop confidence in themselves and others
This early investment reflects our belief that wellbeing starts early – and lasts a lifetime.