Language for Behaviour

At Salmons Brook School, we recognise the close link between language skills and emotional regulation, behaviour, and social interaction. As part of our holistic interventions offer, we deliver the Language for Behaviour programme through our Interventions Department to support students in developing the language they need to understand, process, and express their emotions appropriately. 

This evidence-based intervention is delivered by our trained Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) and is targeted at students in Key Stages 3 and 4 who present with challenges around emotional regulation, social understanding, or behaviour that affects their engagement with learning. 

The Language for Behaviour programme focuses on: 

• Enhancing students’ understanding of the link between language and behaviour 

• Developing emotional vocabulary and communication skills 

• Teaching students how to recognise triggers and manage their emotional responses 

• Improving social interaction, empathy, and conflict resolution 

• Supporting students in making positive behaviour choices through structured dialogue 

Sessions are delivered in small groups or 1:1 depending on individual needs, with personalised targets linked to EHCP outcomes, behaviour support plans, and pastoral referrals. The programme is therapeutic in nature and complements other approaches used at Salmons Brook, such as Zones of Regulation and emotion coaching. 

Through this intervention, we aim to empower students with the language tools they need to better understand themselves and others, reduce incidents of dysregulation, and build stronger, more respectful relationships both in and out of the classroom.