Our Reimagined School Day Model

At Hatfield Wick School, our school day has been deliberately reimagined to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND and SEMH needs.

This model was conceived by Nicky McGurk, Co-Founder and Director of Therapeutic Services, as part of Hatfield Wick’s wider commitment to creating a therapeutic school environment that is calm, emotionally safe and specialist.

Rather than simply adapting a traditional school day, we have redesigned the structure of the day around how children with SEMH needs are most likely to feel safe, build relationships and become ready to learn.

Our approach is built around three connected principles:

Regulation. Relationship. Recognition.

Students are not expected to move straight into academic learning if they arrive anxious, dysregulated or overwhelmed. Instead, the day follows a clear therapeutic sequence:

Regulate → Relate → Reason

This means we support students to feel safe first, connect with trusted adults and peers second, and then engage in learning when they are emotionally and physiologically ready.

This is CARES360 in action. Compassion, Autonomy, Respect, Empathy and Support are not added onto the school day. They shape the school day.

Why We Reimagined the School Day

The traditional school day was not designed with SEMH needs at its centre.

Many children who join specialist provision have experienced anxiety, disrupted education, emotionally based school avoidance, trauma, low self-esteem, social difficulties or repeated experiences of not feeling successful in school.

For these students, simply placing them into a standard timetable of lessons is not enough.

Nicky’s reimagined school day recognises that emotional safety must come before instruction. A dysregulated child is unlikely to be ready for reading, writing, numeracy or problem-solving until they first feel calm, connected and understood.

This is why our day begins with soft starts, regulation, key adult connection and emotional check-ins before moving into high-value academic learning later in the morning.

The model is proactive rather than reactive. It is not about responding to crisis after it happens. It is about designing the school day so that anxiety, overwhelm and dysregulation are reduced from the outset.

This makes the school day model a central part of our specialist provision.

CARES360 as the Foundation

The reimagined school day is shaped by CARES360: Compassion, Autonomy, Respect, Empathy and Support.

CARES360 is not a poster on the wall or a set of words used separately from daily practice. It is built into routines, transitions, conversations, learning blocks, reflection time and the way adults respond to students.

Compassion is shown through warm welcomes, attuned responses and understanding behaviour as communication.

Autonomy is supported through choice, student voice and opportunities for young people to take ownership of their learning.

Respect is shown by responding to difficulty with curiosity rather than judgement.

Empathy is developed through daily emotional literacy, validation and relational support.

Support is provided through predictable routines, soft starts, sensory opportunities, flexible teaching and trusted adult relationships.

Every part of the day is an opportunity to practise CARES360 in action.

A Structured School Day with Therapeutic Purpose

Our structured school day is calm, predictable and purposeful.

Every part of the day has a reason. Some sessions focus on regulation. Some focus on relationships. Some focus on academic progress. Some focus on independence, enrichment and preparation for the future.

This is a therapeutic education model because it recognises that learning is not separate from emotional safety.

A structured school day helps reduce anxiety by making expectations clearer. Students know what is happening, what comes next and where they can access support.

At the same time, the model remains flexible. Staff can adapt support when a student is struggling, dysregulated or overwhelmed.

This balance of structure and flexibility is especially important in a specialist SEMH school.

Regulate → Relate → Reason

The structure of the school day follows a simple but powerful sequence.

Regulate First

Many students arrive at school already carrying stress, anxiety or emotional overload.

The first part of the day is therefore low-demand, calm and relational. Students may access breakfast or a snack, quiet activities, sensory tools, movement, conversation with a trusted adult or a gentle transition into the school environment.

The aim is to help students move from a state of stress or survival into a state where they can feel safe enough to engage.

This reflects the Compassion and Support within CARES360. Students are not expected to perform before they are emotionally ready.

This is why our school routine for anxiety begins with safety, regulation and connection.

Relate Through Connection

Once students are more regulated, they are better able to connect with others.

CARES360 Circle, tutor time and relational check-ins help students feel seen, known and understood. Adults notice, name and support emotional states. Students are helped to understand expectations for the day and to prepare for learning.

This relational stage is essential. For many students, belonging and trust are the foundation of all progress.

This is where Empathy and Respect become visible in everyday practice.

Reason When Ready

Academic learning is placed after regulation and relationship-building because higher-order thinking is most effective when students are emotionally ready.

Literacy, numeracy, problem-solving, discussion, written work and project-based learning are therefore positioned at points in the day when students are more likely to be settled and available for learning.

This does not lower ambition. It increases the likelihood that students can access learning successfully.

A Typical Hatfield Wick School Day

The school day is structured, predictable and purposeful. Every session has a therapeutic, relational or academic reason behind it.

This specialist school routine supports regulation, learning readiness, confidence, wellbeing and academic progress.

9:00–9:15 — Soft Start & Regulation

Students arrive into a calm, low-demand environment. This may include breakfast or a snack, catch-up time, sensory regulation, low-pressure tasks and connection with a key adult. Registration occurs during this soft start.

This part of the day supports safety, trust and transition into school.

It reflects CARES360 through Compassion and Support. Students are welcomed as they are, rather than judged by how they arrive.

9:15–09:45 — CARES360 Circle / Tutor Time

Students take part in emotional literacy, relational check-ins, preparation for learning and daily expectations.

This is a key part of the school day. It helps students understand how they are feeling, what they need, and how they can be supported to engage successfully. During this time, emotional wellbeing is logged which helps us focus on necessary intervention and paint a picture over time including a focus on progress measures.

CARES360 Circle makes the school’s values explicit. Students practise Compassion, Autonomy, Respect, Empathy and Support through discussion, reflection, relationship-building and preparation for the day ahead.

9:45–10.00 — Movement Break / Sensory Room (Timetabled)

Before we move into our high-value learning blocks, a movement break is timetabled in for the majority of students. During this time, the sensory room is timetabled specifically for those who require it as part of the EHCP. This is one of two times of day when the sensory room is specifically timetabled. Aside from this, it can be accessed as and when needed.

As each students learning is personalised, students have a planned opportunity for movement, co-regulation and sensory reset.

This is not simply a break from learning. It is a planned part of the regulation cycle and helps students return to learning with greater readiness.

This reflects the CARES360 understanding that students need support to manage their bodies, emotions and energy across the day.

10:00–10:45 — High-Value Literacy Block

Literacy is taught through structured, supportive and accessible approaches. Reading, writing, spoken language and communication are developed using strategies that reflect Universal Design for Learning.

Students may access visual, verbal, practical, digital or scaffolded learning approaches depending on their needs.

The focus is on confidence, communication and meaningful progress.

10:45–11.00 — Movement Break / Sensory Room (Timetabled)

Our second and final timetabled movement break and sensory sessions. Movement breaks and sensory time are then protected for the rest of the day for those who require it in the moment to regulate.

11:00–11:45 — High-Value Numeracy Block

Numeracy is taught in small, supported chunks. Students are helped to build confidence, fluency and problem-solving skills through accessible teaching and appropriate scaffolding.

The focus is on meaningful progress from each student’s starting point.

Students are supported to take risks, make mistakes safely and build independence over time.

11:45–12:30 — Relational Lunchtime / Breaking Bread

Lunch is treated as a relational and therapeutic opportunity and this is what we call 'Breaking Bread'. 

Staff and students eat together where appropriate, modelling positive social interaction, supporting regulation and reinforcing a sense of belonging.

This is CARES360 in an everyday moment. Lunchtime becomes a chance to practise connection, respect, conversation, independence and community.

12:30–13:00 — Outdoor, Physical and Sensory Time

Students access outdoor, physical or sensory opportunities such as forest school activities, walking groups, games, movement-based tasks, obstacle activities or other practical experiences. Many students who come to Hatfield Wick School do not typically enjoy 'physical education' so our approach is used in the style of a hidden curriculum to ensure movement is incorporated within our timetable.

This supports regulation, confidence, social interaction and physical wellbeing.

For many students, movement and outdoor learning are essential parts of feeling ready to learn and able to cope with the school day.

13:00–13:45 — Integrated Project Learning

Students take part in practical, interest-led project learning. This may include science, humanities, PSHCE, creative learning, problem-solving or real-world themes.

Project learning helps students apply skills in meaningful contexts and supports engagement, curiosity and confidence. This can be complete through a thematic, cross-curricular approach. As part of KS4, this becomes even more streamlined to ensure they are prepared for life beyond Hatfield Wick School.

This part of the day supports Autonomy within CARES360 by giving students opportunities to explore interests, make choices and contribute ideas.

13:45–14:30 — Targeted Interventions and Therapeutic Support

Integrated project learning still occurs during this time. However, this part of the day provides space for individual or small-group intervention too. During this time, students may be taken from class to focus on these interventions as part of their personalised timetable.

Support may include academic intervention, therapeutic input, emotional regulation work, communication support, mentoring, wellbeing support or targeted work linked to individual plans.

The purpose is to ensure support is responsive, personalised and joined-up.

14:30–14:50 — Enrichment and Autonomy Block

Students access enrichment, creative, digital, vocational, social enterprise, community or interest-led learning.

This part of the day helps students develop autonomy, identity, confidence, contribution and readiness for future pathways.

It is an important part of helping students see themselves as capable, valued and able to shape their future.

During this time, pupils' also have access to social games to focus on relationships, connection and social skills before the closing time of the day.

14:45–15:00 — CARES360 Closing Circle and Transition Preparation

The day ends with reflection, regulation and preparation for the transition home.

Students are supported to recognise progress, celebrate effort, revisit personal targets and prepare for the next day.

Structured endings are especially important for students who find transitions difficult.

The closing circle reinforces CARES360 by helping students reflect on how they have shown Compassion, Autonomy, Respect, Empathy and Support during the day.

On a Friday, students are collected at 1pm. The afternoon period is used for teachers planning, preparation and assessment time (PPA) alongside continuous professional development to ensure we are experts in our field and experts with our understanding of our students.

SEMH School Routine and SEND School Structure

Our SEMH school routine is designed to reduce anxiety, support regulation and help students feel known.

Our SEND school structure provides predictable routines, small-group support, sensory-aware environments, personalised learning and trusted adult relationships.

This helps create a SEND school environment where students can access learning without unnecessary overwhelm.

The aim is to provide a personalised school routine that supports each student’s needs while maintaining a clear whole-school rhythm.

This is especially important for a school day for SEND students, where transitions, sensory demands, social interaction and academic pressure can all affect readiness to learn.

Supporting Neurodivergent Learners

Neurodivergent school support is built into the design of the day.

Staff consider sensory needs, communication preferences, social demands, movement needs, attention, anxiety and emotional regulation.

Support may include small-group teaching, visual prompts, flexible seating, movement breaks, sensory opportunities, quiet spaces and carefully managed transitions.

Our calm school environment helps reduce avoidable stress and supports students to feel safe enough to participate.

This creates a supportive learning environment where students can build confidence and develop independence.

Trauma Informed School Practice

Hatfield Wick School is a trauma informed school.

This means staff understand that behaviour may communicate distress, anxiety, confusion, shame, fear or overwhelm.

Our approach does not begin with punishment or judgement. It begins with curiosity, safety and support.

The reimagined school day helps reduce the likelihood of escalation by placing emotional regulation in schools at the centre of daily practice.

This is especially important for students who have experienced disrupted education, emotionally based school avoidance, trauma or repeated school-related stress.

SEMH Education Support Across the Day

SEMH education support is not limited to one intervention session.

It is embedded across the whole day through arrival routines, CARES360 Circle, movement breaks, relational lunchtime, therapeutic support, project learning, enrichment and closing reflection.

Students are supported to practise emotional literacy, regulation strategies, relationship skills, independence and reflection throughout the day.

This approach helps students experience support as part of normal school life rather than something separate or stigmatising.

Belong, Build, Become

Nicky’s reimagined school day also connects closely with the Belong, Build, Become pathway.

This pathway recognises that some of the most important progress students make is emotional, relational and behavioural. For many students, feeling safe enough to attend, trust an adult, join a group, cope with change or ask for help is a significant achievement.

The school day gives students repeated opportunities to develop these areas.

Belong focuses on safety, connection, trust, regulation and feeling part of a community.

Build focuses on confidence, self-awareness, resilience, emotional literacy and positive choices.

Become focuses on autonomy, identity, contribution, aspiration and preparation for the next stage of life.

This means students’ wider personal development is not left to chance. It is deliberately taught, noticed, evidenced and celebrated.

Belong, Build, Become gives practical structure to CARES360. It helps students experience the values not just as words, but as daily habits and recognised achievements.

Universal Design for Learning

Our reimagined school day also reflects Universal Design for Learning.

This means the day is designed to work for different brains, bodies, communication styles and learning profiles from the beginning.

Students may access learning through visual, verbal, practical, digital, sensory, written or spoken methods. They may demonstrate understanding through writing, discussion, practical work, photos, digital evidence, adult observation or supported tasks.

This approach reduces unnecessary barriers and allows students to show what they know in different ways.

For children with SEND and SEMH needs, this flexibility is not an extra. It is essential.

UDL also reflects CARES360 because it starts from Respect. It respects that students learn differently and designs support around that reality from the outset.

Alternative School Day

For students who have experienced disrupted education, mainstream placement breakdown or emotionally based school avoidance, an alternative school day must be carefully designed.

At Hatfield Wick School, the day balances regulation, relationships, academic progress, therapeutic support, enrichment and reflection.

This helps students re-engage with education in a way that feels safer, more predictable and more personalised.

Emotional Wellbeing in Education

Emotional wellbeing in education is central to the Hatfield Wick School day.

We know that students are more likely to attend, engage and make progress when they feel safe, respected, understood and supported.

The reimagined school day therefore supports both wellbeing and achievement. It is calm, structured and therapeutic, but it is also purposeful, ambitious and focused on helping students move forward.

A School Day Designed Around Students

The reimagined school day at Hatfield Wick School reflects a clear belief:

Children learn best when they feel safe, connected and recognised.

By placing regulation, relationships and recognition at the heart of the day, we create the conditions for students to belong, build confidence and become more ready for their future.

This is what makes the Hatfield Wick School day different.

It is not simply a timetable.

It is CARES360 in practice: a therapeutic education model deliberately designed around the needs of the students we serve.

Contact us for more information.

FAQs

What is the Hatfield Wick School day model?

The Hatfield Wick school day model is a reimagined structure conceived by Nicky McGurk. It places regulation, relationships and recognition at the centre of the school day.

Why is a structured school day important?

A structured school day gives students predictability, reduces anxiety and helps them understand what is happening next. This is especially important for students with SEND and SEMH needs.

How does the school routine for anxiety work?

Our school routine for anxiety begins with soft starts, regulation, key adult connection and emotional check-ins before academic learning begins.

How does the school day support neurodivergent learners?

The school day supports neurodivergent learners through sensory-aware routines, movement breaks, visual support, flexible teaching, small groups and trusted relationships.