Primary Social, Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) Assemblies

Primary SEAL Assemblies is a collection of 40 new assemblies written by the authors of the Primary Assembly File that are designed to tackle the five areas outlined in the SEAL programme.

With the implementation of the social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) in most primary schools in the UK it is important for schools to feel that they are reinforcing the SEAL ethos across the whole-school. One effective way to complement and support the SEAL programme is to use your school assemblies. That is why, here at Optimus Education, we decided to make sure that you had a resource that could support you in doing this. Primary SEAL Assemblies is a collection of 40 assemblies written to tackle the five areas outlined in the SEAL programme:

• self-awareness
• managing feelings
• motivation
• empathy and social skills

Each assembly deals with a different story with different characters and themes to provide your students with lessons to help them towards a life of peace, strength and emotional stability. The assemblies are ready to use, so if you do not have time to prepare for assembly time then simply lift your chosen one out, and deliver it to your pupils, safe in the knowledge that you can rely on the content of the assembly.

Click here to order this bestselling publication today! Primary SEAL Assemblies: Tailor made to follow the SEAL agenda Published in April 2008, Primary SEAL Assemblies will provide 40 ready-made assemblies - divided into ‘themes’ under the same headings as those used by the SEAL programme itself:

• New beginnings
• Getting on and falling out
• Say no to bullying
• Going for goals
• Good to be me
• Relationships and changes

Each assembly can also be used completely independently of SEAL and are designed to be perfect for all pupils, regardless of age or ability. Save time – no need for preparation! The stories within each assembly are clear with lots of characters. Simple, predominantly family or school, settings are used, against which familiar dilemmas, problems and joyful events are played out. Each assembly is written to be read aloud meaning that you can pick an assembly off the shelf and deliver it minutes later with the confidence, knowing that you can rely on the content at those times when there is little or no time to prepare. Tailor-made to suit your own approach Each assembly offers the chance for your pupils to participate so that they can become fully involved in the meaning of the story being told and therefore understand the message more clearly. Though there are clear indicators within most of the assemblies, we have made sure that all of the assemblies included have room for you to be able to tailor them to your school’s needs. We have made sure that nothing can get in the way of individual approaches to delivering an assembly.

Click here to order this bestselling publication today!

An overview of the stories included in Primary SEAL Assemblies

Please read on for an overview of the stories included in this exciting new set of assemblies.

NEW BEGINNINGS

Auntie Joan steps out

Auntie Joan was widowed a year ago. She was devastated. She and Uncle Joe, her husband, had shared lots of interests and many friends. Now, Auntie Joan has started to reinvent herself as an active single woman with lots of new interests. ‘Life goes in episodes,’ she says. ‘Doors close, but new ones open.’ The aim of the assembly is to help children see that life is subject to major changes which have to be positively tackled and used as opportunities.

Our allotment

Will’s family are trying to live a greener lifestyle. The family decide to grow vegetables on an allotment – but it’s not all easy going and requires commitment from everyone. The aim of this assembly is to show children how working together and supporting each other is a reward in itself.

Being a new boy again

Keval has a new job, after many years of working with the same organisation. After his leaving party, with friends after work, he talks to his family about how the party has really brought home to him the fact that he’s going to be starting all over again making friends and winning respect. Keval’s going to need support and understanding over the next few months. The aim of the assembly is to show that when one family member meets a big change, it affects everyone, and all have roles to play in meeting the challenge. 

Primary SEAL Assemblies contains 40 assemblies - click here to get your copy today.

GETTING ON AND FALLING OUT

My foster brother

Jason’s family foster Connor twice a month to give his parents a respite break. Connor has multiple physical disabilities and isn’t always the easiest person to get on with. This aim of this assembly is to help children deal with complex emotions and what it’s like to have family responsibilities.

Sisters

Sinead knows that her mum has three sisters. She also knows that although Mum is really friendly with two of them, she never sees the other, or even talks much about her. But Sinead also knows that her Mum is annoyed when Sinead and her own sister Margaret fall out with each other. She talks to her mum to try to make sense of this, and wonders whether she could help to mend the breach. The aim of the assembly is to show that ‘falling out’ can lead to separation and unhappiness if it’s allowed to carry on without being tackled. It also suggests that a fresh mind – whether the mind of a child or an adult – might be able to bring new ideas to the problem.

Don’t get involved

Mark is full of distress and anger because his friends have started being spiteful to him, and saying that he’s been taking chocolate bars from their lunchboxes. He wants his mum to tell them that it isn’t true. Mum is very sympathetic to Mark, but she has two worries. One is that maybe Mark did actually take the chocolate bars. The other is that in her experience very little good comes from parents being involved in children’s arguments. If she does get involved she’ll want to do it in her own way, perhaps by seeing the teacher or the head. The aim of the assembly is to show children that if they are going to seek parental help for their problems with other pupils, it’s best to be honest, and that they can’t always dictate the terms of the intervention.

Primary SEAL Assemblies contains 40 assemblies - click here to get your copy today.

SAY NO TO BULLYING

The silent bully

Amy knows that another girl in her class is being bullied by text messages. The problem is she is friends with the group of girls who are doing the bullying and she doesn’t like their victim very much either. Amy describes the choices she has and why she made the decision she eventually took. The aim of this assembly is to show children that bullying has consequences for everyone – even those who are not directly involved – and that doing ‘the right thing’ is not always easy.

Nisha on the case

Jamal is afraid to walk to school because some boys wait for him and jeer at him and threaten him. He doesn’t say anything because he’s not sure what they’re doing wrong, and he feels he ought to be able to deal with it in any case. His big sister Nisha gets to know about it, however. She recognises that it’s bullying. She tells Jamal that, and goes to school herself to see Jamal’s headteacher. The aim of the assembly is to help children define what counts as bullying. It reinforces the imperative to disclose bullying incidents to a responsible adult.

Miss Watkins finds a way

Miss Watkins knows that a very forceful girl in her class is gathering a group of people around her and leading them in teasing a quieter child. This is developing into bullying, and Miss Watts is anxious to find a way of dealing with it. The aim of the assembly is to bring a different perspective on bullying by showing it through a teacher’s eyes.

Primary SEAL Assemblies contains 40 assemblies - click here to get your copy today.

GOING FOR GOALS!

Exam nerves

Nobody likes exams but Raj’s family have very high expectations of him – and that makes exams even worse. How can he explain to them how he feels? The aim of this assembly is to help children deal with the feelings of parental expectation and exam nerves.

One step at a time

Marcus is learning to walk again after being injured at work. He’s impatient to make progress, but the therapist who’s working with him persuades him that he has to set achievable small targets, which will gradually build up to complete success. The aim of the assembly is to show that what seems unattainable becomes easier when it’s approached a little at a time.

Julie gives up smoking

Simone’s big sister decides to give up smoking. The family all pitch in to help her, and each person decides on a goal of their own – Simone wants to stop biting her nails, Mum is going to lose some weight. Together they make progress. The aim of the assembly is to help children to see the importance of the support of family and frends in achieving goals.

Primary SEAL Assemblies contains 40 assemblies - click here to get your copy today.

GOOD TO BE ME

Changing faces

A story from the Changing Faces charity (supporting people with facial disfigurement) about people who have learned to be comfortable with who they are. The assembly aims to help children to be more confident and comfortable with their own faces and bodies.

I’d rather read a book

Gareth has never liked sport or football, always opting for quieter hobbies. At secondary school this sets him apart and he has to find like-minded friends, and retain confidence in himself. The aim of the assembly is to help children appreciate that people’s likes and dislikes have to be respected and accommodated.

Ballroom champion

Francesca is naturally gifted and wins more medals and trophies at her dancing school than anyone else. But for a time she is unpopular because of her boastful and rather spiteful attitude. Her dancing teacher has to show her that with special talent comes special responsibility. The aim of the assembly is show that a special ability is a gift to be thankful for and not a means of showing your superiority.

Primary SEAL Assemblies contains 40 assemblies - click here to get your copy today.

RELATIONSHIPS

The lost puppy

When Tiny goes missing, the Richards family are astonished by how much help they get from their neighbours – as well as from a surprising source. The aim of this assembly is to show children that you can’t necessarily ‘judge a book by its cover’.

Eleck-trickery

When the power lines come down in a big storm, it brings out the best – and worst – in people in the community. The aim of this assembly is to help children understand the importance of their community.

Visiting Dad

Josh goes to see his dad most Saturdays. He wonders whether in time his dad will stop wanting him to come, and he looks to him for reassurance. The aim of the assembly is to explain that a parent who’s left home loves his or her child just as much as before. Looking after Mum

Precise figures are difficult but perhaps 150,000 children and young people provide care for an adult in the family. Nerys is one of them. She has to look after her mum before and after school. Sometimes her friends aren’t very sympathetic and that is upsetting. This aim of this assembly is to help children deal with complex emotions and what it’s like to have family responsibilities.

But does he love me?

Becky loves her new baby brother, but she’s not sure whether he’s old enough to love her in return. As time goes on, however, she begins to see a true bond developing between them. The aim of the assembly is to explore and explain the relationship between a baby and his family.

Primary SEAL Assemblies contains 40 assemblies - click here to get your copy today.

CHANGES

Did I ever like this?

Jack is looking for toys to put into a charity appeal. He finds his old Thomas the Tank Engine collection. Although he no longer wants to play with them, as he handles them some of the enjoyment he had comes back to him, and he talks to his mum about the way likes and dislikes change as time goes on. The aim of the assembly is to show children that as they grow, their attitudes and feelings change as well as their bodies.

A strange land

Jannah, a Somali refugee, finds life in a British school very unfamiliar. Talking to her mum, she compares it with her life in Somalia. But her mum points out that the change is permanent, and together they have to make it work. Gradually she makes friends and begins to feel better about what’s happened to her. The aim of the assembly is to show children the extent of the change which many children have had to face in moving away from their homelands.

Grandpa’s funeral

Shmuel is asked to read at his grandpa’s funeral. Shmuel wants to say goodbye properly but is worried about speaking in front of lots of people. The aim of this assembly is to help children come to terms with taking part in a funeral as well as managing their feelings on the occasion.