In today’s culture, children and young people are navigating a fast-moving, digitally saturated, and often emotionally intense world. Many are experiencing heightened anxiety, social pressures, and fewer opportunities to practise healthy face-to-face communication.

More than ever, children need the skills to manage stress, resolve conflict, build healthy relationships, and make wise, values-led decisions.

Culture of the Heart (CotH) was created to support schools in meeting these challenges.

What is Culture of the Heart?

Culture of the Heart provides a coherent, whole-school framework designed to strengthen emotional intelligence, character development, and relational wellbeing across the school community.

Our approach supports pupils to develop:

• Emotional regulation and resilience
• Character values that nurture healthy relationships
• An understanding of how their brains and bodies respond to emotions, informed by current neuroscience
• Daily habits that strengthen wellbeing and build healthy mental and emotional patterns
• A consistent, restorative approach to resolving conflict and repairing harm

Through carefully structured lessons and practical activities, pupils explore shared values, develop healthy mental habits, develop emotional literacy & awareness, and learn to take responsibility for their choices.

These skills support both wellbeing and readiness to learn.

How It Works

Culture of the Heart is delivered through structured lesson sequences that fit naturally within the school day and integrate easily into PSHE, behaviour policies, safeguarding priorities, and personal development frameworks, strengthening what schools are already working hard to build.

Children learn:

• how their brains and bodies respond to emotions
• how to recognise and name their feelings
• how their choices affect others
• how to take responsibility and repair relationships
• healthy mental and emotional habits that support wellbeing

These skills form the foundation for healthy behaviour, meaningful relationships, and confident decision-making.

Explore some of our resources  →

The Impact for Schools

When schools intentionally nurture emotional intelligence, relational skills, and shared values, they often see:

• Improved wellbeing and resilience
• Stronger relationships between pupils and staff
• Greater empathy and inclusion
• Reduced behavioural incidents
• Increased engagement and readiness to learn

Hear the impact in classrooms  →

The Impact for Children

For children and young people, Culture of the Heart supports the development of:

• Self-awareness and confidence
• Emotional regulation skills
• Empathy and social understanding
• The ability to repair relationships
• A stronger connection between their values and their choices
• An understanding of the characteristics that build healthy relationships

When emotional intelligence, character values and wellbeing are intentionally nurtured, it strengthens not only individual learners but the culture of the whole school.

It helps create communities where people feel seen, heard, and respected, and where learning is supported by emotional safety as well as academic challenge.