The landscape of educational support in the United Kingdom includes a wide array of free resources designed to assist school counsellors, social workers, and psychologists in their vital work. While many of these resources originate from international programmes, they are often accessible to UK professionals seeking to enhance their practice. The provided source material details numerous free social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula, training programmes, and practical tools that can be utilised within educational settings. These resources span a broad range of topics, from autism support and attendance improvement to comprehensive SEL frameworks and daily classroom activities. Accessing these no-cost materials can help professionals maximise their time and budget while providing structured support for students and families.
Comprehensive SEL Curricula and Programmes
Several organisations offer structured, full-scale SEL programmes available at no cost. These are typically designed for implementation across school years and can be adapted to various educational contexts.
Harmony SEL is a free online SEL curriculum built upon five core principles: diversity and inclusion, empathy, critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, and peer relationship management. The programme is available for educators and counsellors and includes materials for Pre-K through to grade six, with additional resources for upper and lower grades in out-of-school settings. It is described as an extensively packed curriculum that provides a solid foundation for building SEL skills.
Be Good People was developed by the St. Croix River Education District (SCRED) as a quarantine project. It offers tier-1 school-wide instruction resources for grades K-12, as well as tier 2-3 or special education interventions for the same age range. The programme includes lessons, extension activities, and community-building resources. It is designed to be customisable to student needs and incorporates CASEL's safe elements.
Second Step provides an online SEL resource for educators, offering programs for students in pre-K, K-5, and 6-8, alongside materials for educators and families. While the platform has a paid portion, it also offers free content. This free content includes PDF documents and interactive activities covering subjects such as gratitude, bullying, and humour.
Choose Love is a global resource with a "Choose Love for Schools" programme designed to teach students, educators, and staff how to "choose love in any circumstance" to foster a safer, more connected school culture. The programme is aligned with educational standards such as CASEL and Common Core and is applicable to all grade levels from Pre-K through twelfth grade.
The We Do Listen Foundation operates the website wedolisten.org, which incorporates the Howard B. Wigglebottom franchise. It provides valuable lessons on topics including listening, managing anger, bullying, and belonging/special needs.
Specialised Resources and Databases
Beyond full curricula, there are specialised databases and toolkits focused on specific areas of student need and professional development.
Counselor 1 Stop is an accessible, A-Z database containing hundreds of resources for counsellors. Topics include ADHD, electives, and work ethic. It is noted as a free resource that is still under construction, which may affect the availability of some materials.
Attendance Works provides toolkits, videos, and webinars aimed at helping professionals improve student attendance.
Sesame Street in Communities offers materials specifically designed to support children with autism.
Missouri State School Counseling Curriculum, provided by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, is a publicly accessible resource offering free SEL lesson plans. It covers a broad range of topics including anger management, careers, coping with life changes, self-awareness, and self-control. The curriculum also includes information on trauma and suicide prevention and is suitable for various student groups.
LINK for Counselors is a resource aimed at High School and Transfer Counselors, providing free information to keep them informed. Its offerings include a blog, college profiles, downloadable College Night handouts, digital editions of its magazine, and registration for its bi-weekly e-newsletter.
Practical Tools and Lesson Plans
For daily classroom and counselling office use, there are numerous free lesson plans, check-ins, and activity sets available through various platforms.
Whole Child Counseling maintains a Free SEL Resource Library for subscribers. This library includes items such as a social story, positive notes home, teacher gifts, and a visual schedule. Access requires signing up with a personal email and following a link to an automatic opt-in verification email.
Teachers Pay Teachers hosts a variety of free social-emotional learning resources. Examples from the source data include: * A resource for 3rd to 6th grade that includes two weeks of daily SEL check-ins and skills practice, suitable for morning meetings, journal writing, and school counselling interventions. It can be used virtually or in person and comes in both Google and printable formats. * An "Accepting Differences Social Story & SEL Activities Set" for PreK to 4th grade, designed to promote empathy, inclusion, and kindness through a social story and activities that celebrate diversity. * A "FREE Growth Mindset sample" that includes five growth mindset mantras, each with a poster and colouring sheet. This resource teaches children about the elastic brain, fixed and growth mindsets, perseverance, learning from mistakes, and the power of "yet."
Training and Professional Development
Free training opportunities and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for mental health professionals are also available. The source material indicates that there are free SEL curricula and resources specifically for school counsellors, social workers, and psychologists. One mentioned course is designed to help educators better themselves with SEL and is described as fairly quick and easy to take. Another resource is a free, accessible workshop aimed at improving body image and self-esteem for educators.
Conclusion
The provided source material details a substantial collection of free resources available to school counsellors and related professionals. These range from comprehensive, multi-year SEL curricula like Harmony SEL and Choose Love to specialised databases like Counselor 1 Stop and practical daily tools found on platforms such as Teachers Pay Teachers. While many of these resources are developed in the United States, they are accessible online and can be adapted for use within UK educational settings. Professionals seeking to enhance their support for students' social and emotional development have a variety of no-cost options to explore, covering topics from autism and attendance to growth mindset and community building. It is important for users to verify the current availability and suitability of any resource directly with the provider, as programmes and their terms may be updated over time.