Our school community is focused on being a place of healing, as well as a place of learning and work, in which our learners feel supported, heard and held. We prioritise a relational approach and the trauma-informed approach is an integral part of our ethos. By embedding Trauma-informed practice we are not just supporting individual wellbeing – we are building a safer, more resilient school environment where every learner truly belongs.

Trauma-Informed Approach

A trauma-informed approach is underpinned by relationships. Through relationships, we can help a learner to understand and support them to manage their feelings. The key elements for a successful relationship are: 

Protect, Relate, Regulate and Reflect

Protect: The foundation on which everything else depends: the ability to earn without fear and without fear of being shamed in order to relate to others, engage in learning, in peace.

In protect, the focus is not only on the physical environment but also the relational environment, the culture and ethos. It requires emotionally regulated adults who can provide regulation support, whether through co-regulation or providing the known resources for learners to regulate.

Relate

Relate: The ability to form meaningful relationships is fundamental to health and happiness. It is the quality of the contact we have with other people that is arguably the most important determining factor in our quality of life. We develop ourselves through relationships with others.

Positive relational experiences with our learners mean meeting the learner in pain and meeting the learner in joy.

Regulate

Regulate: managing, controlling, and adapting internal feelings and external reactions to better manage situations, rather than being controlled by them.

Being Regulated means learners will be better able to learn and enjoy relationships.

Reflect

Reflect: Reflect is about having a conversation with a learner that supports their emotional and mental health. It facilitates the learner to make sense of their life, develop a language for their emotions and a coherent narrative that makes sense of what they feel.

It helps learners to understand their thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and reactions. In making sense of their experience with the support of an emotionally available adult, who helps them to communicate their underlying feelings, they can identify new options and strategies.

As learners start to identify their triggers and communicate their needs effectively, they bring a newfound sense of calm and self-agency which translates into being able to place greater focus on their learning, both academic and personal.

Trauma-Informed Intervention:

Trauma-informed intervention is grounded in understanding that a learner’s behaviour is often a form of communication – a survival strategy developed in response to past or present adversity.

Within our sessions, we focus on a model of emotional safety and regulation. We recognise that for a learner to engage academically, they must first feel safe. By prioritising the 'whole child', we provide the psychological scaffolding necessary for learners to move from a state of “survival” to a state of “thriving”. Trauma-informed sessions are delivered on a 1-1 basis, tailored to each individual learner and their narrative.

Aims and outcomes: Through these targeted interventions, we see a measurable shift in our learners. They become more able to identify their individual triggers, communicate their needs, and ultimately, more prepared to engage with the wider school curriculum with confidence and a sense of belonging. Trauma-informed practice promotes a culture of trust through clear boundaries, reliability, consistency, empathy and compassionate accountability.

Impact on the learner and the wider school: The impact of Trauma-informed sessions extend far beyond the work with an individual, creating a ripple effect of regulation that transforms the entire school culture. For the individual learner, these sessions provide the emotional scaffolding necessary to move out of a constant state of 'high alert', leading to increased attendance, improved focus, and a significant reduction in crisis-driven behaviours.

Sophie - Our Practitioner

“I have been part of our school community for two years as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA), and you can usually find me in Olive. I am a Trauma and Mental Health Informed Practitioner, which means my priority is making sure our learners feel safe, supported and understood. My work is focused on creating a regulated and safe environment in which I support learners in unpicking their emotions and finding the tools they need to shine. For me, there is nothing more rewarding than watching a learner grow in confidence as they navigate their individual journey towards resilience and self-discovery.”

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