St Michael’s CE (A) Primary School is committed to ensuring that we develop a Trauma and Mental Health Informed Approach.

There is a growing body of research on the impact childhood adversity has on long-term mental and physical health.  We believe that our trauma-informed, attachment-aware approach supports children who have suffered trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and those with troubled behaviour resulting in barriers to learning.  Key to supporting children is enabling them to address and make sense of what has happened.

 To ensure every child develops positive mental health and resilience, our aim is to:

• support children to make sense of their experience(s)
• find ways to manage their emotions and feelings
• create an environment of safety, connection and compassion at all times
• build a school of strong, positive, supportive relationships through training
• ensure children maintain the capacity to learn, despite difficult events that may occur

Our behaviour and relationship policies reflect a trauma-informed approach and rewards and sanctions are both developmental and trauma-informed.  Our practice enables teachers to connect with children with empathy and with an understanding of the reasons behind a particular behaviour. We aim to resist re-traumatising children and instead wish to foster resilience.