Trauma Informed Schools
Neurodiversity Hub Wirral
Trauma Informed Schools
A Trauma Informed School (TIS) is a school that understands how trauma and mental health problems can affect children and teenagers. Trauma is when a person has lived through frightening, stressful or painful events. These experiences can affect feelings, behaviour and learning.
In a Trauma Informed School, staff learn how to support children whose behaviour is linked to trauma. This behaviour is not “naughty”. It is a sign that the child is struggling and needs help to feel safe.
TIS training began after large public health studies showed that children who experience many painful or stressful events—known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)—are more likely to have serious mental or physical health problems later in life.
If children do not get help early, the impact can continue into adulthood.
Trauma Informed Schools help by building safe, strong and trusting relationships with children. These relationships support the brain and body to heal. Staff also learn simple ways to talk with children so they can understand their feelings and experiences.
A Trauma Informed School aims to create a calm and supportive culture across the whole school community. This helps every child, including those with high levels of stress.
Many schools are seeing more children with mental health needs. Some children have a high ACE score, meaning they have experienced several stressful or harmful events in their early life. Research shows that high ACE scores can increase the risk of poor health later on.
Children spend around 190 days a year in school. This means schools are in a strong position to help children who have experienced trauma.
Find out more about Trauma Informed Schools
Joshua Tyers, Head of School at Biscovey Academy, shares how his school changed from feeling chaotic to feeling calm. This happened by creating a trauma‑aware and mentally healthy school culture. The school leadership team and staff worked together to change policies, daily practice and the school’s overall approach.
These changes improved outcomes for children and staff, and reduced costs for the school.
Headstart Kernow
Headstart Kernow provides training, events, resources and information to help schools support the mental wellbeing of children and young people. Their work helps schools build resilience, which means helping children cope with challenges and recover from difficulties.
You can find more information at:
https://www.headstartkernow.org.uk/
SPACE
SPACE stands for Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions.
It is a programme that supports parents and carers of children and teenagers with anxiety, Obsessive‑Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and similar issues.
SPACE focuses on helping children and teenagers with anxiety disorders and OCD.
Children do not have to attend the sessions. Even though they are the ones affected, SPACE works by supporting the adults who care for them.
When SPACE works well, children feel less anxious and cope better with daily life.
Anxiety problems supported by SPACE
SPACE can support families when a child or teenager has:
separation anxiety
social anxiety
generalised anxiety (worrying about many areas of life)
fears and phobias
panic disorder or agoraphobia (fear of places that feel hard to escape)
selective mutism (when a child speaks in some places but not others)
obsessive‑compulsive disorder (OCD)
Emotion coaching and SPACE courses can help adults understand and respond to a child’s emotional needs. These approaches can also help adults reflect on their own past experiences of parenting.