Learners in special schools often present with a complex combination of needs, from communication and cognition to SEMH and the impact of trauma. Supporting them effectively requires more than isolated strategies, it calls for a whole-school approach.
In this guest blog, Julie Harmieson from Trauma Informed Schools & Communities UK outlines how trauma-informed practice can be embedded across special school settings. She draws on the PROTECT, RELATE, REGULATE and REFLECT framework to show how schools can better understand behaviour, support regulation and create environments where both learners and staff can thrive.
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In special schools, meeting the needs of children and young people is never as simple as a one-size-fits-all approach. Learners may present with complex and intersecting speech and language needs, neurodiversity, profound and multiple learning difficulties, physical disabilities, and social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. These needs may also coexist with experiences of childhood adversity and trauma.
A trauma-informed approach is not an “add-on,” but an essential framework for inclusive and effective practice.
The Trauma Informed Schools & Communities UK (TISCUK) approach, structured around PROTECT, RELATE, REGULATE and REFLECT, offers a powerful lens through which special schools can support and understand their learners. Central to this approach is the understanding that all behaviour is communication, and that adult responses must address the underlying need, not just the behaviour itself.
Creating safety as the foundation for learning (PROTECT)
For children who have experienced trauma, feeling safe is a prerequisite for engagement, communication and learning. For some pupils in special schools, their educational journey may have included repeated experiences of rejection, exclusion, disrupted attachments, and provision that did not meet their needs. In some cases, school itself may have been a source of trauma, shaping how children respond when transitioning into a specialist setting.
Creating safety goes beyond reassurance that a new environment is different. It requires intentional practice that consistently communicates cues of safety to a child’s nervous system, enabling them to feel physically, psychologically and emotionally secure.
The importance of relationships (RELATE)
Relationships are at the heart of trauma-informed practice. For many pupils, particularly those with SEMH needs or attachment difficulties, trusting adults can be challenging.
Research highlights the importance of the Emotionally Available Adult and enriched environments that promote social buffering to mitigate the impact of trauma and toxic stress. Simply assigning an adult to support a child is not enough to overcome mistrust rooted in adversity.
A trauma-informed approach supports leaders to prioritise the careful selection of emotionally available adults, equipped with an understanding of the child’s story and the potential trauma triggers that may escalate a child’s behaviour, who understand s the child’s unique communication style and emotional presentation. It also emphasises the importance of time, consistency and opportunity to build secure attachments, supporting children to move from mistrust towards trust.
Every member of staff plays a vital role in creating psychological safety. A whole-school commitment to relational practice requires a shared language and consistent responses.
The use of PACE—Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy—forms the foundation of this work. PACE ensures that interactions remain compassionate, attuned and non-judgemental, even during moments of distress. It is vital that staff have the training to support them in this and recognise that PACE is not an intervention but a universal way of interacting with all members of the school community. Emotionally safe language is prioritised.
Supporting regulation (REGULATE)
Many children in special schools experience dysregulation linked to trauma, sensory processing differences or neurological conditions. During moments of overwhelm, children often do not have the capacity for self-regulation.
A key feature of a trauma-informed approach is co-regulation, where adults model and support calm, regulated states. Leaders are encouraged to consider how the school environment, policies, practices and curriculum maximise opportunities for regulation throughout the day. The wellbeing and emotional regulation of staff is prioritised. Dysregulated adults cannot calm or regulate a dysregulated child, they further contribute to their distress. Following incidents, debriefing is prioritised not only for pupils but also for staff. Staff who experience particularly challenging situations such as incidents of aggression, medical emergencies, complex care needs or end-of-life care, are supported through safe, reflective spaces. These enable them to process the emotional impact of their work and consider how this may affect their ongoing practice.
The role of reflective practice (REFLECT)
Reflective practice ensures that approaches remain responsive, thoughtful and continually evolving rather than reactive. In trauma-informed schools, reflective practice with staff is not about blame but about understanding and meaning making: what is the behaviour communicating, what did we bring to the situation that contributed to escalation and how can we respond more effectively in the future?
For children and young people, helping them to reflect if that is within their capacity, to make sense of what happened is vital in preventing negative self-referencing. Moving from a narrative of shame, self-blame and self-limiting thoughts can only happen in shared meaning making interactions with another, to correct the incoherent narrative that may be “I’m bad, bad or naughty, I’m too much for people" that erodes self-esteem and confidence.
Staff are supported to engage in reflective conversations following incidents, considering both the child’s needs and their own emotional responses. This reflective culture extends across training, policy development and daily practice, ensuring alignment between behaviour support and relational approaches.
Importantly, staff are also supported to have “brave conversations” with children, particularly around complex and sensitive topics such as separation, bereavement, self-harm and suicidal ideation. Using clear, honest and developmentally appropriate language helps children build understanding and trust, reducing confusion and anxiety.
A whole-school ethos of compassion and understanding
At its core, a trauma-informed approach recognises that every child’s story matters. For many families, attending a special school is not a straightforward choice, but a response to complex and often challenging circumstances.
By placing PROTECT at the centre, schools create environments where children and adults feel safe enough to learn, connect and grow.
Through RELATE, REGULATE and REFLECT, staff develop the skills, confidence and compassion needed to support diverse learners holistically. Behaviour is no longer viewed as something to manage or correct, but as something to understand.
In doing so, special schools become more than places of education—they become communities of care, where every child is seen, heard, and supported to flourish and live their life well, achieving their true potential.
On Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st April, TISCUK is running 2-day Senior Leadership Training Course in trauma and mental health-informed practice for special schools.
The course, which will be delivered by Julie, is designed to support senior leaders to implement trauma informed and mentally healthy practices into their school, and will ensure that leaders have knowledge, skills and understanding to translate the approach into policy and practice to drive crucial change and optimise the wellbeing of both adults and pupils in their school.
What you will gain from attending this training:
- How trauma and mental health-informed practice improves behaviour and learning, lowers exclusions, saves time, money, and reduces staff absence.
- The science of safety, social engagement and creating a psychologically safe environment to promote learning.
- How to embed trauma informed practice into your setting.
- How to become an effective stress regulator for others.
- Ensure that key school staff are ‘ready to listen’ effectively and with confidence.
- Interrupting the trajectory from unprocessed traumatic grief to violence and often exclusion.
- A wealth of practical interventions to support children, teenagers and staff.
- Key skills to enable children to think about their trauma in conversation with trusted adults rather than expressing painful life experience through challenging behaviour.
- Distinguishing developmental trauma from a possible diagnosis of ASD, ADHD and FAS.
- Understand ACE scores (adverse childhood experiences).
- How to address unmet relational needs.
Discounted training rates for NASS members: https://members.nasschools.org.uk/events/6932d64f97271a000817bbda