Attachment and trauma

Becoming an attachment and trauma aware school (ATAS)

Attachment aware schools

An attachment aware school is one where the staff understand the neuroscience behind attachment and trauma that stops vulnerable children from accessing learning. They can then draw on this knowledge to:

develop the school ethos and culture
develop classroom teaching and behaviour management strategies to enable vulnerable or disengaged pupils to make progress
build effective relationships with parents, carers and other agencies
support effective transitions for vulnerable pupils or those at risk of becoming disengaged

ATAS programme

An Attachment and Trauma Aware School is a national term being used to identify schools where all the staff are aware of the neuroscience that stops vulnerable children effectively accessing learning and have specific understanding of attachment and trauma that they can draw upon to develop setting and classroom practice.

A significant element in the Statutory Guidance for Designated Teachers and Governing Bodies relates to the leadership of an attachment approach across the school. This programme is designed to enable schools to meet these recommendations.

We have developed the model for training over the past eight years based on feedback and ongoing impact evaluation. All Hampshire educational settings can participate in our ATAS programme. This follows the principles that settings:

are child-centred
acknowledge different attachment styles and their implications
create nurturing relationships that improve children’s learning and behaviour and satisfy a child's innate need for a sense of belonging and safety
acknowledge adults' roles as secondary attachment figures that can reshape insecure attachment behaviours and support the development of secure behaviours
create appropriate nurturing infrastructures for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties
utilise whole school strategies that avoid the dangers of stigmatising individuals, such as looked-after children

Please contact the Virtual School direct for details of our current programmes.

What the programme involves

The ATAS programme uses the ‘lead team’ approach. This means that each school will need to identify a lead team of a minimum of three and a maximum of five people who will attend the core training days lead by Knowledge Change Action Ltd (KCA). The lead team will then take the role back in school to carry out the action research, case study and take the lead to disseminate the training across their settings with staff.

During the programme, settings will:

develop their own work throughout the project
receive support to enable them to achieve their goals
receive bespoke training, with access to online resources and a mentor
share their experiences and practices with other settings

The three days formal input will take place over two terms with a network meeting to support schools with their plans for implementation across their setting. The Virtual School will continue to run network support sessions following the training and offer bespoke advice and guidance. Throughout the whole programme schools will have access to the online Connected Learning provided by KCA. This will allow all participants to leave feedback, download documents and practice tools. Schools will be able to access a further 30 online learning modules, so staff can access support depending on their own identified areas for development. For example, all schools will receive training on ‘Attachment and Trauma’, but schools could also access modules not covered in the central training such as ‘Self-harming behaviours’ or ‘Secondary Trauma’.

All participating schools will be required to sign up to the Attachment Research Community (ARC) and complete their audit between days two and three if this hasn’t already been completed. To sign up for ARC, email [email protected].

Why you should get involved

In 2015 it became a national recommendation that schools and staff become more aware of attachment and trauma. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines state:

Schools and other education providers should ensure that all staff who may come into contact with children and young people with attachment difficulties receive appropriate training on attachment difficulties.
Recommendation 1.2 of Attachment in children and young people who are adopted from care, in care or at high risk of going into care

The National Evaluation Report can be found under pilot projects as part of Bath Spas collaboration with the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

For more information, see the Resources and bibliography – Bath Spa University and the Attachment Aware Schools Pilot Project Findings: Stoke on Trent and Bath and North East Somerset Virtual School report.

Schools without looked-after children

Even if your school does not have looked-after children, attachment awareness can still benefit the school. You will be better prepared to identify vulnerable children and risk factors. Insecure attachments can also occur with non-vulnerable children.

For more information, see the NICE guidance: Attachment in children and young people who are adopted from care, in care or at high risk of going into care.

Attachment Research Community (ARC)

Virtual School have bought membership for all Hampshire Schools to the ARC. See the ARC website for more details.

To sign up for ARC, email [email protected].