The Virtual School is dedicated to ensuring that all education settings within Worcestershire are Trauma Informed and Attachment Aware Settings (TIAAS). TIAAS improves academic outcomes, attendance, and wellbeing.

We recognise that the TIAAS path takes time, is rightly tailored to each setting and that different settings are at different stages in their journey. In recognition of this, Worcestershire Virtual School have expanded our TIAAS training menu to offer something suitable for everyone.

This menu consists not only of TIAAS training but also support with implementation and support for accreditation through the Attachment Research Community. You will also be supported as part of a growing TIAAS network in Worcestershire and beyond.

Worcestershire Virtual School has teamed up with Trauma Informed Schools UK (TISUK) to deliver TISUK Diploma (Level 5) in Trauma and Mental Health training across our schools, supporting them to become trauma informed and mentally healthy for all.

TISUK is a registered community interest company (social work) working in association with the Centre for Child Mental Health: President Sir Richard Bowlby. TISUK have delivered training to over 3500 schools, colleges, early years settings and community settings.

TISUK’s training is highlighted in the DfE Advice to Schools: Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools DfE-00327-2018 as supporting and promoting positive mental health.

We are extremely proud to announce that 23 Worcestershire schools have successfully completed their TIS journey and achieved Trauma Informed practitioner status and are already embedding trauma informed approaches through practice and procedure within their schools.

Upon completion all the delegates and their respective school will form the Worcestershire Attachment Aware Project, this will be the driving force behind our mission statement, to get every school attachment aware by 2025, and together we will:

• develop a supportive network of Worcestershire schools that have innovative and excellent practice around vulnerable learners
• raise awareness of the issues and needs around attachment and trauma and advocate for our young people
• improve the teaching and learning conditions for children in care and all vulnerable learners in schools and settings
• help to reduce the need for exclusions in school through trauma informed practice

What does the training include?

The training includes:

• providing vulnerable children with daily access to at least one named, emotionally-available adult
  • this will be a person who believes in them, relates to them with compassion, empathy and unconditional positive regard (Carl Rogers), provides appropriate limit setting, understands their attachment and mental health needs, knows their life story, and offers repeated enriched relational, regulatory and reflective opportunities.
• catching children as they are ‘falling’ not after they have fallen
  • when the child is experiencing a painful life event, the emotionally-available adult/s will help them process, work through and make sense of what has happened, rather than waiting until the pain of the trauma has transformed into challenging behaviour and/or physical and mental health problems.
• the implementation of a Relationship Policy (Paul Dix)
  • this is for all staff to ensure they interact with children at all times with kindness and compassion. This includes no shouting, put-downs, criticisms, and shaming. The Policy extends to training staff in the art of good listening, understanding and finding the words to convey accurate empathy.
• a commitment to relating to children in a school or other setting
  • this means protecting them from toxic stress inducing situations in ways that help them feel calm, soothed and safe, instead of over- stimulated, bombarded and anxious.
• staff and adults interacting with all children in such a way that they feel valued as individuals throughout their day
• staff and adults adjusting their expectations of vulnerable children to correspond with their developmental capabilities and experience of traumatic stress
• training staff and adults in key conversational skills to enable children to address negative self-referencing and to help them move from ‘behaving’ their trauma or painful life experiences, to reflecting and developing coherent life narratives

Trauma Informed Schools

The ‘Thinking Differently for Disadvantaged Learners’ resource is a high-quality online training resource targeted specifically at improving the attainment of our most vulnerable learners across all schools in Worcestershire.

The programme is based around six recorded training modules available to all staff (and governors) to access at their own convenience and/or for schools to incorporate into their whole school professional development plan. It contains over 12 hours of materials presented in bite-sized sessions, designed and produced by leading experts who have a wealth of experience in leading school improvement for disadvantaged youngsters.

How to register for the online resource

To register for the online resource of ‘thinking differently’ click on the link: Challenging Education and follow the instructions attached.

Once registration is complete, the login details can be shared within your school with other colleagues who wish to access the materials.

For any queries regarding registration or accessing the modules, please contact: Michelle Organ michelle@challengingeducation.co.uk phone: 01743 343469

RADY is a well-established, proven approach to improving academic outcomes. 

‘RADY’s power lies in its ability to shift teacher perspectives on disadvantage and to refocus school staff and leaders on what is important in teaching and learning which involves disadvantaged pupils.’

RADY begins in schools with the RADY catalyst –flagging up pupils as having untapped potential and ensuring everything is done to close that gap as early as possible.

This means the pupil is set the same expectations as their non-disadvantaged peer. After applying the catalyst, schools on their RADY journey integrate the RADY principles as a golden thread through their school development plan, ensure that disadvantaged youngsters are proportionally represented in all aspects of school life and work tirelessly to help every member of staff understand why an equitable approach is the right one.

RADY is fully funded by the Virtual School and requires the support of a Senior leader within your school to drive the project within the school, through the existing school development plans. If you are interested in being part of this project, for further information, please contact: klawrence5@worcestershire.gov.uk 

12 December 2024 1:30pm or 3:30pm - PowerPoint from 12 December 2024 session

8 April 2025 1:30pm or 3:30pm 

8 July 2025 1:30pm or 3:30pm