Relationships

At Trewirgie Junior School our use the Trauma Informed approach to relationships, which places them at the heart of every interaction.

We believe in providing every child with the opportunity to experience an outstanding education academically, emotionally and socially. We understand that the way all stakeholders feel about being in school largely depends on the relationships they experience there.

• A feeling of being valued promotes cooperation
• A feeling of being cared for enhances understanding and compassion
• A feeling of being respected promotes respects for others and willingness to listen to them
• A feeling of being included raises commitment and motivation
• A feeling of fun relieves stress and fosters belonging
• A feeling of belonging builds resilience

We strongly believe that by identifying the barriers to learning, we can provide an inspiring and relevant curriculum that considers the whole child and provides the necessary support for children to achieve, develop and reach their true potential. We are committed to ensuring that our school develops a Trauma and Mental Health Informed Approach to ensure that all our children develop positive mental health and resilience, enabling them to fully engage in life and learning.

Through a trauma informed approach our focus is not only the physical environment, but the relational environment and the very culture and ethos of our school. This requires emotionally regulated and available adults who can provide essential calming for our children, their parents/carers or each other when they are overwhelmed by an event, a situation or their feelings.

We recognise that the impact of trauma can be presented in different ways, including through behaviours that challenge. There is a growing body of research and understanding of the impact of Childhood Adversity Experiences (ACE) on long term mental and physical health and the protective factors that mitigate the potential impact. It is our aim to maximise the protective factors of school by creating an environment of safety that has strong, positive and supportive relationships at its heart.