At St Breock School we believe in providing every child with the opportunity to experience an outstanding education, both academically, emotionally and socially. We believe by identifying the barriers to learning, providing an inspiring curriculum, alongside the necessary support for children to achieve and develop, that all children will reach their true potential.
We are committed to ensuring that all our children develop positive mental health and resilience, enabling them to fully engage in life and learning. It is our aim to maximise the protective factors in our school by creating an environment of safety that has strong, positive. supportive relationships at its heart.
Whole School Approach
We have embraced a wider definition of trauma to encompass any event that is experienced as frightening, painful or out of control, which can create traumatic toxic stress. As such, even the day-to-day exposure to events such as moving house can be experienced as traumatic. Providing an environment that has safety, connection and compassion at its heart ensures that our school environment acts to maximise protective factors through the conscious use of our relationships.
All adults in our school are aware of how to create an ethos and environment of both physical and psychological safety and have the skills to respond to those who have been impacted by traumatic stress. We fully understand and support the impact that connection with a trusted, emotionally available adult has on a child and seek to maximise this within the classroom environment.
The school has undertaken extensive whole school training, provided by Trauma Informed Schools UK so that every adult has the skills and understanding to respond appropriately to the relational needs our children may display. Our Positive Relationship Policy reflects a trauma informed approach and our rewards and sanctions are both developmentally and trauma- informed. We do not operate a ‘zero tolerance’ or ‘one size fits all’ approach to distressed behaviour and rigorous support is offered to those having difficulty meeting those expectations.
We have specially trained Trauma and Mental Health Informed Practitioners to support children who are identified as requiring additional support over and above that provided in the classroom. This support may be offered in 1:1 sessions or in small groups.
Children are identified for additional support by a number of methods. We universally screen the emotional and social development of our children using Motional twice a year. This assesses emotional behaviours and the ability to self regulate. Children may be highlighted through a significant change in their behaviour in school or through a parental concern when behaviour changes at home or a significant life event impacts the family.
Our aim is to support children to make sense of their experience, find ways to manage their emotions and feelings and ensure that they maintain the capacity to learn.
We believe parents know their children best and we are committed to working in partnership to identify the best ways of providing support for your child within school. We aim to develop positive, non-judgemental working alliances with our parents.
