Best Practice

Trauma-informed leadership: A framework for everyday practice

Pastoral issues Whole-school issues Senior leadership Pupil wellbeing Vulnerable children
Many teachers are familiar with the tenets of trauma-informed practice, but what do these look like from a whole-school leadership perspective? Dr Pooky Knightsmith outlines five principles


I have taken the principles of trauma-informed practice and applied them through the lens of the why and how for school leaders every day. There are lots of ideas in here, so cherry-pick what will work for you and your setting and maybe explore them within the context of your network or trust too.


Principle 1: Safety

Within a whole school approach, getting the trauma-informed principle of safety right will mean that efforts are made to ensure the physical and psychological safety of staff and students. This includes enabling a feeling of freedom from threat or harm.

The principle of safety matters because everyone has a fundamental right to feel safe and, on a more practical level, if people do not feel safe, they cannot learn well or teach well. It is also worth remembering that for some of our community, we may be the only safe place and people they know.

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting Headteacher Update and reading some of our content for professionals in primary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcasts

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here