Haywards Farm School is committed to ensuring that our school develops a Trauma and Mental Health Informed Approach and to ensure our students develop positive mental health and resilience, enabling them to fully engage in life and learning.

There is a growing body of research and understanding of the impact of Childhood Adversity on long term mental and physical health and the protective factors that lessen the potential impact. 

It is our aim to maximise the protective factors at our school by creating an environment of safety that has strong, positive and supportive relationships at its heart. 

Teaching and associated staff at Haywards Farm School will provide an environment of both physical and psychological safety and have the skills to respond to those who have been impacted by traumatic stress.

The school fully understands and supports the impact that connection with a trusted, emotionally available adult has on a child and seek to maximise this for those in our care who are identified as requiring additional support. We use the PACE approach which focuses on building trusting relationships, emotional connections, containment and a sense of security.  

Our teaching and associated staff at school have undertaken extensive training so that they have the skills and understanding to respond appropriately to the needs our students may display. Our behaviour and relationship policies reflect a trauma informed approach and our rewards and sanctions are both developmentally and trauma- informed. 

We have a specially trained Trauma and Mental Health Informed Practitioner who delivers regular trauma informed training and support for staff. They support staff to deliver specialist therapies to students who have or are experiencing trauma and who can support parents and families using the PACE approach to ensure students and their families who have or are facing adversity feel safe and supported. 

Our aim is to support our students to make sense of their experience, find ways to manage their emotions and feelings and ensure they maintain the capacity to learn, despite difficult events that may happen for them.