Developing trauma informed practice to support social, emotional and mental health in an infant school

With a significantly higher-than-average proportion of pupils with SEND, this infant school identified the need to strengthen and embed trauma-informed practice consistently across daily routines. While staff had already received training in Zones of Regulation and trauma awareness, leaders recognised variation in language, confidence and provision. Actions included staff confidence audits, creation of a dedicated regulation space ("The Den"), introduction of a shared de-escalation script, restorative approaches, personalised emotional-regulation toolkits, ELSA-led wellbeing sessions and strengthened external support. Evidence of impact includes calmer classrooms, improved emotional regulation, warm and consistent adult�child interactions, positive external validation, and a strong whole-school culture prioritising emotional safety and inclusion.