Knowle West Nursery School was the first early years setting and nursery school in the country to receive the Trauma and Mental Health Informed School Award from Trauma Informed Schools UK (TISUK), in March 2024.
The approach starts from a simple idea: children do best when they have secure relationships with adults who are emotionally available to them. Those early relationships help children feel safe, build their confidence and support their health, learning and future friendships. To understand a child’s behaviour and wellbeing, the team first gets to know the child’s feelings, needs and experiences, by building trusting relationships with children and with their parents and carers.
Knowle West began working with TISUK in 2020. Three members of staff, Debbie, George Wilcox and Rachel Stoyell, are now qualified Trauma Informed Practitioners. Head Teacher Jenny McDonald has completed the Senior Leaders training, and the whole staff team has completed Trauma Informed Schools training.
The award followed an external assessment by a TISUK consultant, including a visit to the school. In their report, TISUK wrote: “Knowle West Nursery School is a beacon of excellent trauma informed practice. It is a lighthouse and a beacon for its community. The work they are doing with the children and parents is transformational and they are healing intergenerational trauma.” The report also noted that “Parents, as well as their children are true partners in this work.”