Using the ITT Core Content Framework to support all learners: an attachment and trauma informed perspective

Time: 9.30am – 11.00pm

This free course is being delivered online, and a recording will be available for up to 30 days after the event has ended.

The session will outline the recent guidance jointly produced by ASCL, ARC, the National association of Virtual School Heads (NAVSH) , nasen, the National Network of Specialist Provision, the Universities Council on the Education of Teachers (UCET) and a range of other providers, to help teacher trainers in universities, schools and MATs to use the Core Content Framework to assist trainee and early career teachers in developing their understanding of, and ability to support all students in their classroom. It will outline the practical and emotional benefits of developing attachment and trauma informed (ATI) approaches for everyone in the school community – students, teachers and school leaders alike. Using practical examples it will demonstrate how the principles of the CCF can be applied to promoting ATI at classroom and whole school/MAT level.

Audience

The workshop will be of particular relevance to teacher trainers/mentors, school and MAT leaders, and to any educationalist wishing to develop a strategic approach to ATI.

Facilitators – Andrew Wright, Nick Mort and Andy Bloor, MEd PGCE SFHEA FRSA

Andrew Wright has over 40 years of teaching experience, including over 10 years as Head Teacher/Principal, in a range of secondary school across the West Midlands and has served as Virtual School Head Teacher in two local authorities. Andy is Chair of the Attachment Research Community (ARC) and a trustee for the WMVS Children In Care Foundation.  ARC have worked closely with a number of national organisations to develop this collaborative approach to revising an extended ITT offer.

Andy will be joined by key colleagues who have contributed to this strategic proposal.

Nick Mort originally trained as a secondary History & Politics teacher in mainstream 11-18 schools. He has worked as a Middle and Senior Leader in a diverse range of schools, including several inner city 11-18 mainstream schools, gaining the National Professional Qualification for Headship in the process.Nick currently works as Director of Futures Teaching Alliance, and works in strategic school improvement within The Futures Trust, a MAT of eight schools in Coventry, Warwickshire and Leicestershire.  Nick is also currently leading a partnership of 20+ schools across Coventry in the development of Attachment and Trauma-Informed Practice, in partnership with the Coventry Virtual School, Coventry Educational Psychology Service and the NHS Vanguard Project.

Andy Bloor is a Senior Lecturer in International Education and Programme Lead for the iPGCE and iQTS programmes at the University of Derby. His fields of interest are around International and Comparative Education and Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties in children, particularly those with Attachment Disorder and neuro-atypical children.

Using the ITT Core Content Framework to support all learners

In April 2022 the Attachment Research Community (ARC) convened a working group of academic researchers, school and ITT practitioners to produce an evidence-based guide for trainee/early career teachers and their mentors in using the ITT Core content framework to develop their capacity to support every child in the classroom, by understanding their emotional, social and learning needs.

There is strong evidence for the efficacy of relational based approaches and, conversely, the negative consequences of over-reliance on traditional behaviourist or ‘zero tolerance’ approaches. This is particularly relevant to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils, but applies to all members of the school community – a number of studies have indicated the positive impact of such approaches on staff wellbeing, confidence and consequent improvements to learning overall (eg Gentle et al., 2023).

A common misconception is that the adoption of relational approaches leads to a reduction in overall standards of behaviour and learning, but as Scales et al. (2020) indicate, on the basis of a wide study of US Middle Schools, such approaches need to be established alongside significant challenges to individuals, on their own terms, to be fully effective.

The ARC guide considers Teachers’ Standards 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8. It includes new ‘Learn how to’ statements, linking these directly with published research evidence, and some ideas as to how these might look in practice. For example, among these ideas, the ARC guidance suggests that:

Under Standard 1 – high expectations

• Keep each student in mind as an individual
• Have open conversations with young people, parents and carers
• Hold students to account for meeting high expectations
• Ensure the level of support is appropriate for that individual at a given time 

Under Standard 5 – adaptive teaching

• Acknowledge that learning is hard for some
• Identify potential ‘triggers’ and barriers
• Develop learning strategies with pupils, which acknowledge the barriers they face
• Break down tasks, where necessary
• Find real-life examples to assist understanding 

Under Standard 6 – assessment

• Think about how and where assessments are undertaken
• Celebrate success, no matter how small
• Offer reassurance in case of difficulties or distress 

Under Standard 7 – behaviour

• Maintain clear and consistent boundaries
• Remain calm in body language and approach
• Offer chances to let off steam (eg kicking a football for 5 minutes), as well having calm and nurturing spaces for those who need this
• See each day as a fresh start
• Offer restorative approaches 

Under Standard 8 – wider professional responsibilities

• Attend networking meetings with other staff and agencies>

• Develop trusting relations with students, other teachers and support staff
• Seek opportunities to pause and reflect with colleagues 

The evidence presented comprises academic publications, policy documents and practitioner guides, and reflects a range of professional, theoretical and methodological perspectives, including meta-analyses. It includes the findings of the five-year Alex Timpson Trust project on Attachment Aware Schools at the Rees Centre, University of Oxford (Rees, 2022), covering over 300 schools, and the Bath Spa University Attachment Aware Schools project (Rose et al., 2019; Gentle, 2023), as well as smaller studies and practitioner insights. This gives the body of evidence a much more rounded and credible basis than would be gained from a single, limited methodology or study.

References:

Gentle, L.., Rose, J., McGuire-Snieckus, R., Gilbert, L., & Parker, R. (2023). Combined summary: Impact evaluation of staff experience of the Attachment Aware Schools Project phase 2 (Stoke on Trent, BaNES and Leicestershire Virtual Schools).

Rees Centre (2022) Alex Timpson Attachment Aware Schools Programme Evaluation https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/research/the-alex-timpson-attachment-and-trauma-programme-in-schools/

Rose, J., McGuire-Snieckus, R., Gilbert, L., & McInnes, K. (2019). Attachment Aware Schools: The impact of a targeted and collaborative intervention. Pastoral Care in Education, 37(2), 162-184.

Scales P.C., Van Boekel, M., Pekel, K. Syvertsen, K. A, Roehlkepartain, E.C. (2020) Effects of developmental relationships with teachers on middle-school students’ motivation and performance Psychology in the Schools. 57(4): 646–677