TIAAS

We are proud to be a TIAAS (Trauma Informed and Attachment Aware) school

What is TIAAS?

Higham Lane School is an Attachment Aware School, this is a place where resilience is promoted and where the most vulnerable children are able to recover from trauma. Evidence suggests that attachment awareness in adults can lead to increased self-regulation in children (and adults). The capacity to self-regulate underpins emotional well-being and mental health, and enables the development of cognitive skills and learning.
We have received comprehensive whole school Trauma Informed and Attachment Aware training for all staff including teachers, lunch time supervisors and administrative staff. This training covers the impact of trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), becoming an attachment aware, trauma informed setting, and developing resilience. This training supports our staff in applying trauma and attachment aware strategies in school, which are based upon current and up to date theory and research. Staff have also received training on Emotion Coaching (an evidence-based universal approach towards responding to children’s emotions and developing self-regulation skills).

Emotion Coaching

A key element within the programme is Emotion Coaching; a way of interacting with children and young people, and promoting positive relationships. Emotion Coaching helps children to become more aware of their emotions and to manage their own feelings, particularly when experiencing strong emotions.

Emotion Coached children are better able to:

Control their impulses
Delay gratification
Self soothe when upset
Pay attention

As a result, Emotion Coached children:

Achieve more academically in school
Are more popular
Have fewer behavioural problems
Have fewer infectious illnesses
Are more emotionally stable
Are more resilient

Link to parent/carer guide to Emotion Coaching

Zones of Regulation and Self-Regulation

Zones of Regulation is an approach used to support children to further develop their social and emotional skills. Essentially, it helps pupils to better understand their feelings, as well as teaching strategies to aid them in regulating their emotions and behaviours.

On Monday morning every student at Higham Lane school is taught about the Zones of regulation and to associate their feelings (negative and positive) with a colour in the first instance and then use vocabulary to describe it e.g. 'I am feeling red' (for angry, mad, out of control) or 'I am feeling green' (for calm, ready to learn and happy). The children also then develop a 'toolkit' whereby they have a strategy to use for specific feelings e.g. 'I am feeling red/angry, so I can use breathing techniques to calm me down’.