In brief
+ProActive Schools training helps staff become trauma-informed in practice, not just in policy. It covers ACEs, attachment, shame and the nervous system, then turns that understanding into classroom routines, de-escalation and planning for individual pupils.
- Covers: ACEs, toxic shame, the nervous system, Regulate Relate Reason, PACE, staff regulation and classroom de-escalation
- For: mainstream schools, academies, special schools, SEMH settings, PRUs and trusts
- Formats: Foundation (6 or 12 hours), School Wide PBIS (2 to 4 days), fully bespoke, or a 5-day Train the Trainer course
- Physical intervention: where needed, BILD Act certified against the Restraint Reduction Network (RRN) Training Standards
- After the course: online Academy access, free webinars and a policy self-audit tool
Why schools are becoming trauma-informed
Many pupils arrive at school carrying experiences that no child should have to. Loss, neglect, abuse and instability change how a child's brain and body respond to stress. A raised voice, a change of routine or a moment of embarrassment can feel like a threat, and the child reacts to survive, not to learn.
Traditional rewards and sanctions often miss this. A child in survival mode cannot think through consequences, and sanctions can deepen the shame that drives the behaviour in the first place. Trauma-informed practice gives staff a different starting point: what is this behaviour telling me, and what does this child need to feel safe enough to learn?
The DfE guidance on restrictive interventions, which took effect on 1 April 2026, says staff who are likely to need to use reasonable force should be trained in preventative strategies as well as its safe and lawful use. Trauma-informed training gives your staff that preventative foundation.
What the training covers
ACEs and lived experiences
How adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and what has happened to a child shape the way they see the adults and the world around them.
Toxic shame
Why some pupils lie, blame others or explode with rage when they feel exposed, and how staff can respond without deepening the shame.
The nervous system
What happens in the brain and body when a child feels unsafe, and why a child in survival mode cannot learn or reason.
Regulate, Relate, Reason
Dr Bruce Perry's 3 R's: help the child calm first, connect second, and only then talk through what happened.
Felt safety and PACE
Sensitive, attuned relationships that calm anxiety, using PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy).
Structure of the day
Meet and Greet, Re-attunement after breaks and incidents, and the CALM reflections model for talking through what happened.
Staff regulation
The STOP strategy for staying self-aware in a crisis, because a calm adult is the most powerful tool in the classroom.
Classroom de-escalation
Practical help scripts and techniques for the classroom, corridor and playground.
Planning for individual pupils
Involving children and young people in behaviour planning using the +ProActive Attachment in the Classroom Toolkit for IEPs (individual education plans).
Our approach: the what, the why and the how
The what
Staff learn to describe behaviour without judgement and to see it as communication, not defiance.
The why
Trauma, attachment, shame and the nervous system, explained in plain language and linked to pupils in your school.
The how
Classroom strategies, de-escalation, support planning and, where your school needs them, safe physical skills.
Ways to train your staff
Foundation programme
6 or 12 hours of practical, classroom-ready training. Suits most mainstream schools.
School Wide PBIS programme
2 to 4 days for schools wanting whole-school change through positive behaviour interventions and supports (PBIS).
Fully bespoke
Designed around your school's specific challenges through an in-depth Training Needs Analysis (TNA).
Train your own trainers
A 5-day Train the Trainer course so your own staff can deliver the training to colleagues.
Every course starts with a Training Needs Analysis, so the content fits your pupils, your policies and your goals. See the full course formats for schools, or read about our Train the Trainer course for schools.
What changes in your school
- A shared language for behaviour across teaching, pastoral and support staff
- Calmer starts to the day and smoother returns after breaks
- Staff who stay regulated and step in earlier
- Individual plans that pupils help to shape
- Fewer situations that reach crisis point
Where physical intervention fits
Trauma-informed practice aims to make physical intervention unnecessary. But some schools still need staff who can keep a pupil or others safe when everything else has been tried. Where that is the case, we teach safe physical skills as a last resort, using our +ProActive Building Blocks© framework.
Our physical intervention training is BILD Act certified against the Restraint Reduction Network (RRN) Training Standards. Read about physical intervention training for schools.
Free practice guides
Start building your team's understanding with our free guides:
- The ultimate guide to PACE
- A guide to our nervous system and the vagus nerve
- Understanding and managing shame
- Beyond rewards and sanctions: a therapeutic approach
For settings beyond schools, see our trauma-informed practice training.
What school staff say after the training
“This is the best course I have attended in 25 years.”
“Amazing course with incredible trainers. The course is fantastic and provides a lot of confidence.”
“Helen was so knowledgeable and very approachable. Kept the topic interesting and positive throughout. Very interactive. Best training I have had in this area.”
“Wonderful chance to create a language around children as subjective human beings with attachment styles. This may help staff focus on the person, not the behaviour driven by this diagnosis. A good reframe of context.”
“They were amazingly targeted at the practices we as adults need to embed to aid pupil regulation and learning.”
“Very interesting and gives us a real insight into the reasoning behind behaviour.”
What schools say about our training
“The result is a more settled start to the day for the staff team and pupils. Clear direction for the team on how to approach analysis of behaviour and troubleshoot proactively rather than reactively. An increase in stability within each team, increased attendance and focus in lessons, better communication and ultimately it has empowered the team and my SLT to take responsibility and ownership. We are only half a term in and the indications are that this is a brilliant process for our school. My team have relished the consistency and space to have these discussions and it has been nothing but a positive drive forwards towards outstanding.”
“Ofsted was very successful, I am very pleased with the judgement. I have always known that we are on a journey that would take five years. So with two years complete, we have made remarkable progress. Once again, thank you for all your help and support. What you've brought to the organisation is what Aristotle would call phronesis: the complicated interplay between theory and practical judgement. Thank you.”
“It has honestly been so valuable and has promoted consistency as we now have time to work in collaboration.”
“I think it is something that needs to be delivered in the mainstream schools too.”