The Project
This Programme worked with over 300 schools across 26 local authorities in England. Participating schools received training in attachment and trauma organised through the local virtual school or educational psychology service, often accompanied by follow-on training and networking opportunities.
The aim of the Programme was to explore the impact of the training by drawing on the perspectives of staff and young people. We employed a mixed methods approach, using online questionnaires, interviews with staff, focus groups of young people, and training observations.
Working papers, webinar recordings, and resources for the programme are below.
For more information about the Programme, please e-mail us at rees.centre@education.ox.ac.uk.
Former team members: Neil Harrison, Natalie Reynolds, Judy Sebba, Andrew Brown, Priya Tah
Working Papers
Working Paper 1: Attachment and trauma awareness training: analysis of pre-Covid survey data from staff in 24 primary schools (October 2020)
Working Paper 2: Attachment and trauma awareness training: analysis of pre-Covid staff interviews and pupil focus groups in five case study schools (November 2021)
Working Paper 3: Attachment and trauma awareness training: analysis of training delivered in 26 local authorities (January 2022)
Working Paper 4: Attachment and trauma awareness training: analysis of interviews with local authority programme leads (January 2022)
Working Paper 5: Attachment and trauma awareness training: headteachers’ perspectives on the impact on vulnerable children, staff and the school (February 2022)
Working Paper 6: Attachment and trauma awareness training: analysis of staff interviews and pupil focus groups in 26 case study schools (May 2022)
Working Paper 7: Attachment and trauma awareness training: school staff perspectives during the Covid-19 pandemic (September 2022)
Video: overview and findings
Presented by Dr Georgia Hyde-Dryden, and Helen Trivedi.
Please share and make use of this video in your Local Authority or school setting.
Webinar Recordings
The journey to becoming attachment and trauma aware: exploring the experiences of five schools prior to the COVID-19 pandemic
Presented by Dr Priya Tah (Research Officer at the Rees Centre). 1st December 2021.
Transitions and change for care-experienced young people in school
Presented by Rebecca Brooks (Education Policy Adviser at Adoption UK). 16th September 2021.
Developing school relationship policies: Experiences from primary and secondary schools
Presented by Alison Gray (Goodyers End Primary School) and Paul Nicholson (Gillingham School). 25th March 2021.
The Impact of Attachment and Trauma Awareness Training: Pre-COVID-19 Results from 24 Primary Schools
Presented by Dr Neil Harrison and Helen Trivedi from the Rees Centre. 15th December 2020.
Leading an Attachment Aware Schools Programme: The Local Authority Experience of Supporting a Nurturing Learning Community
Presented by Lizzie Watt from Derbyshire Virtual School. 18th November 2020.
Blog post April 2021: Being an Attachment and Trauma Aware School during the Covid Global Pandemic
What is school really like for children in care?
Presented by Luke Rodgers from The Care Leaders. 20th July 2020.
Building resilience for young people in your school
Presented by Tony Clifford and Richard Parker, founding trustees of the Attachment Research Community (ARC). 3rd December 2019.
ARC Presentation (slides only)
What benefits and challenges do secondary schools face in implementing whole school approaches to attachment and trauma?
Presented by Richard Glenny, Deputy Head, Priestlands School, Hampshire. 7th November 2018.
Why is understanding attachment and trauma so important?
Presented by Sir John Timpson, chairman and owner of Timpson, the retail service chain. 27th June 2018.
How Do Schools Address Attachment and Trauma?
Presented by Duncan Roberts, head teacher at Maple Cross JMI and Nursery School, Hertfordshire. 26th March 2018.
Blog post April 2018: Summary of Duncan’s presentation and discussion
Programme Newsletters
Research Team
More News
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Dr Marta Garcia Molsosa’s Webinar: A Review of the Extant Literature on Factors, Interventions, and Educational Outcomes of Children in CareMarch 28, 2025 -
Rees Centre’s New Kinship Report Reveals Challenges Faced by Black and Asian Kinship CarersMarch 27, 2025 -
Rees Centre welcomed Dr Calum Webb, Webinar Lunchtime Series: Does investing in prevention reduce rates of entering care?March 13, 2025 -
Latest Rees Centre research reveals proportionally fewer young people with experience of children’s social care enter and progress through higher educationMarch 6, 2025
