- Our Approach to Relationships and Behaviour: Trauma Perceptive Practice
At Harlow Fields School and College, relationships are at the heart of everything we do. We know that when children feel safe, understood, and valued, they can learn, grow, and thrive.
That’s why we follow Trauma Perceptive Practice (TPP) — a compassionate, relational approach to behaviour and emotional support. It is based on the values of kindness, connection, and understanding, and closely reflects our school motto: “Working together to succeed.”
We understand that for many of our pupils, behaviour is a way of communicating. Rather than focusing just on what a child does, we work to understand why, and how we can support them in the most meaningful and respectful way. Our aim is to build strong, trusting relationships and respond to each child with empathy and consistency.
All our staff are trained in Trauma Perceptive Practice, and we regularly refresh our thinking every two weeks through ongoing reflection and professional development. This means our whole team is confident and equipped to respond in ways that are calm, thoughtful, and grounded in what each child needs.
For pupils who need more support in this area, we create individual behaviour support plans in partnership with families. These plans are personal to each child and help ensure that everyone around them is working together in a consistent and supportive way.
There may be rare occasions when we need to use Restrictive Physical Intervention (RPI) to keep a child or others safe — but this is always a last resort, and only ever used when necessary. Our focus remains firmly on prevention, understanding, and building emotional safety.
We are incredibly proud of the nurturing environment we’ve created at Harlow Fields — one where every child is seen, heard, and supported to succeed in their own unique way.