Attachment Aware School

We are delighted to announce that we have successfully achieved an Attachment Aware Schools Gold Award 2025.

This was achieved due to integrate and embedding emotional coaching throughout the school over the last 4 years.

Following on from the Silver award the Behaviour Policy was reviewed to include an Attachment Aware and Trauma Informed approach, which emphasises building secure relationships to prevent behaviour escalating. It also incorporates emotion coaching and the CALM approach (Connect, Acknowledge, Limits, Make a plan), moving away from overt sanctions to reinforce the positive learning behaviour seen throughout the school.

In addition to Teaching Staff, all support staff (TAs, office staff, PE coaches, lunchtime supervisors) have had training from the educational psychologist and understand emotion coaching and the schools approach to behaviour.

The award programme involved training from AfC virtual school, coaching from a team of Educational Psychologists, on-site whole school training in attachment and emotion coaching and development of a whole school change project based on findings from the Attachment Aware Schools audit.  As a result we have increased our knowledge of attachment and emotion coaching, developed a shared language and implementation of the CALM Approach.  We have our SNUG (Support, Nurture, Understanding and Guidance) which is used for ELSA sessions and provides children with a nurturing, safe space.

The roots of a child or young person’s social emotional wellbeing are found in their first attachment to their primary caregiver.  Here at Ellingham, we understand the importance of building and nurturing positive relationships. ‘Every interaction is an intervention’.