Safe Enough to Learn: Understanding Children’s Hidden Needs

A school can have every risk assessment in place and still have children who don't feel safe. For a child who has lived with trauma, a calm classroom can still feel unpredictable. For another, the fear of getting something wrong or being laughed at is enough to stop them trying.

This course looks at safety in four ways: physical, social, emotional and cognitive. Each comes with approaches you can use, such as concrete instructions in place of "be nice" and social stories to rehearse a new situation. You'll show children it's fine to ask for help with small everyday examples, like breaking your favourite mug. You'll also learn to respond to mistakes so pupils feel safe to have a go.

And when a child still isn't engaging, you'll know how to get curious about what's in the way instead of putting it down to attitude.