At Rockliffe Manor, we believe that every child deserves an environment where they feel safe, valued, and understood. Our approach centres on being experts in understanding each child’s unique strengths and needs so that they can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. With a tailored approach to education, our staff work with dedication and care to support each child, helping them build confidence and develop the skills needed to succeed.

Our vision at Rockliffe Manor is to provide a nurturing, inclusive space where children feel empowered to reach their full potential. We prioritise a supportive and structured environment that fosters resilience, curiosity, and a love for learning. Through our global curriculum, children are encouraged to develop not only as learners but as considerate and compassionate individuals.

Our dedicated team are trained in child-centred, trauma-informed practices, ensuring that every child’s physical, psychological, and emotional well-being is safeguarded. We aim to inspire children to achieve their personal best while making a meaningful contribution to our school and wider community.

Understanding each child's unique experiences and needs is central to our work. At Rockliffe Manor, we recognise that some children may face social, emotional, or mental health challenges that can impact their learning journey. Our staff are committed to identifying and understanding the triggers and barriers each child may encounter and are trained to respond with empathy and positive support. Through individualised strategies, we help children develop tools for managing emotions, building resilience, and growing in confidence.

When a child encounters difficulties, we see it as an opportunity to understand and support them better. Staff members are trained in positive behaviour support and communication techniques, allowing them to respond effectively and compassionately to behaviours that may challenge, while ensuring the safety and well-being of all our children.

We use a whole-school Boxall Approach, which further supports our commitment to understanding and supporting each child’s unique emotional and social development. The Boxall Profile enables us to assess individual needs, identify strengths, and create personalised strategies that promote resilience, positive behaviours, and emotional well-being. By using this nurturing approach across all classes, our staff can respond sensitively to each child’s unique emotional needs, fostering a culture where every child feels seen, valued, and supported. This approach not only strengthens our children’s ability to manage challenges and build positive relationships, but also enhances their readiness for learning. Through regular monitoring and reflection, we ensure that our school remains a compassionate environment where every child has the tools they need to grow confidently and reach their potential.

Some of our Pastoral Support includes: 

• Mentoring and check-ins
• Draw and Talk therapeutic intervention
• ELSA 
• Zones of Regulation intervention
• Social skills groups
• Friendship circles
• Counselling 
• Nurture groups 

Could this be added within this section - but on another blue tab (if that makes sense) so the information isn't overwhelming.

Title: Attachment and Trauma Sensitive Schools Award - Bronze

Rockliffe Manor are proud to share that we achieved a Bronze Attachment and Trauma Sensitive Schools Award. (ATSSA) in February 2024.  

Accredited by Jennifer Nock Training and Consultancy, the award aims to provide a framework of support and understanding for schools to support children and young people who have experienced adversity and assist in helping them to heal, thrive, play and learn.

The Award is external recognition of the commitment of Rockliffe Manor’s school staff and the work they do to develop a culture of compassion and nurture. This plays a key role in getting children and young people into a state of ‘learning readiness’.

Jennifer Nock commented “I would like to warmly congratulate you and the rest of the staff on achieving the Award, which is an external sign of recognition of your commitment to the steps you have taken at Rockliffe Manor Primary School to develop a culture of compassion and nurture. This, as you well know, plays a pivotal role in getting your pupils into a state of ‘learning readiness’.

I hope that you will celebrate your achievement with pupils, staff, governors, parents/carers and other stakeholders to celebrate the school’s commitment to its children, successfully removing barriers to learning and participation in the life of the school. I have felt particularly privileged to share your journey.

We are really proud of members of our whole school team, who work together on a daily basis to ensure our children receive the very best support. This Award is a real accolade and a great achievement.

Attachment and Trauma Sensitive School’s Award report feedback

We’d like to share comments with you from our feedback report. Jennifer Nock said, “There was a number of significant points worthy of a special mention”:

Staff are skilled in monitoring excitement and anxiety, and they have a deep understanding of survival behaviours. They make appropriate interventions to provide coregulation, using a ‘connection before correction’ approach, so physiological and emotional comfort is restored as part of the coregulation process, and reflection and restorative dialogue only takes place once a child is regulated in their body and emotions.

Staff frequently mentioned the importance of supporting children to stay within their window of stress tolerance through recognising and minimising triggers. They described a wide range of grounding strategies and spoke of the importance of having a deep knowledge of each child as an individual; there is no ‘cookie-cutter’ approach to meeting needs and all support is individualised and personal. Exit plans, where required, are developmentally appropriate and enable children to ask for help and support when becoming uncomfortable or overwhelmed. Managing anxiety and dysregulation is a particular strength of at Rockliffe Manor Primary School.’

There is an emphasis on children’s past experiences as a tool for understanding the child in the present. Throughout all the interviews, staff demonstrated sensitivity to children’s histories and experiences. They were able to share comprehensive details about the background and adverse experiences of pupils in the school, to explain how these experiences have impacted development and to describe how they are working with the children to support regulation and develop pro-social behaviour.'

‘You have a range of strategies in place for supporting parents and carers in understanding child development and attachment relationships. Strategies are largely informal in nature, and particularly engage parents … Evidence about the support you offer to children and families was compelling and moving. You demonstrate deep empathy in relation to the daily struggles that families face. Connection with and care for families is a particular strength of the school.’

‘There is a strong focus on multi-sensory learning and play. This, combined with the emphasis on making learning fun and individual attention for each child, is an excellent recipe for helping children to become fully engaged with learning. The range of opportunities offered to pupils is impressive, and again, individually tailored to each child. Staff spoke about enrichment activities and how feedback from the children informs planning for future activities and trips. Multi-sensory learning is beneficial to the children in so many ways, for example building cognitive skills, such as cause and effect reasoning; sensory development; social and emotional development and to decompress, reflect and relax. Staff reflect on how to make playtime appropriate and playful and understand the impact of play deprivation. This again is a particular strength of the school.

To find out more about this award visit www.attachmentandtraumasensitiveschoolsaward.com