
- “ Loved the content and the opportunity to continue reinforcing learning through e-learning. ” Lindsey Sayer, Kent – July 2013
- “ Very accessible in spite of it being a difficult topic. ” Patricia Tucker, Salford City Council – July 2012
- “ Best course I have attended for a long time. ” Beverley Bromage, Abbey Hulton Primary School – November 2012
- “ As always KCA has responded to the ever changing challenges and provided a webinar and resources of the highest quality. I am privileged to able to access this and want to encourage a wider group of people to do so. ” Participant – April 2020
- “ An excellent balance between statistical information and data alongside personal knowledge and experience. ” Patricia Tucker, Salford City Council – July 2012
- “ For me this webinar content brings together the knowledge and understanding of attachment, trauma and resilience in a way which can be applied to the broadest of audiences. The Motivational states and compassionate reason resonated so very deeply for me at this present time. Thank you ” Julie Revels – April 2020
- “ Really brought together many different aspects of KCA's work and approach. Excellent! ” Dean Sharp – April 2020
- “ It was the first training I have accessed using zoom which seemed to work well. Really useful to have printed the notes out before it started. ” Dawn Delmaine, Teacher, Dursley Primary Academy – April 2020
- “ We will ensure that the excellent practice outlined during the course does not stop when the children leave our setting... It is essential that this is a whole school approach. ” Gabrielle Doherty, Teacher, North West – June 2012
- “ I liked that I could see the video of Kate as well as the slides. It helped me to engage with what she was saying. ” Dawn Delmaine, Teacher, Dursley Primary Academy – April 2020
Our work in education
The best schools have always looked to promote the broader well-being of their students. Now, with the roles of the SENCO, CPLO and Designated Teacher being statutory requirements, the task of ensuring that the most vulnerable children receive the services and support they need has become a legal responsibility. Schools are increasingly a hub for the provision of services to children throughout the community.
At the same time, schools are under immense pressure to raise academic standards, which can lead to working practices that focus on the standards rather than focusing on the children. Vulnerable children cannot communicate their pain and distress except through their behaviour; when that behaviour is seen as a threat to meeting academic targets, it is easy to lose sight of the needs of the child. An over-dependence on behavioural approaches that rely on reward and sanctions can ultimately exclude the most vulnerable. Fortunately, current research in neuroscience is showing that attending to the needs communicated by the behaviour of the most vulnerable produces an environment that will help all children to function at their best.
attachment aware schools
There is a growing interest nationally in the links between early attachment experience and children's ability to benefit from education throughout their school career. Pioneering schools have been exploring how daily life for staff and students can be transformed by paying attention to the quality of relationships at all levels. Key knowledge areas include:
- Attachment awareness: Relationship-based discipline, curriculum and staffing
- Making school a safe space for all
- Emotion coaching: An accessible evidence-based approach to helping children manage their behaviour
virtual schools for looked after children
It is a statutory responsibility for the local authority in England to appoint a Head of Virtual School to be responsible for ensuring that the educational needs of children in care are given priority, and that these most vulnerable children and young people can get the benefits of educational success. The Virtual School has great responsibilities, limited budgets, and must engage effectively with the increasingly diverse range of establishments that provide education for children and young people in England.
KCA has been working alongside Virtual Schools to ensure that limited budgets can be put to optimal use, and to enable the Virtual School to become a valued and effective resource for school improvement. Key knowledge areas include:
- Meeting the needs of vulnerable children and all children
- Trauma-informed practice
- Adolescence and transitions
special needs and special schools
Educational settings that provide for the most vulnerable children and young people in our society face particular challenges. It is vital that staff understand the needs of the children, and develop skills in meeting those needs while also being able to account for their interventions in terms of the academic targets of the education system. KCA Associates can combine expert knowledge of relevant research and theory with years of skilled and effective practice, enabling staff to develop their own knowledge and skills, and inspiring transformative practice. Key knowledge areas include:
- Self harming behaviours
- Trauma and behaviour: Communication and co-regulation
- FASD
latest news
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6 April 2020
A new open course: Covid-19, Toxic Stress and Community Resilience -
28 February 2020
KCA delivers training for System Leaders in Wiltshire in response to the Reducing Parental… -
13 November 2018
New Schools' Training Certificate to demonstrate commitment to Attachment-based practice
latest case studies
- Lower Farm Primary School — Being an attachment aware school
- ERW (Education through Regional Working) — Attachment Awareness in Schools project…
- The Grange School, Runcorn — Attachment Awareness in Schools: working quickly to introduce…
- Tri-Borough Virtual School — Our Lady of Dolours and Oxford Gardens Primary Schools…