When children and young people return from the holidays, frontline educators and pastoral teams absorb more than timetables and term plans, they absorb unknown stories. For some learners, breaks can mean respite and joyful connection. For others, holidays may amplify stressors such as poverty, bereavement, family conflict, or domestic abuse. In that first week back, what you don’t know can shape everything: attendance, behaviour, engagement, and wellbeing.
That is exactly why Senior Mental Health Lead (SMHL) training Trauma Informed Practice Experts (done well and embedded through a whole‑school, trauma‑informed approach) is not a “nice to have”; it’s a safeguarding and culture imperative.
Below we explore four practical areas SMHLs can lead on, backed by recent UK data and policy, and share concrete actions you can take this term.
UK data continue to show significant and sustained mental health need among children and young people:
One in five children and young people (aged 8–25) in England had a probable mental disorder in 2023, with rates at 20.3% for 8–16s and 23.3% for 17–19s. [england.nhs.uk], [digital.nhs.uk]
NHS England has expanded Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in schools and colleges, with 398 teams operational by late 2023 and a further ~200 in training to cover >50% of pupils by Spring 2025. [england.nhs.uk]
Despite investment, waiting times remain long; nationally in 2023–24 many children waited almost six months on average for treatment to begin, and almost a third waited over a year. [childrensc…ner.gov.uk]
The Royal College of Psychiatrists reported 352,682 under‑18s waiting for a first contact with NHS‑funded mental health services at the end of September 2024, with 1 in 10 waiting more than two years, illustrating why early, school‑based support matters. [rcpsych.ac.uk]
On domestic abuse, often invisible during holidays, recent official data estimate 2.3 million adults (1.6m women; 712k men) experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2024. Schools are crucial early‑help touchpoints to notice, hold, and safely escalate concerns to support the children affected by domestic abuse. [ons.gov.uk]
Challenge: You don’t know what each learner experienced over the break. Some may be returning from environments with increased stress, conflict, or harm. Holidays can also disrupt routines that help children to feel safe, sleep, food security, and trusted relationships.
SMHL priorities & actions:
Establish a calm “soft landing”: Focus on reconnecting and being with the students, and create calm arrival spaces for the first week. This reduces threat detection and supports regulation (ARC principles: Attachment, Regulation, Competency). [researchin…ice.org.uk]
Micro‑check‑ins at scale: Equip teachers, assistants and the wider team with sentence starters (“how are you feeling today?”) and a simple “flag & follow‑up” pathway into pastoral support/MHST if a student requires additional support. This operationalises early help and reduces reliance on crisis referrals, aligning with MHST early‑intervention aims. [england.nhs.uk]
Predictability: Share timings and upcoming transitions in advance so students have time for preparation. Predictability can help to builds safety and trust—the bedrock of trauma‑informed practice. [theinnovat…ject.co.uk]
Safeguarding vigilance: Brief staff on post‑holiday indicators (fatigue, hypervigilance, withdrawal, overwhelming feelings of anxiety, sadness and/or anger) and clear reporting routes under Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). [gov.uk], [assets.pub…ice.gov.uk]
Why this matters now: Data show demand outstrips capacity; early, in‑school support reduces deterioration while learners wait for specialist services. [childrensc…ner.gov.uk], [rcpsych.ac.uk]
Challenge: Staff are humans who also return from holidays with their own stressors. Dysregulated adults cannot be co‑regulator for dysregulated children. A trauma‑informed culture does not ignore the importance of staff wellbeing.
SMHL priorities & actions:
“Team regulation” briefings: Build in the opportunity for the team to access briefing sessions to reflect upon their practice and the impact their work is having on their wellbeing.
Clear escalation ladders: Publish who to call for immediate help, same‑day pastoral slots, and MHST links; remove decision fatigue. [england.nhs.uk]
Vicarious trauma: Develop the teams awareness of vicarious trauma and its impact to support the team with identifying strateigies they can implement to process the trauma they are exposed to. This may include providing access to clinical supervision for designated safeguarding leads and the senior leadership team.
Challenge: Safety and trust are prerequisites for learning. Learners impacted by adversity may find the school environment unsafe. Trauma‑informed practice centres safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment. [theinnovat…ject.co.uk]
SMHL priorities & actions:
Trust‑building rituals: Begin lessons with connection and supporting the students to feel safe. Simply provide insights into the lesson “What to expect today,” offer choices (where to sit; how to respond, verbal/visual), and normalise breaks. Choices can reduce perceived threat. [theinnovat…ject.co.uk]
Relational anchors: Offer a buddy/pairing system that enables students to check in and out with a named adult each day. For example, a two‑minute “hello/goodbye” touchpoint each day. [researchin…ice.org.uk]
Whole‑school messaging: Use assembly/PSHE time to reiterate help routes (DSL, pastoral, MHST, Childline). Seasonal spikes in domestic abuse concerns reported by NSPCC around Christmas substantiate the need to re‑publicise support after holidays. [nspcc.org.uk]
Risk profile without training:
Missed early signals and late intervention, when NHS pathways are already pressured.
Re‑traumatisation through punitive responses to trauma behaviours, undermining attendance and attainment.
Safeguarding blind spots—especially around domestic abuse, an often hidden crime with millions affected annually; schools may be the only safe disclosure point.
The Department for Education committed to offering SMHL training to all eligible schools and colleges in England by 2025, to embed a whole‑school approach to mental health and wellbeing. Even with the grant scheme now closed, DfE’s programme data and provider lists underscore the ongoing value and availability of quality CPD to sustain this role.
Domestic abuse prevalence (YE March 2024) was 4.8% of adults (≈2.3 million)—with police recording 851,062 domestic abuse‑related crimes that year. Schools need confident procedures to identify and respond when learners return.
At Innovating Minds, we specialise in embedding trauma‑informed practice across education settings, combining evidence‑based programmes, practitioner coaching, and whole‑school implementation support.
Senior Mental Health Leads Training: Three levels are available: 1) Beginner level: Learn more 2) Intermediate level: Read more 3) and Advanced level: Contact us for more info
Healing Together: Early intervention programmes that equip trusted adults (not just clinicians) to provide body‑based calming tools and relational safety for children affected by trauma such as domestic abuse and mental ill health. 👉 Learn more about our Healing Together programmes
Trauma‑Informed Practitioner Training: Self‑directed and coached pathways that build staff confidence to recognise trauma responses, avoid re‑traumatisation, and sustain co‑regulation in everyday interactions. 👉 Explore our trauma-informed training
Implementation coaching: We work with leadership and SMHLs to translate training into routines, roles, and data cycles, so your approach survives the timetable and inspection cycles. (Evidence emphasises sustainability and leadership for impact.)
Our positioning aligns with national direction: a whole‑school approach, early help through MHSTs, and sustained CPD for SMHLs, because learners cannot wait for perfect systems to exist before they get safe, trusted support. [gov.uk], [england.nhs.uk]Our senior mental health lead training is suitable for any staff member designated as the mental health lead
Book a free 30‑minute consultation with our team to map a Return‑to‑School Safety Plan for your setting, covering staff regulation, learner transition rituals, MHST integration, and a domestic‑abuse‑aware safeguarding refresh.
Want ready‑to‑use first‑week scripts, check‑in tools, and assembly slides? We’ll share a practical pack tailored to your phase and context.
Need to upskill a wider team? We’ll co‑design a trauma‑informed personal development sprint for tutors, pastoral staff, and SLT.
What’s the one return‑week routine you’d most like to improve, arrival, transitions, tutor time, or safeguarding triage? Share yours, and we’ll suggest trauma‑informed nudges that fit your timetable.