Attachment & Trauma Programme: National Annual Impact Report
Flourish’s national Attachment & Trauma programme is showing strong evidence of impact, with reductions in exclusions, improved staff confidence, and clear signs of whole-school practice change across participating settings.
The programme was launched in 2019/20 in response to exclusion rates in schools across Lancashire, Birmingham, Buckinghamshire, Thurrock, Hounslow, Sandwell, Reading, Barnet, Wolverhampton, Luton, North Lincolnshire, Middlesbrough, Warwickshire, Essex, Hillingdon, Cumbria, Kent, Redcar and Cleveland, Leeds, and Dudley.
The programme achieved 18% fewer exclusions compared with the national average over the same three year period.
Disaggregated year-on-year analysis demonstrates a clear and material reduction in exclusions of 21% in Year 0-2 of implementation.
It was designed to help schools strengthen inclusive practice, improve outcomes for vulnerable pupils, and reduce the need for exclusion and high-cost placements.
View the full methodology and impact report here.
Why the training programme was needed
Nationally, exclusion rates in England showed significant pressures around pupil exclusion, SEND capacity, and alternative provision. In 2018/19, there were 7,894 permanent exclusions, with overall fixed-period exclusion rate increasing from 5.08 to 5.36 per 100 pupils compared with the previous year.
With exclusions carrying major financial and human costs, a proactive, system-wide response was needed.
The Attachment & Trauma programme was introduced to help schools better understand behaviour, emotional regulation, and unmet need through a more relational and trauma-informed lens. The goal was not just to improve knowledge, but to build long-term capacity within schools to keep more pupils successfully supported in mainstream education.
Programme scale and approach
The programme is currently funded for 347 schools across multiple local authorities. During the measurement period, total Local Authority investment across those settings was £632,500.
The three-year exclusion rate prior to each cohort’s training start date was calculated to establish the baseline. For each cohort, we calculated the expected number of exclusions had the schools’ performance:
- Mirrored the national exclusion rate trends
- Mirrored the trend of Lancashire schools that did not receive Attachment & Trauma training
The report also includes findings from an end-of-programme leadership survey, capturing senior leaders’ views on staff capability, consistency of practice, inclusion, and whole-school change.
Key impact findings
The strongest headline finding is a measurable reduction in exclusions among trained schools.
- 60 fewer exclusions compared to the national average
- 21% reduction in exclusions over in Year 0–2 of implementation
- 100% of school leaders reported improved attendance
- 99.2% reported improved attainment
While the scale of impact appears to reduce slightly in year 3, the overall pattern remains positive and points to a meaningful shift in school practice. The report notes that further longitudinal analysis will help confirm how durable these outcomes are over time.
View the full methodology and impact report here.
Strong value for money
The programme is also showing a favourable return on investment for local authority partners such as Lancashire Virtual School.
- £6 million estimated cost avoidance compared with the national trend
- Equivalent to around £9 saved for every £1 spent against the national benchmark
These figures are based on exclusions-related outcomes alone and do not include wider benefits such as improved attendance, reduced behaviour pressures, stronger mainstream inclusion, or lower demand on AP and SEND systems. In reality, the full system benefit is likely to be greater.
What school leaders said
The leadership survey results were consistently strong. Across 38 scaled survey questions, most average scores fell between 4.4 and 4.7 out of 5, suggesting high levels of confidence in the programme’s delivery and impact. Leaders reported particularly strong gains in:
- Staff understanding of attachment, trauma, and child development
- Confidence in responding to pupils with emotional and behavioural needs
- Use of relational and preventative approaches
- Consistency of practice across staff teams
- Whole-school inclusion and exclusion prevention
One of the strongest survey findings was that 98.5% of respondents said they would recommend the programme to other schools.
The bigger cultural shift
Alongside the quantitative data, leaders described a broader shift in how schools are thinking and working. Five recurring themes came through in the qualitative responses:
- Improved staff confidence and use of shared professional language
- A move away from punitive behaviour management towards understanding and inclusion
- Greater consistency across the whole staff team
- Strategic influence on policy, pastoral systems, and leadership decisions
- Perceived improvements in exclusions, attendance, wellbeing, and pupil engagement
Taken together, this suggests the programme is doing more than raising awareness. It is helping schools embed attachment- and trauma-informed approaches into everyday practice and leadership.
Areas for further development
While the overall picture is very positive, the report also identifies a few areas where schools need more support. The lowest scoring areas in the survey related to:
- Supervision for all staff, including senior leaders
- Involvement of parents and carers
- Involvement of governors
These are not signs of failure, but they do point to the next stage of maturity for the programme: making sure trauma-informed practice is fully supported by strong supervision, governance, and wider stakeholder engagement.
What happens next
The report recommends several next steps to strengthen sustainability and extend impact across participating areas. These include introducing refresher training every two years, embedding mandatory online learning into routine CPD, expanding coverage to all Lancashire schools, and strengthening the infrastructure around reflective supervision and stakeholder involvement.
Overall, this first formal impact evaluation presents a strong case for continued investment. It suggests that Attachment & Trauma training is not only improving staff understanding and whole-school practice, but also helping reduce exclusions and generate meaningful value for the wider system.
View the full methodology and impact report here.
