WA is proud to have been awarded a Bronze ‘Think Trauma’ Award by Westminster Council in recognition of our work to implement a trauma-informed approach to improve student wellbeing and teacher-student relationships. Dr Wood accepted the award from the Lord Mayor of Westminster on behalf of Westminster Academy at an event for Westminster school heads and governors/trustees on Tuesday evening. The event was held to recognise the efforts of Westminster schools during the pandemic.

Trauma-informed approaches seek to understand the context behind a child’s behaviour in order for adults to support them better. Accepting the award, Dr Wood explained the importance of "knowing every child's story" to help us demonstrate the WA ethos of "learning for every student in a respectful environment so that all of our students are safe, secure and successful".  A trauma-informed approach also supports students in managing their emotions, building resilience, and maintaining their capacity to learn, despite challenges they may experience in their peer groups or outside of school.

Mr Mulvihill (Assistant Vice Principal Inclusion) has championed this approach and led on incorporating trauma-informed approaches into our practices at WA. The awarding body noted this, highlighting Mr Mulvihill’s work with Westminster’s Trauma Champions group and his success in promoting the approach, including to other secondary schools in Westminster. Think Trauma also noted our inclusion of key aspects of trauma-informed approaches in school documents, the prioritisation of training for all staff and our trauma-informed Professional Learning Community - a group of staff who are focusing their professional learning on these approaches this year.  

We are delighted to have our progress recognised and look forward to continuing our work in this area.