Reducing Anxiety, Rebuilding Trust
For many anxious and neurodivergent learners, the barrier to school is not motivation or behaviour, it is safety. When a child does not feel safe, anxiety follows, and what looks like won’t is often can’t. This session works through the five domains of safety, physical, sensory, social, emotional and cognitive, and shows how small, sustainable changes to environment, communication and the way the adults show up can help an anxious child feel safe enough to attend, settle and learn. You will come away understanding what is really happening for these children, and with practical, doable ideas to reduce anxiety and rebuild trust.

Learning outcomes:

• See school through the eyes of an anxious or neurodivergent child
• Recognise the five domains of safety, and spot which one a child is struggling with
• Tell the difference between can’t and won’t, and respond to the need underneath
• Take away small, practical changes to environment, communication and your own presence that lower anxiety
• Feel more confident that steady, everyday relationships are what rebuild trust