Creating Safe and Trauma-Informed Learning Environments: A Culture of Excellence in Schools and Universities

The mental health of young people is one of the defining challenges facing education today. In the UK, over 60% of university students report moderate to severe symptoms of depression, while nearly one in five have experienced suicidal thoughts or attempts in the past six months (Campbell et al., 2022). But this is not confined to higher education. Data from NHS Digital (2023) reveal that one in five children and young people aged 8–25 in England have a probable mental health disorder, a figure that has risen steadily over the past decade. Teachers, headteachers, and pastoral staff are also under strain: a survey by the Education Support charity (2022) found that 78% of UK school staff reported being stressed, 59% experienced symptoms of poor mental health, and 36% considered leaving the profession due to pressures. Turning to the global landscape, the World Health Organization estimates that one in seven (around 14 %) adolescents aged 10–19 worldwide live with a mental disorder, and suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds (WHO, 2021). 

These statistics signal a system under strain (Cogan et al., 2022). While counselling services and pastoral support remain vital, the scale and complexity of need demand a broader cultural shift - one that goes beyond treatment to prevention, inclusion, and community-wide wellbeing. At the heart of this shift are two powerful frameworks: psychological safety and trauma-informed practice.

Moving Beyond Reactive Models
Too often, schools and universities still rely on reactive measures: a short block of counselling, academic adjustments made only in crisis, or pastoral interventions when behaviour escalates. While necessary, this approach is not sufficient. Waiting lists grow, staff are stretched thin, and interventions reach learners only after distress has deepened.

A proactive approach asks different questions: How do we design classrooms and campuses that foster resilience, belonging, and connection? How do we reduce stigma and encourage help-seeking early? And how do we respond to the inequalities that shape who feels included, who is excluded, and who thrives?

These questions are not simply about welfare - they go to the heart of educational excellence. Students and pupils cannot reach their potential in environments that are unsafe or unsupportive. Excellence in outcomes requires excellence in care.

Why Psychological Safety Matters
The concept of psychological safety, coined by Harvard’s Amy Edmondson (1999), refers to the belief that one can ask questions, admit mistakes, or voice concerns without fear of embarrassment or punishment. While developed in workplace teams, it is just as critical in classrooms, lecture theatres, and staff rooms.

Psychological safety is not limited to the absence of physical threat. Drawing on polyvagal theory (Porges, 2011), we know that safety is deeply embodied: our nervous system continuously scans for cues of trust, acceptance, or danger. When learners and staff sense relational safety, their bodies and minds shift from states of defence to states of openness and engagement. In this way, the body-mind connection is central. Safety is felt physiologically as much as it is understood cognitively, and when the environment signals threat, learning and collaboration are inhibited (Cogan et al., 2025).This has direct implications for education. Students who feel psychologically safe are more willing to participate, take academic risks, and seek help when struggling. For instance, Carmeli et al., (2010) found that psychologically safe environments promote deeper learning and innovation in higher education. In schools, Milner et al., (2018) reported that pupils in classrooms where teachers modelled openness and empathy showed greater engagement and reduced anxiety.

Staff need psychological safety too. Teachers and lecturers work under relentless pressures: heavy workloads, public accountability, and the emotional burden of supporting young people in distress. A review by Agyapong et al., (2022) highlighted high rates of burnout among UK teachers, with consequences for retention and performance. When psychological safety is embedded for both staff and learners, cultures of innovation, collaboration, and excellence in education become possible.

Trauma-Informed Practice: A Paradigm Shift
Trauma is not just the event - it is the emotional, cognitive, psychological and physical impact that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope. Trauma can stem from childhood adversity, discrimination, bereavement, displacement, or systemic harm. But it can also be institutional, reinforced through policies, assessment practices, or cultures of perfectionism and exclusion (Cogan et al., 2025). Trauma-informed practice offers a way forward. Its principles - safety, trust, empowerment, collaboration, and cultural humility - are increasingly applied in schools, colleges, and higher education (SAMHSA, 2014; Carello & Butler, 2015).

Practical examples include:
•    In schools: Glasgow’s Nurture Groups integrate trauma-informed principles by creating safe spaces where children experiencing adversity can build trusting relationships and re-engage with learning (Boxall & Lucas, 2010). Schools adopting whole-school nurture approaches have reported reduced exclusions and improved attainment.
•    In universities: The University of Brighton’s Belong at Brighton initiative redesigned induction and teaching practices to reduce anxiety, improve belonging, and support retention for students from underrepresented backgrounds (Thomas, 2012).
•    Cross-sector toolkits: Scotland’s trauma-informed practice toolkit from NHS Education for Scotland provides staff with strategies to engage compassionately with learners, modelling how relational care can be embedded across disciplines.
Importantly, these approaches apply equally to staff. A headteacher who models relational safety, or a senior lecturer who encourages openness and responds with empathy, can influence the wellbeing of an entire community. In turn, these practices underpin higher standards of teaching and learning because staff who feel supported are better able to support others.

The Interdependence of Student and Staff Wellbeing
The wellbeing of students and staff cannot be meaningfully separated. Education is a relational process: the conditions in which teachers, lecturers, and support staff work directly shape the conditions in which students learn. As Knox et al., (2011) remind us that our working conditions are our students’ learning conditions. This principle applies across sectors. Pupils in schools, or students training in professional fields such as teaching, medicine, and social work, often look to staff as role models. If their environment is characterised by stress, fear, or silence, these patterns risk being normalised and reproduced in future practice. Trauma that is left unacknowledged or unhealed is likely to be handed down.

Breaking this cycle is not only an ethical imperative but a practical one. Cultures that attend to wellbeing create stronger conditions for intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and professional growth - hallmarks of educational excellence.

Barriers and Emerging Opportunities
Implementing change is not easy. Education systems face limited resources, fragmented responsibility, and long-standing cultures of individualism and overachievement. Mental health is too often seen as the sole domain of student services or pastoral care.

Yet promising models are emerging. In higher education, initiatives like Healthy Trinity at Trinity College Dublin and the Holistic Prevention and Intervention Model (HPIM) in US colleges show what can be achieved when leadership commits to cross-campus collaboration (Besse et al., 2024). In schools, programmes like Attachment Aware Schools in England (Parker et al., 2016) demonstrate measurable improvements in pupil engagement, attendance, and behaviour. These examples show that excellence is not an abstract aspiration. With the right commitment, it can be cultivated through consistent leadership, collaboration, and integration of wellbeing into strategy and pedagogy.

Towards a Culture of Care and Excellence
The message is clear: mental health in education is not an optional add-on. It is foundational to learning, teaching, and long-term flourishing.

Psychological safety and trauma-informed practice are not at odds with academic rigour or school improvement, they are the very conditions that make them possible. A culture of care is also a culture of excellence: learners and staff who feel safe - physically, psychologically, and relationally are more engaged, more motivated, and more capable of high achievement.

If we want students and pupils to thrive, we must also value and protect the wellbeing of teachers, lecturers, and support staff. If we want inclusive classrooms, we must address the structures that perpetuate harm. And if we want education to be transformative, we must build environments where excellence is inseparable from compassion and safety.

Dr Nicola Cogan is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Senior Lecturer (honorary) in Psychology at the University of Strathclyde.

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