Trauma and Attachment Aware Practice Network 2025/2026

This year will focus on Theory Into Practice and sessions will be full of practical tips and advice including exploring Sensory Processing Difficulties, enabling neurodivergent students to thrive and the link between SEMH and SLCN.

Each Network session will also allow time to hear more about the wider offer from the Virtual School

*Please note there are THREE separate sessions of this network. Booking on gives you access to all three.

The last date will be:

May 6th 2026

Session One - November 12th

Nerys Hughes

Nerys is one of the world’s leading sensory impairment Occupational Therapy specialists. Having worked in all areas of paediatric practice across the private and charity sectors and the NHS, she now runs a social enterprise clinic ‘Whole Child Therapy’ which she founded. Nerys is an experienced and advanced clinical consultant. She provides consultation to schools, local authorities, sensory impairment services and associated professionals across the world. Her training curriculum for health and education professionals, as well as parents, is widely valued and sought-after. Nerys believes strongly in a ‘strengths and connection’ intervention process. She develops tools that enable children.

Session Two - March 11th 2026

Dr Pooky Knightsmith

An internationally respected face of child and adolescent mental health, Pooky Knightsmith (PhD) works tirelessly to ‘be the change she wants to see’. She develops and shares practical, evidence-informed approaches to promoting mental health – arming health, social care and education staff with the skills, understanding and knowledge they need to support the children in their care. Pooky has a PhD in child mental health from the Institute of Psychiatry, is the author of many books, is the research and development director at Creative Education and is a former chair of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition.

Session Three - May 6th 2026

Schools and leaders from our Speech. Language and communication (SLCN) projects.

Many young people with SEMH have unidentified SLCN. Left unidentified or unmet SLCN can impact mental health and wellbeing, identity, relationships and attainment.Join us to hear from colleagues across Norfolk about the implementation and experience of several SLCN projects being piloted by the Virtual School across 2025-2026 to be first to hear key takeaways and plans for expansion of these projects.

NB A link to join each session will be sent out TWO days beforehand

For any queries please email Virtual.SchoolsCWSW@norfolk.gov.uk

When you sign up to a network event, you will be added to our network mailing list to be notified of future events. To be removed from this list please email Virtual.SchoolsCWSW@norfolk.gov.uk

Please note

This training session from Norfolk Virtual School is for Norfolk based professionals working to support our children and young people. Any bookings made by colleagues outside Norfolk where not supporting our cohorts will be contacted and cancelled where appropriate.

Cancellation Policy

This Professional Development is currently fully subsided by the Virtual School; there are no charges to delegates. If you need to cancel, we kindly ask that you contact us 5 working days before the course start date. This allows us to offer your space to other potential delegates.

The Virtual School reserves the right to cancel or postpone a training course if there are fewer than 6 delegates for an online event or fewer than 10 for an in-person event. If we must cancel, we will notify delegates 5 working days for virtual and 10 working days for in person courses, before the scheduled start date. A member of the Virtual School team will contact delegates who have signed up to discuss alternative dates or CPD options