Restorative Practice & Trauma-Informed Education
From Power Over to Power With: Everyday Practices That Support Healing
Restorative Practice and trauma-informed education share a common heartbeat: relationships first. Yet in many schools, these approaches are misunderstood or reduced to quick fixes—like scripted circles or students writing apology letters. This blog explores how staff can recognise trauma, adapt restorative processes accordingly, and move beyond predetermined consequences toward authentic repair and relational culture.
It’s Monday morning, and Sam hasn’t been in class for three days. When he finally returns, he slams his bag down, mutters at a peer, and refuses to join the lesson. A traditional response might be to send him out, then ask him to write a letter of apology before re-entering class. On paper, it looks like “repair.”
But Sam’s story reveals more. He’s been moving between houses, caught in a custody battle, and hasn’t slept properly all week. What looks like defiance is, in fact, distress. What Sam needed first was not a predetermined consequence, but a moment of safety, connection, and space to voice his needs.
This is where restorative practice, shaped through a trauma-informed lens, makes all the difference.
The Problem: When Repair Becomes Punishment in Disguise
Too often, restorative practices are stripped of their depth. Students are asked to “write an essay” about what they did wrong or to pen an apology letter as if that alone restores trust. While perhaps well-intentioned, these responses can unintentionally re-trigger shame and reinforce power imbalances.
As Silvan Tomkins’ work on Affect Script Psychology reminds us, shame is a biological affect that interrupts positive connection. Trauma can intensify adaptive shame responses—withdrawal, aggression, avoidance. When educators respond with scripted or punitive “restorative” tasks, they may miss the chance to metabolise shame and support genuine learning.
It’s not about compliance. It’s about connection.
Recognising Trauma in the Classroom
Trauma-informed education teaches us that behaviour is communication. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with this student?” we ask, “What happened to this student—and what do they need now?”
Signs of trauma may include:
Withdrawal, avoidance, or absence from class
Difficulty trusting others and forming positive relationships
Heightened startle responses or difficulty regulating emotions
Anger outbursts that mask deep shame
Disengagement from learning tasks when feeling exposed
When staff are attuned to these signals, they can respond with regulation and relationship before reasoning. This means:
Regulate: help the student calm their nervous system (breathing, space, gentle tone).
Relate: connect with curiosity and empathy (“I’ve noticed you seem off today—do you want to tell me what’s going on?”).
Reason: only once regulated, invite reflection and problem-solving.
Shaping Circles and Re-Entry Practices with Trauma in Mind
Circles are powerful—but they must be responsive, not formulaic. When circles are reduced to scripts or when re-entry is tied to completing a generic task, the opportunity for authentic repair is lost.
Practical guidelines for trauma-informed circles and re-entry processes:
Safety first. Ensure students feel physically and emotionally safe before engaging in dialogue. Small group or one-to-one may be better than a full circle after harm.
Choice and voice. Offer students agency: Do they want to speak? Write? Draw? Listen first? This aligns with Universal Design for Learning principles.
Strengths-based framing. Help students recognise and use their strengths (e.g. honesty, kindness, creativity) in restorative conversations and repair.
Avoid predetermined consequences. Instead of defaulting to apology letters, time out of the yard or essays, co-create meaningful amends. This might include checking in with a peer, helping with a class task, or rebuilding trust through follow-up actions.
Ongoing support. Trauma recovery and relational repair take time. Follow-up check-ins are not “extra”—they’re essential.
Challenging Misconceptions
Let’s be clear:
Restorative is not soft. It’s both firm and fair, holding high expectations with high support.
Restorative is not a script. Scripts are scaffolds, not substitutes for authentic presence.
Repair is not punishment. Genuine repair emerges from understanding impact and rebuilding trust, not completing a task.
Predetermined consequences are not restorative. When adults decide in advance that “this behaviour means this consequence”—whether it’s writing an essay, cleaning desks, or delivering an apology letter—they may call it restorative, but it is simply another form of power over. Restorative approaches ask us to resist that urge for control and instead co-create ways forward with students. Anything else risks reinforcing compliance, not cultivating connection.
Everyday strategies to support safety and relationships
These practices are especially important for students impacted by trauma, but they benefit every learner.
Morning Connection Rituals – Greet each student individually with eye contact, by name, and with genuine warmth. This signals belonging before learning begins.
Check-In Tools – Use a quick “feelings thermometer” or thumbs-up/thumbs-down to help students safely express their state of mind/body at the start of class.
Co-Regulation Practices – Model calm breathing, movement breaks, or grounding exercises as a class routine.
Pause Before Correction – When a student escalates, focus first on soothing tone and presence before addressing behaviour.
Follow-Up Conversations – After conflict or difficulty, circle back later to check in: “How are you going since earlier?”, or, “I’m proud of the way you were able to re-engage”.
Consistent Closure – End lessons or days with a reflection prompt (“What went well for you today?”) to embed positive thinking routines, predictability, and voice.
Try one of these tomorrow and notice the difference.
Restorative Practices and trauma-informed education are not competing frameworks. They are companions. Together, they remind us: students don’t need more scripts or predetermined consequences—they need safety, dignity, and authentic opportunities to repair and rejoin community.
Let’s move beyond quick fixes. Let’s give students what they truly need: a way back in.
