Getting back to school after the long summer break: A trauma-informed perspective for children and young people in out-of-home care
Feb 2026
Written by Noel Macnamara
For many children and young people, the return to school after the long summer holidays is marked by new stationery, reconnecting with friends, and the familiar rhythm of the school day. For children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC), particularly those who have experienced adversity, trauma, or abuse, the transition back to school can be far more complex.
The start of a new school year is not just a logistical shift. It is a relational, emotional, sensory, and neurological transition. Understanding this difference is critical if we are to support children in care not just to attend school, but to feel safe enough to learn.
The hidden weight of transitions
Transitions are hard for many children, but for those with trauma histories, change can trigger powerful stress responses. Long school holidays often mean a loss of predictable routines, reduced access to support services, disrupted therapeutic work, and sometimes changes in placement or contact arrangements.
While holidays may appear “relaxing” on the surface, they can be deeply dysregulating.
Returning to school brings a sudden re-introduction of expectations:
- sitting still,
- concentrating,
- managing peer relationships,
- following rules,
- and performing academically.
For children and young people whose nervous systems have adapted to survive threat, these expectations can feel overwhelming.
What may look like resistance, avoidance, or “challenging behaviour” is often a stress response rooted in fear, uncertainty, and past experiences of harm.
Trauma lives in the body, not the calendar
Children who have experienced trauma do not reset over the holidays. Trauma is stored in the body and nervous system, not erased by time away. The school environment, bells, crowded corridors, loud classrooms, authority figures, social hierarchies, can activate implicit memories of danger, rejection, or powerlessness.
For some children in out-of-home care:
- Classrooms may feel unsafe
- Authority figures may be associated with punishment or removal
- Peer interactions may trigger shame, hypervigilance, or aggression
- Academic demands may activate deep feelings of failure, inadequacy or shame
These responses are not choices. They are adaptive survival strategies developed in environments where safety was not guaranteed.
Starting school for the first time
For younger children in OOHC, starting school for the first time can be especially daunting. Many have already experienced disruptions in caregiving, inconsistent early learning experiences, or developmental delays linked to neglect or trauma. The transition to school may coincide with heightened separation anxiety, fear of abandonment, or confusion about roles and expectations.
Some children may not have had consistent experiences of adults being reliably available. Being left at a school gate, even in a supportive setting, can unconsciously echo earlier experiences of loss.
Starting school is not simply a milestone; it is a profound attachment-laden transition.
What to expect in the early weeks of term?
In the early weeks of term, carers and educators may notice an increase in:
- Emotional outbursts
- Withdrawal or shutdown
- School refusal
- Aggression or defiance
- Regression in toileting, sleep, or emotional regulation
These behaviours are not signs of failure or poor adjustment. They are forms of communication.
Children in OOHC are often asking, through their behaviour:
- “Am I safe here?”
- “Will you be there when I get home?”
- “Will you still care about me if I struggle?”
- “What happens if I get this wrong?”
- “Can I trust you to stay?”
When we respond with curiosity rather than punishment, we create the conditions for healing and learning.
Make room for exhaustion and big feelings at home
Carers play a critical role in supporting children and young people as they transition back to school after the long summer holidays. For children in OOHC, home is not just where the day begins and ends, it is the primary place where safety is restored after the demands of school.
During the early weeks back, many children will need:
- Extra reassurance and predictability, particularly around routines and expectations. Keeping mornings consistent and naming what will happen next can help: “After school we’ll come home, have a snack, then have some quiet time.”
- Slower mornings and calmer evenings to reduce pressure on already stressed nervous systems. This might mean allowing extra time to get ready, fewer instructions first thing, and low-key evenings with familiar activities.
- Reduced expectations outside school hours, recognising that school itself may be taking all the child’s available energy. This might mean not jumping into extra-curricular activities straight away, allowing a bit more down time (tv or quiet games), etc.
- Explicit permission to be tired, overwhelmed, or unsettled, without fear of disappointment or consequences. Saying this out loud matters: “It’s okay to be tired – school takes a lot out of you”.
Simple, consistent practices make a powerful difference. Preparing clothes and school items the night before reduces morning stress. Talking through the school day step by step helps children anticipate what is coming and feel more in control. Acknowledging worries without rushing to “fix” them communicates safety:
“That sounds really hard. I’m glad you told me.”
Celebrating effort, getting out of bed, walking through the school gate, staying for part of the day, reinforces courage rather than performance.
After school, children and young people may need time to decompress before talking about their day. Some will want closeness and conversation; others will need quiet, movement, or solitude. Following the child’s lead, rather than demanding immediate explanations or homework completion, supports regulation and trust.
Most importantly, children and young people need to know that home remains a safe base, regardless of what happens at school. Whether the day was successful or difficult, carers send a powerful healing message when they communicate: You are safe here. You are valued and we will face tomorrow together.
That sense of safety at home is what allows children to gradually take risks, engage in learning, and build confidence in the wider world.
The role of schools in creating relational safety
Trauma-informed schools recognise that learning is fundamentally relational: children cannot engage effectively in academic tasks if they do not feel safe. For children and young people in OOHC, particularly those who have experienced adversity, neglect, or abuse, school environments can trigger stress responses that undermine attention, memory, and social engagement. Prioritising relational safety over compliance, especially during the first weeks of term, is therefore a critical strategy for supporting both wellbeing and learning outcomes.
Key trauma-responsive practices include:
- Predictable routines and clear expectations: Consistency reduces uncertainty and allows children to anticipate transitions and demands, supporting emotional regulation.
- Warm, attuned relationships with key adults: A reliable, responsive adult, whether a teacher, wellbeing officer, or support staff member, provides the relational foundation for learning and recovery.
- Flexible approaches to attendance and engagement: Recognising that stress, attachment needs, or developmental challenges may interfere with full participation, schools can offer gradual entry, breaks, or alternative pathways to engagement without punitive consequences.
- Safe spaces for regulation and withdrawal: Designated quiet areas or sensory rooms allow children to self-soothe and re-engage in learning at their own pace, reducing the risk of escalation.
- Strength-based, non-shaming language: Emphasising strengths, effort, and progress fosters self-efficacy and resilience, while avoiding language that labels, blames, or pathologises behaviour.
For children in OOHC, having at least one trusted adult within the school environment is often pivotal. This adult serves as a relational anchor, someone who can recognise early signs of dysregulation, provide reassurance, and facilitate adaptive coping strategies. Research and practice both indicate that such consistent, attuned support significantly increases the likelihood that children not only attend school but actively engage with learning, build peer relationships, and develop a sense of belonging.
Relational safety is not an optional enhancement; it is a prerequisite for learning. Schools that adopt trauma-informed approaches create environments in which children can move from mere survival towards curiosity, exploration, and achievement.
You’re not in this alone
Children and young people in out-of-home care do best when the adults around them work as a care team, rather than in isolation. Carers, educators, school wellbeing staff, caseworkers, and therapists each hold a different piece of the child’s story. When those pieces are brought together thoughtfully and respectfully, children experience greater consistency, safety, and support.
Collaboration is not about over-sharing or labelling children by their trauma histories. It is about ensuring that adults respond in aligned, predictable, and compassionate ways, particularly during high-stress transitions such as returning to school after a long break.
When information is shared well, it allows adults to understand:
- What helps this child feel safe and regulated
- Common triggers or stress points (e.g. transitions, loud environments, unstructured time)
- The child’s strengths, interests, and protective factors
- Early signs of overwhelm and what supports are effective
- How to hold expectations without escalating distress
This shared understanding reduces the likelihood that a child’s behaviour will be misunderstood or responded to inconsistently. For children who have experienced trauma, inconsistency can feel unsafe and reinforcing of past experiences where adults were unpredictable or punitive.
Collaboration is not about lowering expectations
A trauma-informed, collaborative approach does not mean lowering expectations or excusing behaviour. Instead, it means holding expectations within a framework of:
- Understanding how trauma impacts regulation, attention, and behaviour
- Flexibility in how expectations are met
- Support that matches the child’s developmental and emotional capacity
- A shared commitment to learning, growth, and accountability
High expectations held without understanding can overwhelm a child’s nervous system. Understanding without expectations can limit growth. Collaboration allows care teams to hold both.
What working together looks like in action?
Effective care team collaboration might look like:
- A carer letting the school know that mornings are currently difficult and asking for a gentle start
- A teacher alerting carers to signs of increasing fatigue or distress during the school day
- A caseworker advocating for temporary flexibility around attendance or workload
- A therapist providing guidance on regulation strategies that can be used consistently across settings
- All adults using similar language and responses to distress
For the child, this consistency sends a powerful message: The adults around you are working together. You are not managing this alone.
Hope, growth, and gentle progress
Despite the challenges, returning to school can also be a time of possibility. Schools can offer structure, positive relationships, opportunities for mastery, and moments of joy. Many children in OOHC care show extraordinary resilience, creativity, and determination.
Progress may be uneven. There will be setbacks. But healing is not linear and neither is learning. When we measure success not just by attendance or grades, but by felt safety, connection, and engagement, we begin to see real growth.
A final reflection
Getting back to school after the long summer holidays is not a simple restart for children and young people in OOHC who have experienced trauma and abuse. It is a vulnerable transition that requires patience, compassion, and collective responsibility.
When we slow down, listen deeply, and respond with care, we send a powerful message: You are safe. You matter and we will walk alongside you as you learn.
That message, repeated consistently over time, is what truly supports children not just to return to school, but to belong there.
