Supporting International New Arrival (INA) pupils requires a compassionate approach that recognises the impact of migration, stress, and trauma on mental health and wellbeing. This guidance offers practical strategies rooted in trauma-informed practice to help schools create safe, inclusive environments where INA pupils can feel connected, understood, and supported enabling them to function at their best emotionally, socially and academically. 

Defining key terms 

Wellbeing vs Mental Health

• Mental health is understood as a child or young person’s ability to manage emotions, cope with stress, and engage positively with learning and relationships. It includes both emotional resilience and psychological functioning.
• Wellbeing refers to the broader experience of feeling good, functioning well, and having a sense of purpose and connection. It encompasses happiness, life satisfaction, and the ability to thrive socially and emotionally

Trauma and Stress

• Stress is a physical response to challenging or demanding situations. While stress is a normal part of life, prolonged or intense stress can affect wellbeing and learning.
• Trauma is an emotional response to a deeply frightening or distressing event where a child feels their life or the lives of their loved ones was at serious risk. Trauma affects pupils memory, behaviour, learning and respond to future situations. 

Not all INA pupils will have experienced trauma, but all benefit from trauma-informed approaches. 

(Anna Freud Centre, n.d.)

The Impact of Migration on Wellbeing

• International new arrival (INA) pupils can experience many stressors when moving countries as outlined in the diagram below. Relocating is a major life transition. Even without prior trauma, it can be unsettling.
• Most children settle within 6–8 weeks with appropriate support.
• Watchful waiting allows time for natural adjustment before considering specialist intervention.
• Ongoing needs may emerge over time therefore ongoing monitoring of mental health and wellbeing is essential. You can assess wellbeing holistically through ongoing observation and tools such as the Young Minds Resilience Cards and support any non-verbal communication with visuals and emotion cards. Remember to avoid pressuring pupils to speak, just ensure they are provided with spaces they can be listened to if they wish to share. Don't force retelling or drawing of traumatic events as this can be retraumatising and don't pathologising normal adjustment time all pupils will need time to settle whether they have experienced trauma or not. 

The School’s Role in Supporting Wellbeing

Schools can provide a protective environment that supports the wellbeing of INA pupils, through:

• Providing safety and co-attunement
• Fostering belonging, identity, and resilience
• Supporting autonomy and future planning

These factors come from Dr. Gemma Carter’s Applied Trauma Responsive Classroom Model (ATRCM) (2023) which helps educators support students affected by trauma by building on Maslow’s idea that human motivation is driven by a hierarchy of needs, the ATRCM adapts this hierarchy to the classroom context, recognising that trauma can disrupt a pupil’s ability to progress through these levels. Her model guides school staff to scaffold support emphasising a bottom-up approach where school staff must first meet pupils basic safety needs before they can learn and thrive. Once pupils feel safe and secure, school staff can foster connection, belonging, self-esteem, autonomy, resilience and future planning. 

Dr Gemma Carter - Applied Trauma Responsive Classroom Model (2023)

School staff should aim to ensure the school environment supports these protective factors. Steps below can help you to address each layer of the model in your setting.  

Safety 

Promoting a sense of safety and ensuring pupils and families feel safe in school is the first and most important step in providing trauma responsive support. Often this involved helping new arrivals understand the systems so they feel reassuring and predictable.  

• Explain to pupils the rules, routines and roles of adults in keeping them safe. 
• Challenge misinformation, racism, and bullying. Focus on promoting community cohesion, resources from EqualiTeach - Faith in Us, Topical Talk - The media: information or influence, British Red Cross- Talking with children and young people about race and racism can support with this. 
• Share anti-racism and anti-bullying policies with the whole community. Making policies accessible by using simple language, visuals or ensuring they are in translatable formats on the school websites supports INA/EAL families. 
• Use clear, calm, and simple language when communicating safety. 
• Practice active listening and try to focus on validating their feelings rather than just providing reassurance.

Co-attunement and Connection - Building Relationships

Every interaction can be an intervention (Dr Karen Treisman) 

In the video below, Dr Karen Treisman explores how everyday interactions with children can be powerful when we emphases the importance of co-attunement. For INA pupils, who may feel overwhelmed or disconnected, these moments of genuine connection help build trust, safety, and a sense of belonging. The video highlights how everyday interactions and small, consistent gestures from school staff rather than taking pupils out to do interventions can have a lasting impact on a child’s wellbeing and emotional regulation, its not about doing more its about doing different. 

Research shows that relationships with adults are a very important factor in helping INA pupils settle (Kennedy & Kennedy, 2004). These relationships:

• Improve academic engagement (Suarez-Orozco, 2009)
• Support motivation and ambition (Madzive & Thondhala, 2017)
• Offer pastoral care and protection from bullying (Hastings, 2012)

Positive peer relationships are also a protective factor for INA pupils and play a vital role in:

• Language development: Interaction with peers accelerates English acquisition.
• Integration: Feeling part of a group helps pupils settle and feel accepted.
• Resilience: Supportive friendships can buffer stress and promote coping strategies.
• Mental health: Belonging and connection reduce feelings of isolation and anxiety.

(Jade Wang, 2023) 

However, difficulties in peer relationships such as bullying, discrimination, or racism can become additional sources of stress. Therefore it is important for schools to support positive relationships through initiatives such as buddy systems, group learning or encouraging extracurricular engagement. 

Affiliation, Belonging, Identity, Autonomy and Future Planning 

Recognising and celebrating the cultural identities of International New Arrival (INA) pupils is a powerful way to foster a sense of affiliation and belonging within the school community. When children see their culture, languages and traditions valued in the classroom, it validates their experiences and helps them feel safe, respected, and included. This sense of belonging is a core factor in supporting positive mental health and wellbeing, especially for INA pupils who will be navigating the emotional complexities of migration and adjustment. Schools can play a key role by embedding inclusive practices into everyday routines and curriculum.

Some strategies include:

• Creating opportunities for cultural sharing through classroom activities, assemblies, and themed events.
• Using identity-based tools such as “About Me” profiles, “Tree of Life” activities, identity mind maps  and resiliency cards to help pupils express who they are “It’s nice talking about things you like.” – Pupil voice from resilience card sort
• Displaying multilingual signage and resources to reflect the linguistic diversity of the school.
• Celebrating religious and cultural festivals to promote understanding and respect.
• Celebrate pupils strengths, dreams and aspirations. 

By actively affirming identity, schools not only support emotional wellbeing but also strengthen peer relationships, increase engagement, and build resilience. When pupils feel proud of who they are and know they belong, they are more likely to thrive both socially and academically.

Resilience and Coping Skills

Pupils might not have the words to describe what is happening or how they are feeling. As adults we can observe their behaviour to try and understand how to help them. 

Trauma can affect a pupils memory, ability to regulate their emotions and behavioural responses which can have an impact on their learning and social interactions. Children often communicate emotional distress through behaviour and staff can use the Window of Tolerance when observing behavior to better understand when pupils may be dysregulated and need support.

[Image Source]

Childhood Trauma, War and Conflict (UKTC)

This powerful video from the UK Trauma Council shows how sensory input can trigger strong and overwhelming emotional memories in response to a sight, a sound, touch or a smell, pupils experience the same intensity of emotion as they experienced during the traumatic experience. 

When these sudden emotional memories happen pupils are likely to feel out of control and confused. The Dan Siegel (n.d) "Flip Your Lid" model is a helpful way of helping pupils to understand their brains response to trauma. It also helps them to understand that this is a healthy and adaptive response to feeling unsafe and introduced the idea of the body and bring working together to help them to feel calm again. 

Supporting regulation - The 4 Rs

To support children who have experienced trauma it is helpful to follow a very specific structure. Bruce Perry (2000) describes the 3r's essential for regulation; regulate, relate, reason. This approach has been further adapted by Education Scotland to include a 4th R, repair. The 4 r's can be mapped onto Dr Gemma Carters Applied Trauma Responsive Classroom Model discussed earlier. Each step must be completed before moving onto the next, starting with regulate. 

1. Regulate (Bruce Perry, 2000), (Tina Rae, 2023)

Regulation is the foundation of trauma-informed support. Before children can engage in learning or social interaction, they must feel emotionally and physically safe. For INA pupils, who may be experiencing heightened stress or dysregulation due to trauma or transition, co-regulation with a trusted adult is essential. This involves modelling calm behaviours, offering sensory tools, and creating predictable environments that help pupils return to their Window of Tolerance.

Key strategies:

• Create safe, calm spaces with consistent routines and visual supports.
• Use co-regulation techniques that the pupil likes, for example:
  • Box breathing
  • Fidget tools
  • Sensory play
  • Movement breaks
• Validate emotions by listening and feeding back how you think the pupil is feeling 

2. Relate (Bruce Perry, 2000)

Once a child feels physically safe, the next step is emotional connection. Relating is about building trust and showing empathy, especially when a child is dysregulated. Connection helps calm the nervous system and lays the foundation for learning and behavioural change.

Key strategies:

• Connect before correcting, prioritise relationship over punishing behaviour.
• Use validating language to acknowledge emotions (not the behaviour).
• Stay consistent, even after challenging behaviour.
• Offer reflective questions such as “I’m wondering if it feels hard to concentrate right now?”, “I’m wondering if you are still feeling overwhelmed and might want a movement break?”. 

3. Reason (Bruce Perry, 2000)

Reasoning can only happen once a child is calm and regulated. This is when the "thinking brain" is online and ready to learn. It’s the time to teach emotional literacy, problem-solving, and coping strategies.

Key strategies:

• Use visuals, stories, and simple language to explain emotions and behaviour.
• Help children understand their brain-body connection which can help them to feel less afraid (e.g. Flip Your Lid model).
• Normalise emotional responses as adaptive, not “bad” or “broken.”
• Support children in developing safe ways to express emotions.

4. Repair (Education Scotland, n.d)

Repair is about restoring relationships and rebuilding trust after conflict or emotional dysregulation. It helps pupils to feel supported and able to reflect on their actions, understand impact, and take steps toward resolution. 

Key strategies:

• Avoid “all or nothing” thinking but helping pupils to focus on repairing relationships, rebuilding trust and opening lines of communication again.
• Use guided reflection questions:
  • What happened (including thoughts and feelings)?
  • How have others been affected?
  • What needs to happen now to fix things?
  • How can we help them to repair the situation?
• Reinforce routines and connection to help children re-engage with learning.

Creating a trauma-informed environment for International New Arrival (INA) pupils is not a one-off intervention it’s an ongoing commitment to empathy, safety, and connection. By understanding the impact of trauma, recognising the importance of wellbeing, and applying practical strategies such as co-regulation, relational support, and inclusive practices, schools can make a meaningful difference in the lives of INA pupils and their families.

To support your next steps, we’ve compiled some helpful resources:

• Refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for practical guidance on common challenges.
• Click here to see some actions which may help schools to develop their trauma informed practice to support INA pupils and families.
• Utalise the Applied Trauma Responsive Classroom Model (Dr Jemma Carter) in your classroom
  • ATRCM Framework
  • The ATRCM observation and planning schedule
• Complete the Young Minds Resilience Card Sort with pupils. 
  • Primary Pack (PDF)
  • Secondary Pack (PDF)
• Reach out to specialist/therapeutic support if needed 
  • Mental Health Foundation – Educational Films for Mental Wellbeing
  • Yaran Northwest – Therapeutic Support Services
  • Hong Kong Well – Mental Health Support for Hong Kong Migrants
  • Winston’s Wish – Bereavement Support for Children and Young People
  • Barnardo’s Helplines – Therapeutic Support and Virtual Youth Space