Trauma-Informed Education and Learning
- For those young people not currently in a mainstream school until they are ready to rejoin. (Our teachers help identify suitable schools for each individual and support this transition.)
- For those young people who are in a mainstream school who may benefit from additional support.
As well as 1:1 and small groups focused on teaching, we also provide afterschool clubs including a Homework Club, social club and cookery club run by our teachers with additional input from our other Therapeutic Support Team colleagues. Each year, our teachers also develop and facilitate a ‘holiday period activity programme’ which includes activities and visits to places of interest to widen the cultural and educational experiences of our young people.
We also recognise that a mainstream educational setting, while appropriate for some, will not benefit all young people in achieving their full academic potential. We have registered with ASDAN, a charitable Organisation (Reg.Charity No.1066927) which formally recognises young people’s success in a wide range of skills.
Our teachers work with the young people in our service to help develop their literacy, numeracy, other academic skills, and practical skills. However, our experience is that many of the young people in Ashdale Care find school and learning very challenging for reasons other than academic or learning difficulties. Often, it is the social, emotional and behavioural issues due to their experiences of developmental trauma that most impact the success of many of our young people when they are attending mainstream school. Our teachers are all specially trained in working with those who have experienced developmental trauma, and provide specialised support and teaching to our young people, focusing on the development of social competence and skills to make them more likely to succeed in mainstream school and in the wider community.
Ashdale Learning Hub
Ashdale Learning Hub is located in Monaghan and consists of a spacious, dedicated building and outdoor area that provides a range of educational and therapeutic support services.
The facility consists of two purpose-designed classrooms, a dedicated Art Therapy Room, two Sensory Regulation spaces, a Multi-Purpose Creative Activity room, an indoor Social Activity room and Individual Therapy spaces. In addition, there is an extensive garden and playground area that has play equipment, games areas and other recreation and leisure activities.
The goal of the Ashdale Learning Hub is to provide a welcoming, highly-structured ‘belonging’ space for the young people living in Ashdale Care. Here, they can come and experience learning and education, engage in various shared-group activities, learn adaptive skills and develop social contacts and friendships in a structured, safe, supportive, trauma-informed environment.
While not a replacement for mainstream school, Ashdale Learning Hub (Lakehouse) is intended to provide both a ‘school-like’ environment that gives our young people a classroom/small group experience and also a therapeutic environment, where all our staff provide trauma informed, attachment-oriented support. This will be particularly suitable for young people who find mainstream school or everyday social environments very challenging, or whose complex presentations make it difficult for them to succeed in mainstream school and in
community-based social environments.
In addition to the educational focus, ALH also provides various therapeutic inputs from our in-house Therapeutic Support Team (TST) which includes Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Teachers and Art Therapists. They offer both 1:1 and group therapeutic interventions to provide support to the young people who attend ALH.
By providing high-levels of support, fun and engagement and creating a therapeutically-informed, well-managed educational and social environment, Ashdale Learning Hub (Lakehouse) aims to supplement the therapeutic support already being provided by our Social Care staff in our homes with additional educational and therapeutic supports designed to foster our young people’s intellectual, social, emotional, relational and behavioural development. This will assist them on their journey towards resilience and recovery and help them reach their full potential.
Outdoor Education – Ashdale’s Forest School
Programs are long-term, ideally spanning a full school year, to foster a community of learners who co-create group agreements, build trust, and learn through play and nature. They develop skills in risk assessment, problem-solving, cooperation, tool use, creativity, confidence, self-esteem, and critical thinking.
Forest School operates year-round in all weather conditions except high winds. Leaders are trained in outdoor first aid, vetted for working with children, and committed to positive environmental impact, including litter picking and woodland management. Programs can be tailored for various groups, such as schools, home-school networks, at-risk groups, and funded projects.
Six principles underpin Ashdale’s Forest School:
Long-term, regular visits with continuous planning and review.
Uses learner-centered processes to create a community for development and learning.
Supports learners in taking appropriate risks.
Conducted in natural environments to build a connection with nature.
Aims to develop resilient, confident, independent, and creative learners.
Run by qualified leaders who maintain and develop their practice.
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Reintroduce to school
Many of the young people who attend Lakehouse for education have been out of school for long periods. This can have very significant impacts on their development. Our approach in Lakehouse is to provide an environment that is less demanding than a typical school classroom (we generally have a maximum of 3 students in a group). This makes it possible to focus on the development of the social emotional and behavioural skills that make success in a mainstream classroom more likely. We aim to have as many young people as possible prepared for re-introduction to school as soon as
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Social Emotional and Behavioural Competence
Many of the young people who attend Lakehouse for education have been out of school for long periods. This can have very significant impacts on their development. Our approach in Lakehouse is to provide an environment that is less demanding than a typical school classroom (we generally have a maximum of 3 students in a group). This makes it possible to focus on the development of the social emotional and behavioural skills that make success in a mainstream classroom more likely. We aim to have as many young people as possible prepared for re-introduction to school as soon as
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Literacy and Numeracy
Many of the young people who attend Lakehouse for education have been out of school for long periods. This can have very significant impacts on their development. Our approach in Lakehouse is to provide an environment that is less demanding than a typical school classroom (we generally have a maximum of 3 students in a group). This makes it possible to focus on the development of the social emotional and behavioural skills that make success in a mainstream classroom more likely. We aim to have as many young people as possible prepared for re-introduction to school as soon as
Our commitment to quality
Discover our dedication in action. Download our Quality Report and explore how we uphold excellence in every aspect of our compassionate service to children and young people.
