Healing Classrooms
Want to make lasting change across your school? Here's how to become a Healing Classrooms Champion...
To ensure Healing Classrooms can really become embedded in schools across the UK and help teachers and students work in trauma-informed ways with refugee students, IRC UK launched its Healing Classrooms Champions programme in 2024 and is now recruiting on a rolling basis.
Apply here.
What is a Healing Classrooms Champion?
Healing Classrooms Champions are teachers, LSAs, SENDCOs, SLT members and other key staff within schools and councils who are willing to lead training for their peers. They will also act as a point of contact between staff and the IRC and help instill Healing Classrooms techniques and knowledge across each classroom and learning space in their school.
Actor and IRC ambassador Romola Garai visits the teachers at Bishop Luffa School in Chichester which has adopted the Healing Classrooms approach.
Photo: Scott Ramsey for the International Rescue Committee
What does this programme look like?
The programme includes a two-hour workshop learning how to lead effective training in your context. Following this workshop you will be expected to lead Healing Classrooms training for your colleagues or educators in your local area. To support you in this we will provide a package of materials including access to our PowerPoints, free printed handbooks, a digital trainer’s manual and more!
We also run quarterly meet-ups with new and past cohorts to discuss key issues, showcase brilliant projects and plan upcoming events. Past champions have excelled beyond our wildest expectations. Some have created university partnerships. Others have made it their mission to train every primary school in their area. All of our champions are taking meaningful steps to make their schools more respectful, safe and healing spaces for all students.
Susie Cooke is an Additional Language (EAL) Coordinator at Bishop Luffa which has adopted Healing Classrooms to help staff support refugee children.
Photo: Scott Ramsey for the International Rescue Committee
What will be expected of me?
- Have completed HC Basics or CPD Course
- Join four quarterly meet ups with IRC Education Officers and other HC Champions online
- Complete the trainer’s workshop (2 hours long) and review the trainer’s manual in your own time
- Lead HC Basics training for your colleagues, gaining staff feedback after the sessions to send to IRC
- Optional – work with our communications and digital team to share your story to be turned into newspaper articles, social media posts or online IRC articles and help support our advocacy work
- Optional – join us in the IRC office in London for events and meeting to help us evaluate our programming to ensure HC is as useful and sustainable as possible for UK educators
- Optional – ongoing 1-1 support from IRC on Teams, Zoom or via email
How do I sign up?
If you’re willing to commit to the above expectations and have checked with school leadership about allocating staff meeting time to lead HC sessions, please email HealingClassrooms.uk@rescue.org to register your interest. Please note we only allow one staff member per school. Healing Classrooms Champions is now recruiting on a rolling basis. To apply, click here.
