LWC Assists in Groundbreaking Research

Lord Wandsworth College was founded over a hundred years ago to provide an education for children who had lost the support of one or both parents.

Today, LWC continues this tradition of being at the forefront of pastoral care by contributing to a vital piece of research commissioned by the Royal National Children’s Springboard Foundation (RNCSF).

For the past two years, LWC has been one of eight schools selected for observation by a research project led by the University of Oxford’s Rees Centre.

The aim was to monitor the practice of attachment-aware, trauma-informed strategies carried out in both state and independent schools, with the hope of creating a set of guiding principles to shape the care of some of society’s most vulnerable children and their wider school communities.

Ali Henderson, CEO and Nick Owen, Chair of SpringBoard reflected, “This research has provided evidence of the practices that work, which we will use in our continued campaign to secure priority access for care-experienced children to the right school for them— whether boarding or day, independent or state.”

LWC adopts an attachment-aware and trauma-informed strategy; This offers a toolkit for understanding and responding to the emotional and developmental needs of students.

By prioritising relationships, emotional safety and an understanding of how trauma and attachment shape behaviour, this allows schools to create environments where children feel secure, valued, and ready to learn.

As the report released this week highlights, “Evidence demonstrates that these approaches improve behaviour, wellbeing, staff confidence and overall school culture.” In short, this benefits the entire LWC community.

We are honoured to have contributed to the final report, which can be read here.