Restoring Education: Educators paving the way to radical change through relationship

In her timely new book Restoring Education, Louise Michelle Bombèr, founder of the UK’s leading specialist trauma service in schools, TouchBase, challenges us to rethink how we approach education.

She urges that we stop “doing school” the way we always have—creating rigid, trauma-inducing systems—and instead focus on fostering safety for all. She stresses that our priority should be to help both pupils and teachers feel steady and connected, ensuring that school is a place where relationships and understanding come first.

This book responds to the urgent need for change, acknowledging the growing mental health challenges faced by students, and the increasing stress among teachers, many of whom are leaving the profession.

Vulnerable pupils, especially those with relational trauma, often express their distress through challenging behaviours, which can lead to exclusion if their emotional and relational needs aren’t recognised and addressed.

This book offers an alternative vision, a realistic hope grounded in relationship-first practices calling on school leaders to model authentic leadership, create environments where staff feel safe, regulated, and well-resourced to, in turn, help pupils feel safe, build trust with adults, and experience co-regulation, which ultimately supports their learning.

Illustrated with practical examples, this book offers a vision of how schools can transform into spaces of safety and connection, where relationships are the foundation for learning, benefiting both pupils and staff.