In this episode of Trauma Informed Conversations, host Jessica is joined by educator, researcher, and headteacher Nicola Lace to examine one of the most pressing challenges in modern education: school exclusions, suspensions, and the growing NEET/LEET population.
With over 18 years of experience across mainstream, specialist provision, and alternative provision (AP) settings, Nicola shares critical insights into why current mainstream structures often fail vulnerable young people. Together, they explore the shift from deficit-based discipline to relational, trauma-informed practices, the essential role of adult regulation and staff supervision, and the complex reality of alternative provision.
Key Topics Covered in This Episode:
- The Scale of the Exclusion Crisis: Unpacking the rise in suspensions, exclusions, off-site AP placements, isolation, and elective home education—and why the NEET count has reached 1 million in the UK.
- Relational Practice & Adult Regulation: Why regulated, emotionally available staff create safe environments, and how supervision and non-punitive frameworks prevent punitive escalation.
- The "Repair and Return" Myth: Addressing unrealistic expectations placed on AP settings and advocating for high academic aspiration alongside social prescribing and trust-building.
- Ethical Inclusion & Systemic Reforms: Exploring community cultural wealth, unconditional positive regard, intersectionality, and how upcoming educational reforms can better support neurodivergent and marginalized learners.
- A Journey of Hope: Nicola shares a powerful success story demonstrating how targeted coaching, diagnostic understanding, and consistent adult support transformed a young person's educational trajectory from exclusion to university.
Resource
- Pennacchia, J., & Thomson, P. (2016). Complementing the mainstream: An exploration of partnership work between complementary alternative provisions and mainstream schools. Pastoral Care in Education, 34(2), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/02643944.2016.1154094
Guest
Nicola Lace is an accomplished educational leader and researcher with over 18 years of dedicated experience across the education sector. Throughout her career, Nicola has held a wide range of roles - from classroom teacher to senior leadership and primary/secondary headship - with a primary focus on specialist provision, alternative provision (AP), Further Education, and SEND/NEET intervention. Currently transitioning into consultancy, training, and doctoral research, Nicola specialises in investigating the structural, social, and policy dynamics surrounding school exclusion, institutional belonging, and relational practice. She is a passionate advocate for replacing deficit-focused discipline with trauma-informed, non-punitive approaches, unconditional positive regard, and system-wide collaboration between mainstream schools and alternative provisions.
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