Every intervention aligned
Therapy woven into learning
Morning & afternoon anchors
Connection before correction
At New Seeds Education, SEEDS is embedded into the fabric of the curriculum as our universal baseline — ensuring consistency, inclusion, and real-world application for every learner, every day.
Our proprietary SEEDS framework is integrated into daily practice, curriculum design, teaching approaches, and pastoral systems so learners are supported to engage, regulate, and make progress as part of normal college life — not as a bolt-on.
Where learner profiles require it, our Enhanced and Complex commissioning tiers layer additional clinical intensity — such as increased therapist hours, formal assessments, and clinical oversight — on top of the embedded model, rather than replacing it.
This page shows how the SEEDS model is delivered through our daily curriculum. For commissioning information including clinical oversight, qualifications, tariffs and referrals, visit our Local Authorities page.
For CommissionersEvery learner follows a structured therapeutic pathway through our curriculum, with progress measured at each stage.
Creating Safety & Security
Every learner needs to feel physically and emotionally safe before they can engage with learning.
Building Connection & Trust
Through attuned, relationship-based practice, we build genuine connections.
Developing Emotional Literacy
We explicitly teach emotional vocabulary, regulation strategies, and self-awareness.
Growing Skills & Resilience
With safety and regulation established, learners can focus on developing academic, social, and life skills.
Achieving & Transitioning
Success looks different for every learner. We celebrate progress and prepare for next steps.
What the SEEDS therapeutic model is designed to achieve for every learner
Support learners to feel safe, regulated, and emotionally secure
Promote emotional literacy, resilience, and self-regulation
Enable learners to access learning and make sustained progress
Reduce barriers to learning linked to trauma, anxiety, and unmet needs
Support Preparing for Adulthood outcomes
Ensure therapeutic strategies are consistently applied across the college day
SEEDS is not a bespoke construct — it is a clinically-literate, school-implementable integration of five of the most-cited developmental and trauma-science traditions. Commissioners can trace every element of our practice back to published, peer-reviewed research.
Bowlby · Ainsworth · Crittenden
Secure early relationships are the neurological substrate for learning. Every SEEDS touchpoint is structured around consistent key adults, predictable repair, and relational safety.
Key Works
Maps to SEEDS
S — Safe · E — Engaged
Stephen W. Porges
The autonomic nervous system dictates readiness to learn. We design sensory rhythms, co-regulation and 'neuroception of safety' cues into every lesson and transition.
Key Works
Maps to SEEDS
S — Safe · E — Empowered
Bruce D. Perry
Development is bottom-up: brainstem regulation precedes cortex-led learning. SEEDS sequences regulation → relating → reasoning, matching intervention to developmental readiness, not chronological age.
Key Works
Maps to SEEDS
E — Empowered · D — Developing
Bessel van der Kolk
Trauma lives in the body, not just the story. SEEDS includes somatic, creative and vocational routes to processing — movement, outdoor learning, hands-on pathways.
Key Works
Maps to SEEDS
D — Developing · S — Succeeding
Daniel J. Siegel
The mind is shaped in relationship. We build staff attunement through mind-sight, reflective function and 'name it to tame it' approaches across the college day.
Key Works
Maps to SEEDS
E — Engaged · D — Developing
Attachment · Polyvagal · NMT · Embodied Trauma · IPNB
Across Bowlby, Ainsworth, Porges, Perry, van der Kolk, Siegel
Theraplay, DDP, PACE, Zones, Nurture, Restorative, Sensory Integration, Trauma-Informed Schools
Fortnightly clinical supervision from our Therapeutic Consultant
For Commissioners & Panel Papers
A single-page A4 summary of the 5 research pillars, their lead citations, and how each maps to SEEDS stages — formatted for tender packs, annual reviews, and LA panel submissions.
SEEDS sits alongside other evidence-informed UK therapeutic school models. What is distinctive is the explicit integration with a 16–25 vocational curriculum and Preparing for Adulthood outcomes — bridging clinical practice with employability for the transition years.
Polyvagal Theory and the Neurosequential Model both tell us that regulation comes before learning. Our physical environment is the direct translation of that evidence — an intentionally low-arousal setting designed to keep nervous systems in the "ventral vagal" state where learning, relationship and growth happen.
Our provision specialises in supporting learners who benefit from reduced sensory load. The setting is intentionally structured to minimise sensory overload — making it particularly suited to learners with anxiety, autism, SEMH needs and trauma backgrounds who struggle in more dynamic, high-stimulation settings.
Max 8 learners · 1 teacher · 2 TAs per class, with sustained 1:1 capacity through the day.
Controlled noise, movement and crowding. Predictable routines and quiet transitions between lessons.
Dedicated SEL / regulation rooms, sensory breaks and access to outdoor space when arousal peaks.
Visual timetables, clear expectations and consistent adult presence across structured and unstructured time.
The low-arousal model supports improved emotional regulation, reduced anxiety, increased engagement in learning, and improved attendance for learners who struggle in high-stimulation settings.
The SEEDS model draws on established, evidence-based therapeutic frameworks, adapted and integrated to meet the unique needs of our learners.
Attachment-based play therapy
Jernberg & Booth (1999)
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy
Hughes (2007, 2017)
Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy
Hughes & Golding (2012)
Emotional self-regulation curriculum
Kuypers (2011)
Six Nurture Group principles
Boxall & Lucas (2010)
Relationship repair and social learning
Wachtel & Thorsborne (2013)
Sensory-processing informed practice
Ayres (1972, 2005)
Whole-school trauma response
UK Trauma Council (2022)
The SEEDS therapeutic model is underpinned by these evidence-based principles
Every adult in the college community is viewed as a therapeutic agent, supporting learners through attuned, responsive, and consistent practice.
Daily tutorials are a core element of the SEEDS therapeutic curriculum
Our timetable is intentionally designed to support regulation and engagement
Reduces cognitive and emotional overload
Opportunities for regulation and movement
Reduces anxiety and supports emotional security
Reduced timetable supports fatigue management
Transitions are treated as therapeutic moments and are supported through staff presence and consistent routines.
Therapeutic approaches are embedded into teaching and learning across all subjects. Staff consistently use:
This ensures learners are supported to remain regulated and engaged within lessons.
At New Seeds, therapeutic support isn't delivered in isolated sessions. It's embedded throughout the college day - in teaching, transitions, routines, and relationships.
Every staff member is trained as a therapeutic agent, ensuring consistent, attuned responses that reinforce safety and regulation. This whole-school approach is what makes the SEEDS model effective.
Therapeutic development through meaningful, real-life contexts
Life Skills and Enrichment sessions provide a structured environment for therapeutic development by supporting:
Vocational pathways provide therapeutic benefits through:
Vocational learning supports emotional engagement while building employability skills.
Our therapeutic model combines external clinical consultancy with on-site specialist practitioners, ensuring quality oversight and daily therapeutic support for every learner.
MA Psychotherapy, Theraplay Practitioner, DDP Level 1
Fortnightly clinical supervision and case consultation
NASENCO qualified, PGCert SEND, Team Teach trained
On-site specialist knowledge in complex SEND profiles
Level 4+ qualifications, ELSA trained
Delivering daily therapeutic interventions
Team Teach, Attachment Aware, Trauma-Informed
Whole-school therapeutic consistency
Fortnightly sessions with our therapeutic consultant to review cases, refine approaches, and ensure clinical best practice.
On-site therapeutic practitioners and trained staff deliver daily interventions guided by the SEEDS framework.
Additional consultant availability for complex cases, crisis response, and multi-agency coordination.
Where learners require additional support, targeted therapeutic strategies may be implemented:
These interventions are delivered through in-class strategies, small-group work, and staff modelling to minimise disruption to learning and promote generalisation.
All staff receive training in:
This ensures consistency of therapeutic practice across the school.
A structured, supportive space for co-regulation, emotional learning, and short-term regulation support
The SEL Room is an integral part of the SEEDS therapeutic curriculum and is used to support learners to return to learning in a regulated and purposeful way.
Important: The SEL Room is not used as a sanction, isolation room, or exclusionary space. Its purpose is to teach and reinforce emotional regulation strategies and support inclusion.
Use is always proportionate, time-limited, and guided by individual need.
A trained adult provides co-regulation, supports agreed regulation strategies, develops emotional literacy, and focuses on restoring readiness to learn.
Learners are taught to recognise their own emotional states, when to request support, and which strategies work for them — building independence over time.
Following use, learners reflect on triggers and strategies. Where appropriate, relational repair is facilitated with clear support for reintegration.
The impact of the SEEDS therapeutic curriculum is monitored through:
This information is used to review and refine practice and ensure continuous improvement.
