Student report: students with trauma at risk of turning to violence, says expert

College students with trauma need support to prevent them from turning to violence, Polly Harrow, Assistant Principal, Kirklees College, told delegates at the Association of Colleges Annual Conference and Exhibition.

Harrow, who is the country’s first FE student support champion, highlighted research from the Open University’s 2020 Youth Violence Commission Report which linked youth violence and trauma.

She urged colleges to think carefully about how to support students at risk and change their attitudes toward learning. Harrow said that by giving students a safe learning environment, colleges could help them process and deal with their unwanted feelings.

Harrow said that “a remarkable portion of young people who commit violence has been excluded from mainstream education” and warned that putting children in isolation and suspension is close to putting them into a prison-like environment. She said that can do more damage than intended, with this practice shaping rage against teachers.

She also suggested that social media and untreated trauma impact student's mental health which can soon lead to youth violence, creating damaging links to their mental health and lead them to a life of crime.

Ruby Hedden is studying UAL creative media production: Extended Diploma in journalism at Exeter College. She was reporting from the Association of Colleges Annual Conference and Exhibition.