The Stories School Told Us: Healing Educational Wounds and Re-writing the Narrative

Who is it aimed at

This workshop is open to counsellors, psychotherapists, educators, practitioners and anyone with a personal or professional interest in educational experience and relational learning.

Course Outline

“When the child’s world is interrupted by the teacher, a rupture is created in which the child has the opportunity to turn up as their true self in relation to the world.” — Giles Barrow

Yet when education is shaped by rigid systems and hierarchies, many of us come to a painful realisation that perhaps we were never “good enough” to begin with. The very systems designed to support our growth can instead leave us carrying lifelong wounds.

Across generations, these educational wounds have become woven into the fabric of our culture. They have become normalised, rewarded and often unconsciously repeated in ways that uphold dominant narratives about success, intelligence, behaviour and belonging. Many of us have experienced this firsthand, whether as learners, educators, practitioners, leaders or parents. So, what role do we play in sustaining these patterns? And how might we begin to create something different?

This two-day workshop invites you to explore the lasting impact of your educational experiences and the unconscious beliefs, relational patterns and survival strategies that may have been shaped through learning environments. What messages did you absorb about who you needed to be in order to belong, succeed, be accepted or be valued? How have these messages shaped the way you show up in learning spaces today?

Together, we will also explore what it means to create a permission-rich learning environment - one that fosters authenticity, curiosity, relational safety and growth. We will examine how educational wounds can live on not only within us, but also in the spaces we facilitate, lead, teach in or participate in and how we can begin to ensure we are not unconsciously repeating the very behaviours, dynamics or systems that may have wounded us in the past.

Drawing on the work of educationalists, such as Kirsten Olson, combined with new and existing models of Transactional Analysis, this workshop offers space for deep reflection, meaningful dialogue and practical insight. Together, we will explore how to heal our relationship with learning and create environments where people can experience greater permission, connection and possibility.

This workshop will give you space to:

• Explore the long-term emotional and relational impact of your educational experiences

• Identify unconscious beliefs and survival strategies shaped through schooling

• Reflect on messages received about success, intelligence, belonging and worth

• Examine how educational wounds influence current relationships and facilitation styles

• Develop awareness of how systems and hierarchies are unconsciously reproduced

• Explore the principles of permission-rich learning environments

• Apply Transactional Analysis concepts to educational and relational dynamics

• Develop practices that foster authenticity, curiosity, safety and connection

Facilitator

Cat Cornthwaite, PTSTA (E), is an Educational Transactional Analyst based in High Peak, Derbyshire, with extensive experience in secondary education and teacher professional development across the UK and internationally. Cat advocates for more relational and transformative approaches to education and is a recognised voice in Educational TA theory. She is Physis Scotland’s Academic Student Support Advisor.