The Relational Foundations Framework (RFF)
A whole-setting framework for relational practice, inclusion and engagement.
Engagement in learning does not happen in isolation.
It grows from relational foundations.
The Relational Foundations Framework (RFF) was developed by Karen May, Relational SEMH Consultant, to help schools understand and evidence the relational foundations that underpin engagement in learning.
What is the RFF?
The Relational Foundations Framework (RFF) helps schools and other settings create the conditions for children and young people to feel safe, belong and take a meaningful part in learning. It brings an attachment-aware, trauma-informed and neurodiversity-informed approach to classroom practice, staff relationships and leadership decisions.
The children who taught me....
The framework grew out of more than two decades of working directly with children and young people. Theory helped me make sense of what I was seeing, but it was the children who taught me where to look. A pupil might take part readily with one adult and struggle to join in elsewhere. A change in the room, the pace or who was alongside them could change what felt possible.
Those experiences shaped a question I still come back to. What is it like to be this child here, and what could we change around them?
This work first took shape as the Relational Pathway to Engagement (RPE) and the original Relational Impact Measure (RIM). The name Relational Foundations Framework reflects how the foundations overlap and influence one another. RIM 360 builds on the original measure by making it easier to explore different perspectives alongside comments and context.
Seven interconnected relational foundations...
- Safety – feeling secure enough to be present, connect and learn
- Connection – feeling noticed, understood and responded to in relationships
- Trust – learning through experience that others will be reliable and available when needed
- Regulation – having support to navigate emotional, physical and sensory experiences
- Belonging – feeling accepted and valued as part of a community, with room to be yourself
- Identity – developing a sense of who you are and feeling recognised for your strengths, interests, values and individuality
- Engagement – being meaningfully involved in ways that connect with your needs, interests, strengths and sense of purpose
Each foundation can support the others. A shared interest might help a pupil connect with someone they later feel able to ask for help. A quieter space might make it easier to join in and get to know others.
Four ways to look at a pupil's experience...
The seven foundations can be experienced differently depending on a pupil’s relationships with:
- Self – how they see themselves and what helps them feel valued for who they are.
- Others – how they experience connection, trust and belonging with adults and peers.
- Their environment – how safe, predictable and welcoming different spaces and routines feel.
- Learning – what sparks their curiosity, helps them take part and builds their confidence as a learner.
A pupil might feel confident in one lesson and struggle to join in during another. Looking at who is there, how the space feels and what the task asks of them can help us understand what makes the difference.
What this looks like across a setting...
The RFF gives staff a shared language for reflecting on everyday experiences such as arrival, transitions, classroom participation and what happens after a difficult moment. It also asks leaders to consider the conditions adults work in. Can staff ask for help, raise a concern and reflect together on a decision? Do routines, spaces and expectations work for pupils with different sensory and communication needs?
For many children and families, school is where they first turn when things become difficult. While a child is waiting for specialist advice, staff are already making decisions about how to support them through the school day. The RFF and its resources give staff practical ways to think through what they can change now – who greets a pupil in the morning, how they move between lessons or where they can go for help when things feel overwhelming.
The framework can also help schools connect spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC) with pupils’ everyday experiences, including opportunities for reflection, curiosity and contribution.
RIM 360 – understanding an individual pupil’s experience...
The Relational Impact Measure (RIM 360) brings together the perspectives of a child or young person, their family or significant adults and the staff who know them. It uses the seven foundations to help practitioners explore what is going well, where experiences differ and what might help.
How you use RIM 360 depends on what you want to understand. You might use it to:
- Build a one-off snapshot of how a pupil is experiencing school at a particular point in time.
- Inform a consultation or plan support by exploring strengths, barriers and where the pupil, family and staff see things differently.
- Review change over time by returning to those perspectives after an agreed period of support.
Ratings sit alongside comments, the pupil’s own words and information about the context. A pupil beginning to seek help from a trusted adult, for example, may be making meaningful progress before that change shows up in attendance or attainment.
Schools can use RIM 360 on its own for targeted work, use the RFF for whole-setting development or use them together.
The practitioner handbook....
The practitioner handbook explores the theory behind each foundation, what adults might notice and what they can do across the setting, in the classroom and when supporting an individual pupil. It also looks at how each foundation can be explored through RIM 360. The content for all seven foundations is in place, and the wider handbook and implementation guidance are in development.
Get in touch....
If you’d like to explore how the RFF, RIM 360 or both could support your setting, get in touch for an introductory conversation.