The Relational Pathway to Engagement (RPE)
A framework for understanding the relational conditions that support children's wellbeing, belonging and engagement in learning.
Engagement in learning does not happen in isolation.
It grows from relational foundations.
The Relational Pathway to Engagement (RPE) 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 RPE?
The Relational Pathway to Engagement (RPE) was developed to help schools understand, support and evidence the relational conditions that underpin learning.
While schools are increasingly able to measure attendance, attainment and behaviour, the relational experiences that make engagement possible can be more difficult to identify and track.
The RPE provides a framework for understanding how children move towards engagement through a series of relational foundations, recognising that wellbeing, belonging and learning are deeply interconnected.
The Seven Relational Foundations
The Relational Pathway to Engagement identifies seven relational foundations that support children's ability to participate fully in school life and learning.
Safety → Connection → Trust → Regulation → Belonging → Identity → Engagement
These foundations reflect the relational journey through which children become safe enough, connected enough and regulated enough to engage in learning.
Understanding the Pathway
For many children, particularly those with social, emotional and mental health needs, engagement in learning rarely begins with the curriculum itself.
It develops through relational experiences that help children feel safe, understood and connected.
When children experience relational safety, they are more able to develop trust in adults and in the environment around them. From this foundation, they can begin to regulate emotions with support, develop a sense of belonging within the school community and build a positive identity as learners.
Over time, these relational foundations enable children to participate more fully in learning.
Understanding Relationships Through Multiple Lenses
The Relational Pathway to Engagement recognises that children's experiences of school are shaped by a range of interconnected relationships.
While the seven relational foundations remain constant, they may be expressed differently across different aspects of a child's experience.
The framework encourages adults to consider four key areas:
Relationship with Self - how children understand themselves, develop self-worth and build a positive sense of identity.
Relationship with Others - how children experience connection, trust and belonging within relationships with adults and peers.
Relationship with the Environment - how safe, predictable and welcoming children experience their school and wider learning environment to be.
Relationship with Learning - how children engage with challenge, participation, curiosity and their developing identity as learners.
By considering each of these areas, schools can develop a richer understanding of the factors that may be supporting or inhibiting engagement.
The Relational Impact Measure (RIM)
The Relational Impact Measure (RIM) sits within the Relational Pathway to Engagement framework.
It has been developed to gather and analyse relational perspectives from:
- Staff
- Parents and carers
- Pupils
The RIM is intentionally flexible and can be used in different ways depending on the needs of the child, school or service.
It may be used to:
- Create a relational snapshot at a particular point in time
- Explore similarities and differences between staff, parent and pupil perspectives
- Support consultation and planning
- Identify strengths and areas for development
- Measure relational change over time
- Evidence the impact of relational approaches and interventions
By bringing together multiple perspectives, the RIM helps schools develop a more balanced and nuanced understanding of a child's relational experience.
The measure is designed to support reflection, professional dialogue and practice development rather than provide a diagnostic assessment.
Further Reading
For a more detailed overview of the Relational Impact Measure (RIM), including its development, theoretical foundations and practical application, you can download the guide below.
Why it Matters
Relational progress is often visible long before academic progress.
A child who begins to trust an adult, seek support when distressed, feel part of their school community or develop confidence as a learner may be making significant progress, even if this is not yet reflected in attainment data.
The RPE and RIM were developed to help schools recognise, understand and evidence these important changes.
The framework may be particularly helpful when supporting children whose needs are not fully understood through attainment, behaviour or attendance data alone. This may include children experiencing social, emotional and mental health difficulties, emotional barriers to school attendance (EBSA), relational trauma, neurodivergence or significant life changes. By focusing on relational foundations rather than outcomes alone, schools can develop a deeper understanding of the factors influencing engagement.
Current Development
The Relational Pathway to Engagement (RPE) and Relational Impact Measure (RIM) are currently being piloted and refined through practice.
Further implementation guidance, practitioner resources and training materials are planned for future release.
Developed by Karen May, Relational SEMH Consultant
Get in Touch
If you are interested in learning more about the framework or discussing pilot opportunities, please get in touch to arrange an initial conversation.