Nurture Group

Nurture Group takes place in the Nurture Room. The Nurture Room was purposefully set up for nurture in 2015.

Nurture group rooms are carefully arranged to include the best of both classroom and home furniture. They are designed to be warm and welcoming in order to provide a consistent, predictable and safe place for children. Nurture group rooms are set up to be a bridge between home and school or nursery, where missed learning opportunities are addressed according to the individual profile of needs. The Nurture Room is therefore set up with a table which is used for sharing meals as well as art work, a carpeted area for sharing books and games together, a kitchen area for easy preparation of tea-time snack and resources suitable for a variety of age ranges. The Nurture Room also has access to an outside area.

 

 

What is the purpose of Nurture Group and its Philosophy?

Nurture Group is a small class of pupils. Its composition is carefully well thought-out to create a balanced and functional group. The Nurture Group is part of the school’s Inclusion and Health and Well-being provision. Its purpose is to offer children opportunities to re-visit early learning skills and promote and support their social and emotional development. There is much research evidence that children’s learning is most effective when they have a sense of emotional well-being, good self-esteem and a feeling of belonging to their school community. The Nurture Room provides children with this opportunity and so helps to develop their maturity and resilience. The Nurture Room is a place of learning.

The philosophy of the Nurture Room is drawn from the principles established by the work of Marjorie Boxall and others, and exemplified by ‘The Nurture Group Network’ (www.nurturegroups.org).

The Nurture Group Principles:

• Children’s learning is understood  developmentally
• The classroom offers a safe base
• All behaviour is communication
• The importance of transition in children’s lives

• Has an adult/child ration of 1:3, and provides lots of opportunities for speaking and listening activities
• Builds a child’s self-esteem and confidence
• Builds skills for classroom learning
• Has crafts, games, a ‘mini-tea’ and more!
• Language is a vital means of communication

 

Before children attend nurture provision parents are informed by letter and requested to sign a permission slip.

 

Which children attend Nurture Group?                                                                                       

Children may attend sessions in the Nurture Group for specific reasons, for example:

• Friendship difficulties – keeping/making friends
• Quiet, shy, withdrawn
• Find it hard to listen to others or join in
• Disruptive towards others
• Find it hard to accept losing a game
• Find it hard to share and take turns
• Find it a bit difficult to settle into class
• Bullying
• Low self-esteem
• Poor relationships with adults in school
• Bereavement
• Family illness or break-up

 

How will Nurture Group help my child?  

Nurture Group will boost confidence and self-esteem and provide children with the extra help sometimes needed to improve social skills and independence for example:

-To join in

-To settle

-To listen

-To concentrate

-To share and take turns

-To accept losing a game

-To build up friendships with their classmates

-It gives them a chance and helps to encourage a more positive profile among their peers and members of staff.

 

Does this mean my child is naughty? 

No, these sessions are meant to help them manage situations and increase their skills to become more successful learners.

 

How long will my child be in Nurture Group for?                                                                                        

Children attend on a part-time basis for a period of 2-4 terms. However we ensure that the children do not miss special assemblies, guests in school, outings or anything else that may be different from the normal routine of the week.

 

Are parents/carers involved?      

We like to consider our door is always open and therefore welcome parent/carers to visit and join the sessions at any time. Special event invitations are sent out to join us for example; open afternoon, Mother’s Day Tea or simply for afternoon tea and a chat.

 

A session in Nurture Group

Children follow a structure and routine that is clear to both staff and children which includes group listening and speaking, work tasks, individual and shared play and social skills. The group runs on consistency, positive reinforcement and praise.

A typical session in the nurture room would include the following:

The children are collected from their classes after registration and brought to the nurture room.

The session starts with a check in and a discussion about feelings,  the children are invited to share any news that they might have and the agenda/targets are discussed so that they know exactly what to expect. The snack helper is then chosen, takes the register and when its snack time helps set the table. This is usually squash, water or milk with toast, biscuits, crumpets or a sandwich and a piece of fruit. .  The ‘snack’ time is at the heart of this practice when the children and adults sit together and share food and talk.