Mrs L Palmer (Nurture Lead)
The Nurture groups are a daily intervention with the intent of meeting the emotional needs of a core group of very vulnerable young people within school. Currently, there are 6 members of staff, (two sites) including two specialist teachers as part of the Nurture team. The staff will form strong positive relationships, built on trust, true professionalism, and excellent communication skills. The staff bring a wealth of experience and skills to this challenging daily environment.
Following extensive Nurture training, we provide a carefully planned timetable of routines, developing emotional and physical well-being, communication, group play and behaviour. As Nurture UK training dictates, this is done with both affection and structure within a home-like atmosphere. Kindness and patience, with clear structure and boundaries are crucial.
Boxall Profiles will be completed 3 times within the academic year for pupils who are accessing the Nurture provision. Targets are set following the Boxall assessments, initially concentrating on listening, responding positively to teacher requests, focusing on set tasks, and better communication with peers. After time, the pupils will transition back to a formal classroom setting.
It is worth noting that the pupils accessing the nurture class may have experienced acute trauma, many ACEs, (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and may also have significant attachment issues, developmental trauma and learning difficulties. Time and patience are of the essence when monitoring and expecting progress. Progress may at times feel slow; however, this is to be expected due to the nature of the cohort.
Each child is seen and heard as an individual. Relationships and positive attachment are at the forefront of our work with the children. The experiences the child has had, from the womb to the present will be researched and understood by the adults working with the children. Every decision that is made regarding the child will be undertaken from a trauma informed approach. The professionals in the nurture department will understand that all behaviour is a message and will work tirelessly to put in place strategies to enable children to regulate, understand their behaviours and the reasons behind them, helping then on the path to emotional security.