Nurture is a professionally tested and well recognised way of relating to children. It is a
practice rather than a curriculum, and it helps learners develop vital social skills,
confidence and self-esteem. This allows learners to access learning.
The key concept of nurture focuses on social environments – who you are with and not
who you are born to. This has a significant influence on social and emotional skills,
wellbeing and behaviour.
We use the Six Principles of Nurture to ground our delivery. They are:
Safety
Our Nurture bases are designed to replicate a home environment as much as possible.
Students have their own cups in the kitchen area, everybody eats together around the
table, photographs of students are displayed, soft sofas and quiet areas are
available. Rules are consistent for everyone, and everyone is responsible for helping
others to stick to them. The space is protected, access is limited to the groups that work
there, and expectations of kindness are routinely upheld. The place is safe.
Well being
Student’s well being is a daily discussion, staff observe closely and students are
encouraged to share how they, and how others may be feeling. Help to identify emotions
and find words to articulate them is constantly on offer. Students are fed, allowed to rest,
select their own choice of activities when possible, and are accompanied in their choices
by staff. Demonstrations of care and nurturing are explicitly articulated so students can
understand what good care looks and feels like, and how they can receive and give it to
themselves and others.
Language
Activities often focus on finding a way to speak or explain ourselves, our feelings, our
relationships. Also, how to understand the actions of others and hopefully be able to
predict possible reactions within ourselves, and what we can do to choose different
responses.Also to actually practise new responses and receive feedback from staff and
peers on what we did well.
Behaviour
Often students present with behaviours that may be initially labelled as ‘disruptive’ or
‘naughty’. Working closely with our Trauma Informed Practice knowledge, practitioners
observe and seek to connect with the student rather than immediately correct the behaviour. Once relaxed and able to engage effectively, students respond to specific positive reinforcement modelled by staff to each other, to other students, and eventually between students themselves. Students are assessed through the year using the well established Boxall Profile Assessment Tool. This helps practitioners dig deeper into what behaviours may be communicating or presenting, and strategies to address this.
Learning
Practitioners understand the significance of our very early years as children, and the huge
impact on brain development that occurs then. Although presenting as a teenager, it is
very possible that the stages of social and emotional development from much younger
years may have been missed. These are often developed through play and caregiver
environments and relationships. Nurture seeks to fill those gaps using play, shared
experiences, and by support through gentle introductions to new things - such as tasting
an exotic fruit, trying a new place to visit like a theatre, or a new skill to practise like
playing chess. The aim is to provide for the developmental stage of the student whilst
appealing to their chronological age.
Transitions
Transitions for students can be very daunting. Young people have only had a limited time
in life to experience them and students can be left fearful of what to expect and if they are
capable of managing something new. Nurture practitioners explicitly articulate what they
are doing themselves to manage their daily experiences - talking aloud whilst actively
demonstrating actions and strategies, modelling with a co-worker, using words to express
feelings and self-talk. Students are actively engaged in discussing transitions and trying
or planning strategies to manage themselves. Importantly, Nurture practitioners remain
consistent in being the safe person, in the safe place that students can return to.
What we do in lessons
Lesson agendas are routine, displayed and consistent, every week includes at least one
Art activity, STEM activity, News or Current Affairs activity, Analysis of social situations
and emotions activity, and a group challenge to practise skills and strategies.
All lessons incorporate play and a shared snack or drink which students take shared
responsibility for . Rooms are well resourced with games, toys, and puzzles for
independent learning and options are available to work alone or in an even smaller group
with a practitioner. A programme of new experiences runs across the year from trying
new foods to trips out or even meeting new people.
Students have individual targets derived from the Boxall Assessment and over time learn
to review and evaluate themselves and each other against these. Practitioners formally
review these with following assessments and against other data from across the school.