Nurture Group

What is a Nurture group?

Nurture groups address the social, emotional and learning of individual pupils by providing the necessary help to remove barriers to learning.

There is much research evidence that children’s’ learning is at its most effective when they have a sense of emotional wellbeing, good self-esteem and a feeling of belonging to their school community.

Nurture group principles:

• Children’s learning is understood developmentally.
• The group offers a safe base.
• All behaviour is communication.
• The importance of transition in children’s lives.
• Builds a child’s self-esteem and confidence.
• Builds skills for classroom learning.
• To enjoy crafts, games, outdoor activities, snack time and much more.

Our aim is:

• To help children to be confident enough to join in and ‘have a go’.
• To help them settle.
• To enhance listening and concentration skills.
• To encourage and cement friendships with their peers.
• To experience and practice the development of positive relationships.
• To share and take turns.
• To accept losing a game.
• To build friendships with classmates resulting in the making of better learners.
• It gives opportunities to talk about and understand their own feelings.

Finally, it gives the children a chance and helps to encourage a more positive profile among their peers and members of staff.

Why might a child attend Nurture group?

The reasons why a child might attend a nurture group are varied. They can include low self-esteem issues – they may find it hard to listen to others or to join in with class discussions. Some pupils may be experiencing a family illness, break up or bereavement. It maybe that the pupil is quiet, shy and withdrawn and a smaller group of children will encourage them to make friends and maintain relationships. The intention of our Nurture group is to help boost self-confidence and self-regard. We also aim to provide children with the extra skills and independence needed on a day to day basis and in life.