What are Nurture groups?
Nurture groups have their origins in the 1970's when they emerged in London to cater for those children who were unable to access the curriculum, either due to late development or an inability to regulate their behaviour. The theory of nurture groups stems from the work of Bowlby, and his theories of attachment. Nurture groups are a separate classroom within the school in which children from any class who are having difficulty in the classroom can access the learning in a different form.

The nurture classroom is set up with furniture that would be found in many homes: a dining table and chairs, a kitchen area, a television, a sofa and resources suitable for a variety of age ranges.

In this room children learn through similar experiences to those that many experience at home: cooking, sharing a meal, watching television together. Children who join the nurture group are expected to work in this environment for no longer than four terms, after which they will be integrated back into their classroom on a fulltime basis.

They remain part of their class, and are present for registration, assemblies, PE, and end of school with their class. Although a nurture group is a very specific form of learning, the skills and theories behind the group are not exclusive to it. It is way of learning and an attitude that is carried through all the classes, and relates closely to the values on which the school is based.

This form of provision is also important in the issue of inclusion for those with special educational needs and behavioural difficulties. It is not a 'sin bin', and is not a way to exclude children from the classroom for being 'naughty'. Whilst the children are not physically present in the class throughout the day, they are still very much part of their class and join in with the whole class as often as is appropriate. It provides a haven for these children in which they can explore their relationships and behaviour, without the pressure of the expectations of the classroom. It also means that class teachers will have more time to focus on children whose needs might be overshadowed by these children when they are in the class.

Aims of the Tuckswood Nurture Group
Whilst we have identified some all encompassing aims for the nurture group, the aims for each child who is part of the group may be all or just one of these. These aims can be huge learning objectives for the children to come to terms with.

Through the nurture group, we aim:

• To provide a setting in which children feel at ease.
• To provide an environment which is predictable and which does not change without prior warning and discussion of consequences (as much as this is possible within a school!). Children are absolutely clear as to their routine and expectations. They understand that this is their group to which they belong. This is hugely important in building children's self esteem and their notion of themselves.
• To provide for children a safe environment in which they can explore their own identity and personality.
• To help children to regard themselves and their achievements in a positive way and eventually relate this to others.
• To help children feel secure and able to initiate activities purposefully.
• To enable children to experience and observe positive relationships between two or more adults and between adults and other children.
• To help children feel fully involved in, and part of the Tuckswood School community.
• To enable children to enjoy being at school.

The Nurture Classroom at Tuckswood
Our nurture classroom is situated centrally within the school, and is run by one nurture teacher. Each session has no more than six children in the group. These children will be a part of the group for as long as the nurture and class teachers involved feel is appropriate.

Why set up a nurture room?
This form of provision enables children to access learning at a developmental level that is appropriate to them. A range of equipment is available that the children would not necessarily encounter in their usual classroom. Although it is an educational resource, it has many home like elements which will be familiar to the children already, and so are an appropriate way in which to access the learning within school. The nurture group philosophy is embedded in our values as a school and a community, and elements of this approach are in use throughout the school, not only in the nurture classroom.

Who uses the nurture classroom?
The nurture classroom is available for children from all classes who are identified by their class teacher as requiring small group work that focuses on learning through more informal methods. Children are identified in Reception through their baseline assessment, and staff observations of the barriers to learning they face.

Children from year one to year three attend the classroom on certain afternoons, and these children are identified by discussion between class teachers who have had responsibility for that child during their time at the school.

The curriculum within a nurture classroom
Whilst it is important that children are working at their developmental level, it is also important that they are covering area of learning that they are expected to appropriate to their age. These points considered, children who spend time in this group will be working as much as possible to the learning objectives of their class, as much as they allow the needs for each child to be met. This will be done as practically and in as play based a way as possible, for all children.

Due to the nature of the difficulties some of these children have in the classroom, the emphasis is on 'having a go', and children have the option to do the more formal work. When children are beginning to reach their appropriate developmental age, they will begin to want to join in.

Monitoring children's progress within the group (assessment and record keeping)
The nurture teacher and class room teacher meet once a week formally for feedback on how the children are progressing in the group and in their classrooms, and meet informally at least once a day to discuss how that session went. When a child enters the group, a Boxall Profile is completed by the class teacher, and this is reviewed at the end of each term to give an indication of each child's progress in their overall development, their sense of self, and their attitudes to their work and others. Short confidential diaries will be kept for children for whom it is appropriate, in order to monitor patterns of behaviour. Skill progression tick sheets are completed for each child within the group once a week.

Involvement of parents in nurture work.
Nurture work at Tuckswood is seen to be a different way into learning objectives, and is treated as any other group work that children may be involved in. Parents will be informed if their child is identified as needing this provision, and it will be discussed in term of 'a part of the learning experience through small group work'. During the time that a child works in this group there will be an opportunity or parents to visit this group by invitation of the children.