What is nurture?
It's easy to use the word nurture in education, but what actually is it? Nurture is a holistic approach which focuses on social environments and the influence this has on social, emotional, and mental health, well-being, and behaviour. (Nurture UK)
Nurture in Plymouth Primary Nurture concentrates on supporting children to thrive through positive relationships with adults and peers, professional love, bespoke educational packages, and support for family and school staff.
The 6 Principles of Nurture at Plymouth Primary Nurture
Children's learning is understood developmentally
As part of the pre-assessment PPN staff will ask to see some of the child's work. This enables staff to plan for the child individually and ensure their bespoke academic package is targeted at their academic ability. However we are also acutely aware of the child’s developmental ability (‘stage not age’) and plan our activities around this. Academic work set at the children's ability allows them to achieve, develop their self esteem and feel a sense of pride in their work, helping them to develop a love for learning and a hunger for challenge. Staff use 'in-the-moment' planning and reflective practice to make sure children's learning needs are being met fully. STEM topics provide the ‘hook’ into learning that our children need.
The classroom offers a safe base
The PPN centres are secure settings. Children are made to feel comfortable and safe in our centres with trusted adults, a calm environment, and a respectful atmosphere. With a high adult to child ratio, children feel safe with the adults and their peers and feel free to explore the challenging areas of themselves and their lives. Staff are able to help the children to find ways to regulate their emotions and behaviour in this safe place. Our adults provide consistent role modelling to support this.
The importance of nurture for the development of well-being
We understand that delivering a nurturing environment and trusted emotionally available adults who are able to provide children with professional love is important to improve children's well-being and mental health. We use therapeutic interventions, play, and sensory activities in our safe and calm environments to ensure our children are happy and content. Shared moments and opportunities that may have been missed in early childhood develop well-being and we help children to access these opportunities.
Language is a vital means of communication
PPN staff are highly trained and are always aware of their verbal and body language when communicating with children. We use scripted intervention and careful de-escalation strategies in a non-shaming way to support our children when they become dys-regulated. Adults are consistent in using praise and respectful language to model positive behaviour and relationships. We understand that all behaviour is communication and actively seek ways to help children to develop their emotional literacy and lessen their extreme behaviours. In addition to this stakeholders often comment about the development in children’s speech and language whilst being in our communication rich settings.
All behaviour is communication
We understand that all behaviour is communication and actively seek ways to help children to develop their emotional literacy and lessen their extreme behaviours. We use strategies and trial methods of communicating to find a pathway for every child to be able to effectively communicate their thoughts, feelings, and needs. We don't get angry when a child becomes angry, we de-escalate their behaviour and work with them to find the cause. Restorative conversations help to make a plan to restore and rebuild relationships after an escalation in behaviour. Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy (PACE, Dan Hughes) allows us to be curious about our children whilst offering an empathic response.
The importance of transition in children's lives
Transitions are a big part of a child's life. We respect this and are careful about the transitions to, at, and from PPN centres. Prior to a child's placement they will visit their PPN centre with their parent/carer(s) to see where they we be going and who will be there. Social stories help with bigger transitions whilst at their PPN centre, and staff will ensure smaller transitions from activity changes to home-time are as smooth as possible and children are prepared for each change. Children receive visits from their home school to continue to develop relationships. Following their PPN placement when the child returns to their mainstream school, PPN staff will provide a detailed re-integration meeting, CPD for the mainstream school staff, and an SENTA will visit the child in their school for 1 hour 30 minutes across three days to ensure the return to school is as smooth as possible.
