“When you nurture people and add value to them

without expecting anything in return, they feel significant.”

John C Maxwell

At Riverhead Infants’ School, we are working very hard to raise awareness of the importance of Nurture.

Why is Nurture important?

• Nurture is so important in shaping a child’s social, emotional and behavioural development.
• A child’s early experience of being nurtured and developing an attachment with a caring adult affects all aspects of their future behaviour and development.

What does Nurture do?

• Helps us to develop our social and emotional skills
• Supports us as we grow
• Builds our resilience and makes us feel better about ourselves

We discuss the Six Principles of Nurture with the children regularly in class and in assemblies. Our aim is to embed them in our curriculum. They are as follows:

1. Our learning is understood developmentally

We are all individuals. We all learn in our own way and in our own time and that's ok.

2.The classroom offers a safe base

A classroom or school should be a safe space where we feel happy and valued.

3. The importance of nurture for the development of wellbeing

Looking after ourselves and other people makes us feel good in mind and body.

4. Language is a vital means of communication

Using words to talk about how we feel is important.

5. All behaviour is communication

It's not always easy to express how we feel in words. The way we behave towards other people says a lot about how we are feeling.

6. The importance of transition in our lives

Change happens all the time. It can be exciting but it can also be scary.

These Six Principles of Nurture have been adapted and are displayed in classrooms and throughout the school. Each classroom has a Nurture Nook which is a designated safe space in a classroom. A child can visit the Nurture Nook if they are feeling overwhelmed or upset, or just to manage their emotions. It will have a cosy atmosphere and children will have access to sensory-friendly items.

Nurture Groups:

We are very proud to offer Nurture Groups to give children the opportunity to re-visit early learning skills, and promote and support their social and emotional development. There is evidence that children’s learning is most effective when they have a sense of emotional well-being and positive self-esteem.

Our Nurture Groups take place in our Nurture Room called Treetops. Nurture groups offer a short term, focused intervention which addresses barriers to learning arising from social, emotional or behavioural difficulties, in an inclusive, supportive manner. The intervention will last for six  to twelve weeks.

In order to identify which children we think would benefit, each teacher will carry out a Boxall Profile Assessment on each child in their class. These assessments will identify any obstacles to learning which then allows for effective planning.

The Boxall Profile consists of two sections:

1. Developmental strands which describe different aspects of the pupil’s developmental process.
2. Diagnostic profile describing behaviours that inhibit or interfere with the pupil’s involvement in school.

We use this tool to assess the child’s need, plan the intervention and then measure the success of each child.

In schools, the practice of Nurture aims to develop positive relationships, clear boundaries and regular communication. At Riverhead Infants’ School, we believe that all our pupils, staff, parents and visitors should feel happy, safe and valued.

We believe effective teaching and learning cannot take place without effective relationships and positive behaviour.