At Riverside we believe all children should achieve their full potential through an inclusive and supportive approach. Our Nurture Group provides further opportunities for pupils to develop positive, secure relationships with teachers and peers in a supportive environment.

The Nurture Group aims to support our children to develop their self-esteem, confidence, and social skills. Within the group, there is a special emphasis on developing genuine and supportive relationships and pupils are given the time they need both to listen and be listened to. This work enhances relationships within their classroom and supports children to be in a ready-to-learn state.

Children are given opportunities to talk through and reflect upon any uncomfortable feelings. Children are given support to find ways to verbalise challenges they may face on a day-to-day basis and offered strategies to manage and cope with these. 

Implementation

• Children that would benefit from access to our Nurture Groups are identified by staff within our school.
• We work closely with parents, senior leaders, staff teaching teams and wider professionals so we are able to tailor support within the nurture group to provide the best outcomes for the pupils.
• Nurture involves active listening and response. There is an emphasis upon adults engaging with children in reciprocal shared activities such as reading and play.
• Nurture is a place where small achievements are praised, success is recognised and built upon. In addition, efforts will be recognised and emphasised during more challenging tasks, with a focus on how we can learn through practice, mistakes, and small steps.
• Children will access three sessions weekly.  This will be offered from one to four terms.
• It is important that every child maintains their sense of belonging to their usual class, and we therefore ensure that a child does not miss out on special outings, visitors or school events with their class peer group.

Measuring the Impact of Nurture

• Our aim is for children that access Nurture to view their time there as positive and for them to be present, happy and engaged when there.
• We value a student's voice, so the feedback we gather will feed into our provision.
• The impact of the work will be explored through seeking feedback from teachers, parents, carers, and external professionals.