Group size – For small groups from 2 to 8 children (with school TA support if needed).
Timings – Minimum 2 hour sessions, however other programme timings can be explored to fit into the school timetable.
Duration – Minimum 9 week programme, or long term/ ongoing programmes will have more impact. Taster sessions are available.
Location – School grounds, community space, our private woodland.
The Nurture Group is similar to the Early Intervention groups, but with a Forest School approach and aimed at primary aged children.
The programme aims to give selected individuals an opportunity to gain more time, space and attention away from the distractions of the classroom. The programme will involve student led outdoor sessions capturing the calming effect of the natural environment. Activities will be nature based including woodland crafts, environmental art, team building challenges, games, ecological studies and self-guided play.
Individuals will develop social skills and learn new practical skills which ultimately will help them grow in confidence, self-esteem and self-reliance. The small group will help create a safe space where each person’s needs are supported. There will also be opportunities for self-reflection in order to expand self-awareness.
The overarching objective is for the children’s emotional well-being to grow whilst building resilience. This will be through achieving numerous small, but realistic challenges giving them the skills to be better able to deal with unpredictable events at school, and life in general.
Monitoring learning and progression – We have developed our own system of daily reporting where students are assessed on their Effort, Behaviour, Engagement and Support for Others. These indicators are marked on a scale of 0 – 4, which when totalled will give an overall grade for their day. These scores can be tabulated and plotted on a graph to show overall trends, strengths or areas for improvement.
Reporting – Individual reporting takes place at the end of each session, with future plans always being shared with the school before the next session takes place.
What they’re saying…
“We are truly delighted with our children’s response to our outdoor Nurture Group. It’s supporting our school improvement work on developing emotional resilience and we’ve seen a positive impact after just a few weeks. The current group are a wide ranging bunch with a variety of fragilities. The pupil evaluations are really affirming and the children gained a lot in a short space of time. I am convinced by this way of working and we look forward to the next group’s development”.
– Liz Burton, Headteacher, Saint Mary and Saint John Primary School.
“For the past six years In Our Element have delivered high quality Nurture Group programmes for our children. Their bespoke sessions have been tailored to the unique needs of our children and we are very pleased with the lasting impact they have had. In a number of cases, In Our Element’s support has had a profound impact in improving children’s attitudes to school.”
– Chris Williams, Deputy Head, Saint Mary and Saint John Primary School.