Communication and Interaction Good communication and language skills are vital to a child’s development and emotional wellbeing. The team use a range of strategies including storytelling, verbal games and songs to engage the children’s attention. We encourage the children to express themselves through language and opportunities are provided for extending conversations and imaginative play. We work closely with other professionals to ensure any recommended interventions are carried out. Social, Emotional and Mental Health Interventions Our work will be directed by observation, assessment and the children’s interests. Your child may be collected from their class to work within the nurture room or we will join them in class to offer support. Often there is a combination of strategies/interventions used, ensuring your child receives a bespoke support package that best meets their needs. Learning and Cognition Several SEN Support Assistants are deployed across school to work with in-dividuals and groups to assist the children in their learning and use of work-ing memory. Staff also make good use of technology such as IPad apps to help children with specific learning difficulties.

Mrs Smith Mrs Smith is our family support worker and is available for parents at the start of the day when she supports the Nurture breakfast. She also works alongside the rest of the nurture team to plan and deliver a weekly ‘Parent Drop-In’ on a Friday afternoon.

The Nurture Group Aim:

‘To provide a carefully routine day, where there

is a balance of learning and teaching, affection

and structure within a home-like atmosphere’.

Skelton Primary School

Nurture Guide

2016/17

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Nurture groups are founded on evidence-based practices and offer a short-term, inclusive, focused intervention that works in the long term. All the work we do is based around the 6 principles of nurture: · Children’s learning is understood developmentally.

· The classroom offers a safe base.

· Nurture is important for the development of self-esteem.

· Language is understood as a vital means of communication.

· All behaviour is communication.

· Transitions are significant in the lives of children.

Our nurture room builds a bridge between home and school, providing a welcoming and warm environment. We have sofas, plenty of space and equipment for play, as well as books, work tables and computers.

The nurture room offers children a fantastic opportunity to learn life lessons in addition to their school work. As the children learn and grow, both academically and socially, they develop confidence and take pride in their achievements.

A nurture group can be anything from individual work to a small group of up to twelve children working within the nurture room or classroom. Children can access support from the nurture room for anything from a weekly slot to five times a week or simply drop in to see us on an ‘as and when needed’ basis. The nurture team will work closely with your child’s teachers to ensure continuity and support are in place and all support is tailored to the individual needs of the child. The nurture room supports your child in many ways: to develop at a pace that is right for them and to develop a pride in their learning and coming to school.

Mrs Currie Miss Currie is a SEN Support Teacher who champions Social, Emotional and Mental Health interventions within the school. She is a recognised key person for many of our children in school and will help the children to learn self- regulation activities they can use independently, as well as deliver group therapy

sessions helping them to be better friends, more resilient and able to express their emotions. Miss Currie runs the Nurture Intervention Group every morning teaching social and life skills.

Mrs Rowell Mrs Rowell is our champion for Communication and Interaction and a SEN Support Teacher with special regard to Autism. She works daily with the children in school ensuring their routines are clear, communicated through the use of a visual timetable and instructions from class-teachers are rephrased via outreach in class

when necessary. Mrs Rowell runs the 1 o’clock club daily where our children from across school meet to share strategies to help them in school and at home.

Mrs Foord Our champion for Communication and Interaction as a SEN Support teacher in Speech and Language is Mrs Foord. She works predominantly in the younger part of school implementing programmes suggested by our speech therapists and is able to communicate with the therapists on behalf of a parent if necessary. Mrs Foord oversees the BLAST programme which is given to all FS1

and used as an intervention further up school.

Mrs Carson

Mrs Carson is the Special Educational Needs Co-

ordinator for the school and has overall responsibility for

the planning, delivery and evaluation of all the

intervention programmes to support children in

Communication & Interaction, Cognition & Learning,

Social/Emotional & Mental Health and Physical &

Sensory special educational needs. At times, you will

need to meet with Mrs Carson to review your child’s

provision and she is always available to make an appointment should you need

to discuss an issue around assistance from external providers such as the speech

therapist, physiotherapist, CAMHS or specialist teaching service.

Mrs Hill

Mrs Hill is the Nurture Manager. She has overall

responsibility for the timetabling and choice of

intervention. She has a wealth of experience and is happy

to listen to concerns you may have around how your child

manages at home with their special educational need,

offering strategies, resources, support and guidance

The Nurture Team After School Clubs:

At Skelton Primary School, we offer nurture interventions at five key points in the day:

Nurture Morning Intervention Families are invited to bring their children into school from 8am to join us for breakfast. This gives you, our parents, chance to communicate any news or concerns you may have regarding your child both at school or at home. It provides a calm start to the day, with the opportunity to talk about any concerns/worries about the day ahead whilst sharing breakfast and practising social skills. It is also an opportunity for parents to access staff.

Nurture Interventions

Nurture Intervention and Snack Time Food is shared at snack time within a formal routine which is an ideal opportunity for social learning. The emphasis here is on turn taking, listening to others and getting a chance to be listened to.

Lunchtime Clubs A chance for age groups within the school to share a meal alongside key adults to discuss their news and concerns. Monday (KS2), Tuesday (KS1 and Y3-Y5), Wednesday (staff) Thursday (KS2), Friday (Y6 only). The Year 6 Transition lunch club on a Friday provides a fantastic opportunity to consider the trials and tribulations of moving to secondary school from September of Y6 onwards. We also invite key people from our secondary schools to be a part of this club.

After School Clubs: 1 O'clock Club 1 o’clock club is a chance for us to gather children diagnosed with Autism or those undergoing assessment, to ensure the afternoon session has been shared through a visual timetable. Self -supporting strategies are taught and practiced in an unthreatening and Autism friendly environment. The school engages support from Yvonne Clarke (Specialist Teaching Service) to both inform and train us in useful programmes and techniques such as ‘social stories’, ‘comic strip’ and PECS. We aim to meet the needs of any child on the autis-tic spectrum, ensuring they can access school. The children are giv-en the opportunity to meet daily to discuss any issues and possible solutions, learn through shared experiences and receive direct teaching on how to manage different situations. We work closely with teaching staff and parents to ensure strategies are in place to support the child within class and at home.

Safe Exit Some children leave via the nurture room to enable SEN Support staff to communicate ‘face to face’ as to how the child’s day has gone. Each group is run by two members of SEN Support staff. Children attend nurture groups but remain an active part of their main class group, spend appropriate times within the nurture group according to their need and typically return full time to their own class within two to four terms.