'Nurtured we Flourish'

As is central to our school vision, nurture is at the heart of all that we do at Harrietsham Church of England Primary School.  We strongly believe that children need to be nurtured - socially, emotionally and academically - in order for them to flourish.

Harrietsham Primary School is currently part of Nurture UK and we are working towards achieving our National Nurturing Schools Award.  Our aim is to achieve excellence in embedding a nurturing culture that responds to the social, emotional and mental health needs of our children, alongside their academic studies.

To find out more about Nurture UK, please click the link below:

Harrietsham's Whole School Approach to Nurture:

We strive to be a place of nurture for our children, our staff and our families; our school vision is centred around nurture and the relationships that we have with our children and their families are extremely important to us.  We believe that a whole school approach to nurture is the best way to support our children.

Children and young people can be faced with difficulties at school or at home which, as well as affecting their mental health, emotional well-being and social skills, can create barriers to learning. To unlock our children's true potential to allow them to flourish, we provide them with the support they need to feel safe at school, to be able to get along with other children, and to develop the confidence and resilience that they need to flourish both academically and in life.  

Our nurturing approach is underpinned by our whole school ethos - in the way that we greet the children in the morning, the way we speak to them, the way we approach behaviour management, the way we approach learning.  The approach is delivered through Quality First Teaching and it promotes healthy outcomes for children by responding to their emotional needs.  Through a nurturing educational approach, our children develop vital social skills which include developing confidence and self-respect, and learning to take pride in behaving well and in achieving their full potential.

We assess our children's social, emotional and mental health development using the Boxall Profile - this tool provides a precise picture of a child’s strengths, as well as any difficulties which could affect their learning.  We can then use these indicators to support our children in the areas that they need it.

To find out more about the Boxall Profile, please click the link below:

The Six Principles of Nurture:

The Nurturing Approach applied across our school follows 6 key principles:

1. Children’s Learning is Understood Developmentally:

We differentiate the curriculum according to the needs of our children.  We consider attainment levels but also recognise the children’s developmental progress through the Boxall Profile.  Our responses to our children are underpinned by non-judgemental and accepting attitudes.

2. The Classroom offers a Safe Base:

The organisation of our environment and our classroom management helps to reduce anxiety.  Classroom time is organised around predictable routines, supported visually where appropriate. Great attention is paid to detail; the adults are reliable and consistent in their approach to our children.

3. The importance of Nurture for the development of Wellbeing:

Nurture involves listening and responding.  Everything is verbalised - with an emphasis on the adults engaging with our children in reciprocal shared activities.  Our children respond to being valued and thought of as individuals - in practice this involves noticing and praising even the smallest of achievements.

4. Language is a vital means of Communication:

Language is more than a skill to be learnt, it is the way of putting feelings into words.  Children often ‘act out’ their feelings as they lack the vocabulary to ‘name’ how they feel.  We encourage informal opportunities for talking about and sharing our thoughts and feelings.  Words are used instead of actions to express feelings and opportunities are created for extended conversations or for encouraging imaginative play to understand the feelings of others.

5. All Behaviour is Communication:

This principle underlies the adult response to a child's challenging behaviour -  “Given what I know about this child, what are they trying to tell me?”  Understanding what a child is communicating through behaviour helps us to respond in a firm but non-punitive way.  If the child feels their behaviour is understood, it can help to diffuse difficult situations.

6. The importance of Transition in a child’s life:

We ensure that transitions are managed appropriately e.g. between home and school, between sessions, between working with different adults etc.  Changes in routine can be difficult for children and they need to be carefully managed with preparation and support.  We have additional support for children who find transitions particularly difficult.

Nurture groups at Harrietsham:

Specific nurture groups are run in our school by fully trained members of our Inclusion and Pastoral Team.  These groups are intensive, focused, short-term interventions for children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties which may make it harder for them to learn in a mainstream classroom.  These groups are an intervention which are put in place in conjunction with parents and there are specific targets that are worked towards with regular reviews.

The aim of our nurture groups is to replace missing early experiences by developing positive pupil relationships with both teachers and peers in a supportive environment.  Within our nurture groups, there is a special emphasis on language development and communication: nothing is taken for granted and everything is clearly explained by the staff, with the help of demonstrations and (where helpful) physical gestures. Pupils are given the time they need to both listen and be listened to. Nurture groups are also designed to give pupils vital opportunities for social learning – for example by encouraging them to share ‘snack time’ and to help other children in the group. 

To find out more about Nurture Groups, please click the link below: