Harris Middle school Nurture Group has now been running for two years with successful results. It is staffed by two specially trained teaching assistants who gained the qualified certificate from Cambridge University. For those who do not know what a nurture group is here some facts:

 Nurture groups were first set up in London in the Seventies by an educational psychologist, Marjorie Boxall.
 Nurture groups help children who present emotional and behavioural difficulties.
 Nurture groups provide a safe and nurturing learning environment where each child is valued, understood and has their emotional needs met appropriately.
 The staff offer a warm structured environment where children are encouraged to build their confidence and learn good behaviour.

Parents want the best for their child and having a child who has difficulties at school can be worrying and upsetting. Many parents who’s child have attended our nurture group have reported on the remarkable changes they have seen in their child during their time in the nurture group and not just at school but also at home.

 
The nurture group cater for 10 children, picked by careful assessment. They will spend part of their day in here for anything from a few months to a year, before returning full-time to the classroom. The timetable involves group discussions, literacy activities, building confidence skills, art and crafts, I.C.T., group work, cooking, and gym activities. In the nurture group the children have to prepare a snack and a drink each day. We have different things to eat like toast, crumpets, cereal, fruit and yogurts. The nurture group has it own room, here we have a reading and quiet area, kitchen area and a working area, this provide for the children a safe environment in which they can explore their own identity and personality.