Frequently Asked Questions

Can you advise me about where I can get support to access funding for your
training?

 

You may be able to access funding to support you to embed programs linked to promoting the mental health and wellbeing of learners from a variety of sources.  These change and other funding streams occasionally become available. (If you hear of any please let us know so that we can update this page and keep other schools informed).

 

• ​Your local Bendigo Bank Community branches have regular funding grants.

• Local councils may have funding options to support nurture training.

• There are several philanthropic funding options available.

 

Useful information about Nurture International
Many of Nurture International’s educational programmes have CPD certification through the CPD Certification Service (UK only).
Nurture International is committed to providing high quality effective educational programmes to assist schools to embed an Inclusive Developmentally Led, Trauma Sensitive, Nurture Approach to enhance mental health, learning and achievement for all learners.
The Digital Developmental Portrait is a speedy and effective tool that can be used to empower parents to work in partnership with schools to identify and meet the developmental needs of their children.
Family Nurture empowers parents to support their children to develop the underpinning social and emotional skills needed for their children to be happy and successful in school. This programme will support you to close the gap between family income and educational achievement.

 

How can Nurture International help early learning settings/schools to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils?

 

Nurture International offers a variety of educational programmes linked to promoting emotional and academic growth including a Whole School Nurturing Approach for Learning

 

An annual subscription to the Digital Developmental Portrait (DDP) enables early learning settings/schools to:

• Promote learning.

• Track individual, group, class, and whole school progression.

• Provide evidence for SLT for analysis and improvement and sharing with.

• Gain value for money.

 

Training in analysis of data and using the DDP to engage motivate and enthuse learners in all areas the curriculum is also available.

 

>>Click Here<< to see what the DDP can offer your early learning setting/school.

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Nurture International’s educational programmes and the Digital Developmental Portrait support educational establishments to identify and meet, learner’s developmental needs.  Meeting developmental needs leads to improved mental health and wellbeing, enhanced learning, increased opportunities and reduces the risk of individuals becoming involved in crime.

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Nurture International’s six nurture principles for learning support schools to embed an Inclusive, Developmentally Led, Trauma Sensitive, Nurture Approach. The principles provide a framework for continued development to assist educational establishments to meet the developmental needs of all learners, within a graduated approach. This approach enables all earners to access the curriculum and enhances attainment and achievement for all.​

 

What is nurture?
To nurture means to facilitate an emotionally safe environment in which learners’ developmental needs can be met, emotional and academic growth is promoted, and learners can flourish.

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What is the history of nurture?
The first nurture group was set up in September 1971 as a response to services and schools struggling to meet the needs of what we would now call the ‘Windrush’ children. Nurture Groups, the brainchild of Marjorie Boxall set out to recreate children’s earliest experiences to support social and emotional development.

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What is an inclusive, developmentally led, trauma sensitive, nurture approach?
This approach blends the well-researched elements of nurture that increase effective practice with a neuro sequential approach. By using this approach participants feel confident to enhance learning by using the six nurture principles for learning to guide the implementation of relevant neuroscience within their own practice promoting both academic and emotional growth for all learners.

 

Developmentally led: It is important that we identify and meet learners developmental needs to promote academic and emotional growth. The Digital Developmental Portrait (DDP) will help teachers to recognise developmental needs
and support adaptive teaching. 

Trauma Sensitive: Creating an environment in which learners feel emotionally safe
and can access the healing process of their traumatic experiences.
Nurture Approach: The six nurture principles for learning offer a framework for development and guide you to develop a Developmentally Led, Trauma Sensitive, Nurture Approach.

‘The world has moved on! Research has moved on! We need to increase the
effectiveness of targeting and meeting developmental needs'. Sylvia Lucas 2021

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What has been the Impact of embedding this approach across the whole early learning setting/school?
Case studies demonstrate that this approach impacts positively on:
Learning, attainment, and achievement.
Wellbeing of learners and staff.
Behaviour and Attendance.
Parental Engagement.
Please see section of research for more information.

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What is the history of the six Nurture Principles for Learning?

The six nurture principles have evolved from Marjorie Boxall’s vision of the successful elements of a nurture group. In the centre of the diagram Marjorie’s words are captured:
Mother child relationship. ‘Be’ and ‘do’ as for your own young child.
Eye contact, Touch, Verbalisation, Smiling.
The Nurture Principles (Sylvia Lucas 2009) (Key Patron of Nurture International) are shown in the next circle in the diagram.
Sylvia encouraged Nurture International to update these principles in 2021 so that:
The principles were fit for purpose for both small group nurture interventions (Nurture Groups) and for embedding a

Whole School Nurture Approach for Learning.
These principles guide users to implement an inclusive, developmentally led, trauma sensitive, nurture approach for learning.

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What are the six Nurture Principles for Learning?

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Can I have a copy of the six nurture principles for learning for my school/classroom?

Nurture international would be happy to send you an electronic pdf of these principles. The principles are available in a variety of languages. Please select from English, Slovakian, Ukrainian, Icelandic or Welsh. (If you would like them in an alternative language, please contact us to arrange).

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Is it possible to access bespoke training and consultancy?
Yes of course. Please contact us and we can have an initial meeting. This may be virtual (online) or in person.

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If I wanted to conduct some research on the impact of your digital developmental portrait, or the six nurture principles for learning as part of my masters, would that be possible?
Absolutely. We would be very happy to help in any way we can.

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Are your courses CPD accredited (UK only)?
The courses below will soon be accredited, and we will update asap.

• Nurture Practitioner (Sylvia Lucas)

• The whole school nurture approach for learning

• Sensory

• Nurture interactions.

• Lego let’s talk. Building blocks for learning

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Do you offer support after your training has been completed?
Yes we do. We offer regular Nurture International Network Meetings that you can attend. Come along to meet others and find out any updates.

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How can the digital developmental portrait help me in my mainstream classroom/early learning setting?

Enhancing Learning
The Digital Developmental Portrait is a speedy and effective tool to support you to meet the developmental needs of learners. Offering strategies that you can put into your curriculum. We are very happy to offer you a free demonstration.

Don’t just remove barriers to learning, impact on neural development!

How many countries, schools and learners has the DDP supported?
216,200 Learners
7,200 Classes
564 Schools
To enhance learning and improve mental health within
10 countries

 

How does Nurture International support a graduated approach to Wellbeing?
Nurture International support schools to enhance academic and emotional growth for all, by supporting a graduated approach to Wellbeing, through a variety of educational programmes and The Digital Developmental Portrait.

 

What tools would you recommend to identify and meet, the developmental needs of learners?
We would recommend the Digital Developmental Portrait.

 

Why is the DDP unique?
1. Speedy, Effective and Value for money (Designed by teachers for teachers and we know how busy and broke you are!)
2. The DDP supports a graduated approach by enabling you to produce universal, targeted, and intensive portraits quickly.
3. The DDP also provides a full assessment profile (We recommend that this is only used for a small number of learners as it is too time consuming)! The workable, efficient, core DDP is sufficient for most learners and allows you to drill down deeper for most learners in each specific area of difficulty.
4. Gain valuable information about learners’ sensory needs and gain strategies to support.

5. Use the designated parental strategies to empower parents to work in partnership with you!
6. Triangulate your results with learner and parental inputs.

 

Can you suggest any resources that would be useful for us?
Sensory – Targeting sensory needs throughout the day is powerful! Find out how to target sensory needs – you will be surprised what resources you already have! Let us help you to identify them and put together regulation resources targeted towards the needs of your learners!
Small Group Nurture Provision:
The most powerful resource is staff. Please consider if our established, comprehensive, and effective Nurture Intervention programme can help you.
Every learner is different and will have different interests and different needs. Wherever possible learner interests and both developmental and curriculum needs should be considered.
We have asked many experienced Nurture Practitioners what their most used resources are, and these are some of their suggestions:
Furniture/Layout of the room:
Safe Space
Couch
Dining table
Kitchen area
Role play area
Worktable
Good size space
Access to the outdoor
Resources:
Basic toys including cars trains, dolls house, and Lego®
Puppets and teddies
Worry Monsters

Therapy dog 🐕 (We loved this suggestion too!) 

Worry bubbles

Play-Doh, sand, water, painting, puzzles, and games

Memory Sand Jars 

Giving out responsibilities is good for helping learners to gain a sense of belonging which is important for building self-esteem so don’t forget resources such as: 

Plants (To water) 

Fish Tank (To feed the fish) 

Books recommended by Nurture Practitioners 

The huge bag of worries – Virginia Ironside 

The invisible string - Patrice Kars 

Moppy Books (Various) Jane Asher and Gerald Scarfe 

Volcano in my tummy Elaine Whitehouse and Warwick Pudney 

Time to Talk - Alison Schroeder 

What to do when you worry too much – Dawn Huebner and Bonnie Matthews 

What to do when you dread your bed? – Dawn Huebner and Bonnie Matthews 

Lucy’s blue day - Christopher Duke and Federica Bartolini 

Worry monsters: A child’s guide to coping with their feelings - Summersdale Publishers (Author) 

Giraffe is left out - Sue Graves and Trevor Dunto 

How you feeling now?- Molly Potter and Sarah Jennings 

Eli’s Story: What Makes Me, ME! - Tracey Lear  

Try again time - Elizabeth Verdick 

When Cheetah makes good choices - Gemma Cary and Krishna Kumar 

Grandpa and the kingfisher  Anna Wilson and Sarah Massini 

Meesha makes friends - Tom Percival 

Ruby’s worry – Tom Percival (all Tom’s books are great) 

Incredible you -  Rhys Brisenden and Nathan Reed  

The perfect shelter Clare Helen Welsh and Åsa Gilland 

Shelter for sadness Anne Booth and David Litchfield 

Chicken Lickin – Various authors 

The worrysaurus -  Rachel Bright and Chris Chatterton  

Peter the picky polar bear -  Kieshia Chun  

All are welcome - Alexandra Penfold 

Don’t forget, Social Stories – Carol Grey. 

 

Is it important to meet sensory needs of learners? 

An estimated one in six people receive sensory information in a way that impacts negatively on their daily lives. 

ACES (Adverse Childhood Early Experiences) can impact on the way sensory information is processed and many learners who have experienced adversity have sensory needs. 

Please be aware that the Digital Developmental Portrait Sensory Portrait is not a tool to diagnose sensory needs. However, many people have found that it is exceptionally useful in matching up useful strategies to sensory needs. Teachers find it useful to try these strategies first and where appropriate show sensory specialists their findings and impact of the strategies used.  

 

Is there any research that illustrates the impact of nurture? 

HT_briefing_layoutvFINALvii.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk) 

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Attachment - Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (mft.nhs.uk) ​

 ‘The Impact and Cost effectiveness of Nurture Groups in Primary Schools in Northern Ireland’  ​

 ‘The effectiveness and rationale of the ‘nurture group’ approach’  

 ‘Results of the systematic review on nurture groups’ effectiveness’  

‘Nurture groups: a large-scale, controlled study of effects on development and academic attainment’  

 

Additional evidence: 

1. Research has consistently shown that targeted nurture groups are most effective when implemented within a culture of universal nurture (Lucas, 1999; Doyle, 2003; Aberdeenshire EPS, 2017).  

• Lucas, S. (1999). The nurturing school. The impact of nurture group principles and practice on the whole school. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 4(3), 14-19. 

• Doyle, R. (2003). Developing the nurturing school: Spreading nurture group principles and practice into mainstream classrooms. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 8, 252-266. 

• Aberdeenshire Educational Psychological Service. Nurture hubs in Aberdeenshire Evaluation report. http://asn-aberdeenshire.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Nurture-Hubs-in- 

Aberdeenshire-Evaluation-2017.pdf  

2. Effective teaching can significantly improve outcomes for children (Hattie, 2012). 

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximising impact on learning, London: Routledge. 

3. Dr. Eric Jensen, author of ‘Teaching with Poverty in Mind’ sums it up by saying ‘Not getting the opportunity to form solid attachments initiates a stream of long-term physiological, psychological and sociological consequences for children ….. no curriculum, instruction or assessment, however high quality, will succeed in a hostile social environment’.  

 

Have you any more questions? 

Nurture International is dedicated to promoting learning and achievement and mental health. We are happy to answer questions. Please contact us on: +61 0421702186 or email us.