Nurture at Blackthorn Primary school:

At Blackthorn Primary School we aim to equip each child with the social and emotional skills needed, to deal confidently and calmly with the trials and tribulations of life, for life.

The Woodland Room is a short-term Nurture group facility that supports 8-12 children by removing barriers to learning. Activities are well planned in response to the children’s needs in terms of their social and emotional wellbeing. We do this by providing learning experiences at a child’s developmental stage, with a focus on play, emotional literacy and social skills.

As the children learn academically and socially they develop confidence, become responsive to others, learn self-respect and take pride in behaving well and in achieving.

Who is The Woodland Room for?

‘Children whose social, emotional, behavioural and formal learning needs are not being met in their main class’ Boxall

The school’s pastoral team work with Nurture staff and class teachers and Boxall assessments are carried out.

Any of these might indicate a child who would benefit from the The Woodland Room:

• A child who is withdrawn and difficult to engage.
• A child whose behaviour is continually disruptive.
• An academic child who may not be emotionally secure.
• A child whose sense of wellbeing is poor and self-esteem is very low.
• A child who struggles to interact socially with adults and peers.
• A child who seeks attention constantly but is never satisfied.
• A child who is frequently late or absent.
• A child who hasn’t developed basic skills needed to function productively in their class- immature, poor concentration, poor organisational skills and communication skills

The 6 principles underpinning The Woodland Room:

• Children's learning is understood developmentally (this includes numeracy and English)
• The classroom offers a safe base (the day is clearly structured and adults are reliable, firm and consisten)
• The importance of nurture for the development of wellbeing
• Language is a vital means of communication
• All behaviour is communication (Boxall profiles are completed termly to track patterns in behaviour and better understand what a child is communicating)
• The importance of transition in children's lives (Nurture staff work alongside class teachers and parents during a child’s time in The Woodland Room)

Our timetable:

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