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The pupil participants did not appear to be guarded in their answers to the interview questions and provided a valuable range of data showing that young children are capable of meaningful responses. Their responses identified a number of key themes showing that they enjoyed the practical nature of the nurture group curriculum especially the food related activities, play based

learning, having a choice of activities and the spontaneity and fun that the nurture group curriculum offered. However, some older pupils felt they needed work similar to that in their mainstream classes and felt the curriculum in mathematics lacked rigour and challenge. Pupils appeared more confident in completing curriculum tasks and as a result any felt better about themselves and had an improved attitude to school as some pupils expressed their reluctance to attend prior to nurture group intervention. Pupils commented that they valued the co-operative nature of many activities thereby allowing them to interact with peers with some pupils building new friendships. As a result of shared activities, some pupils showed an empathetic response when observing peers struggling with curriculum tasks. All pupils expressed their fondness for the nurture group staff and enjoyed the calm and emotionally safe environment the nurture group room offered.

The parents identified greater levels of confidence in their children and

themselves. Parents cited examples of their children being more independent with improved levels of concentration and wanting to complete tasks such as homework by themselves with a number of parents noticing their child had greater motivation and an increased desire to learn. Parents felt very welcome and comfortable when attending the nurture group, especially those few

parents who were initially not happy that their child would be attending the group. They enjoyed the activity days provided and felt they had built a trusting relationship with the nurture group staff and were very appreciative of the time spent discussing their personal problems and the high level of

following their child’s nurture group intervention they were now more skilled at handling incidents of their child’s poor behaviour at home through asking for advice and observing how the staff handled various situations in the nurture room.

The staff discussed the challenges of setting up their nurture group that included the funding, finding an adequate space, setting up the room, timetabling and selecting the pupils. They emphasised the importance of planning the curriculum to allow opportunities for pupils to socialise and build confidence and self-esteem through shared activities. The nurture group staff ensured they modelled appropriate behaviour and scaffold learning by

contributing to the activities. Pupil transition to mainstream was a high priority for all staff and regular meetings were held to help ensure continuity of

practice. Staff were aware that part of their role was to support parents and make them welcome through inviting them to informal activities and creating an ‘open house’ for parents. The emotional support given to parents proved challenging at times for nurture group staff, especially as they did not want to take on the role of an untrained counsellor.

Observations

The observations in the nurture groups and mainstream classrooms identified some similarities but a number of differences. Both the nurture groups and mainstream classrooms had developed a positive culture where good behaviour and work was rewarded. Both environments had clear rules

displayed on the walls that were referred to during the sessions. In relation to the adult support although the ratio of adults to pupils was very different both

environments had two adults in a teaching or supporting role. Whereas in the nurture groups there was clear evidence that on a number of occasions the two adults worked co-operatively to model and scaffold learning, the adults in the mainstream classrooms worked independently. Interestingly, in the

mainstream classrooms the identity of the teacher and TA was clearly defined according to the roles they took in the lessons. However, in the nurture groups there was no clear division of roles so it would have been challenging to

identify who was the teacher or the TA.

In relation to the curriculum activities there was a much wider range of practical activities in the nurture group rooms that could be more difficult to manage in the classroom situation. There was clear evidence of joint planning between the nurture group and mainstream staff but the approaches to how similar activities were delivered was very different. This was exemplified by two observed lessons that taught phonics in the nurture group and a year two mainstream classroom. The mainstream classroom approach was planned as a small group activity led by a TA where pupils sat at table and worked with

photocopied worksheets and cards identifying letters and sounds whereas the nurture group took a more flexible and creative approach to cover the

same content using a skittles game in the school hall that was practical and appeared to be more fun. Planning in both environments covered relevant National Curriculum targets but the nurture group also included a number of scenarios to promote dialogue and develop relevant social skills through activities such as Circle Time (Mosley, 2003), snack time and collaborative activities to promote listening skills, sharing and turn taking.

Although the environments were very different, the key difference was the addition of a sofa in the nurture group rooms that seemed to act like a central social hub for relaxation, conversation and a quiet place to read. Also it was used as a facility for adults to talk with pupils on a one-to-one basis about any incident or poor behaviour that had arisen without having to leave the room, as was the case in the mainstream classroom.

Chapter 5

Discussion