NGN Newsletter

December2014

Contentsp2

We are really looking forward to the new NGN SummerSchool, 28-30th July 2015 at Warwick University. This willbe a great opportunity for so many of us to get together,look at new ideas and resources, share experiences, meetnew nurturing friends and catch up with old ones.

Emotional well-beingin schools

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We have to remember to be very careful not to take on the emotional baggage thatwe’re exposed to every day, and this Summer School offers you the chance tounwind among like-minded people, those who really understand what it’s like toteach our challenging children and young people.

The feedback that we’ve had at NGN from delegates at our regional and nationalconferences is that there just isn’t enough time in a day to get the most fromnetworking and sharing, so this is your chance. And if that isn’t enough, we have£100 bursaries to give away to the first 100 who book their place. It’s not all workand no play, included are two nights accommodation in en-suite rooms, abarbecue night and a more formal dinner, all your meals, use of Warwick’s fabulousleisure facilities and we’ll be providing yoga and relaxation sessions – time for a bitof nurture for you!

Over the three days you will be able to choose up to nine workshops (from aprogramme of 54, many of which are brand new!), three keynotes plus discussiongroups and social events. Roll on summer!

p4&5The First InternationalResearch Conferenceon Nurture inEducation

p6 New NGN courses

p7 Upcoming events

www.nurturegroups.org

Summer is coming!

Newsletter

The Nurture Group Network is pleased toannounce the Call ForPapers for the secondedition of the InternationalJournal for Nurture inEducation. Abstracts ofbetween 200-300 words canbe submitted and should bedirectly related to nurturegroups or nurture principles ineducation, exploring themes ofeffectiveness of nurture groups,neuroscience, school culture,school improvement, nurture ineducation, and relatedsubjects.Please contact Edurne for further [email protected]

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NGN-NEWSLETTER-NOV-2014-r_good.pNEWSLETTER 05/12/2014 09:15 Page 2

NGN research was included as part of the summaryof evidence and endorsed as ‘one of the most

effective means of supportingemotional needs of troubled

pupils at school’. Much ofthe following debate centredaround the need forteachers to be trained inattachment and emotionalwell-being techniques. As

I pointed out, just whatwe’ve been doing in nurture

groups since 1969.

Emotional well-beingin schoolsIn November, I had the pleasure of speakingat a reception in the House of Commons insupport of a paper submitted by theConsortium for Emotional Well Being inSchools (CEWBS). The CEWBS paper wantsGovernment to work towards accreditedtraining in children’s emotional developmentand attachment to be available to all andcame up with seven recommendations, mostof which NGN does already. The paper recommends: 1. Champion outstanding practice in schools;2. Widen the role of teacher training providers;3. Extend the role of virtual headteachers; 4. Create a national register of trainers; 5. Commission research; 6. Action by children’s organisations, and7. Additional role for Ofsted.

happening at NGN

p2HQ updateNGN continues to grow and part of this is welcoming Sophie Slater andMelisa Meakin to the team. Sophie is our new executive assistant and alsohelps with all our conference bookings. Sophie has a background inlinguistics and law but always knew she wanted to move into the educationsphere. Melisa is our publications and sales executive and brings lots ofoffice management experience to the Paisley office.

Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye to Judith Bitcon and LynneGriffiths in the Wigan office. Judith and Lynne are retiring this year after along career with NGN. They have been with NGN through some interestingtimes and have always rolled up their sleeves and got on with the job. Therewill be plenty of opportunity to thank Judith and Lynne for their commitmentto NGN but we couldn’t do an HQ update without saying a massiveTHANK YOU to both of them.

Awareness raisingin Norwich andLiverpoolWe had great success at ourNorwich conference on 26September. We kicked off theday with a few words fromCEO Kevin Kibble and NGN regional co-ordinator Jeni Barnacle and movedon to keynotes from NGN researcher Edurne Scott Loinaz, Danny Sweatmanfrom Aylsham High School and Dr Tina Rae. The NGN workshops were onsensory issues and nurture groups at secondary level, while Dr Raediscussed mindfulness in the nurture room and Gill Blackett, Sarah Youngand Suzanne Mason shared their experience of working towards the MarjorieBoxall Quality Mark Award. As part of his keynote, Danny brought Lydia andHarry along with him so they could share their stories and tell delegates howtheir nurture group completely changed things for both of them. They wereabsolutely fantastic speakers and there was a wonderful moment whereHarry said “putting me in Eagles [nurture group] was the best decision myparents and the school could have made for me.” A huge thank you to Harryand Lydia for joining us.

Our Liverpool conference was also a hit with a lot of people leaving happyand full of ideas for their nurture practice. Edurne shared her research resultsand Dr Tina Rae spoke on the importance of building resilience. They werejoined by Dr Vicky Booth who discussed the role of narrative in the nurturegroup. The staff from Wigan council joined us to provide workshops onhelping children deal with bereavement, maths in the nurture room and theRelax to Learn programme. Dr Rae provided delegates with useful strategiesand resources for using mindfulness in the nurture group and NGN trainingofficer Wendy Roden discussed the QMA.

We are touring the country to make sure everyone has access to theworkshops and keynotes so if you couldn’t make it to Norwich or Liverpool,please check our website to see where we are next.

Kevin Kibble Nurture Group Network Chief Executive

Danny, Harryand Lydia


Ginger’stravels If you are amember ofour Facebook page you might haveseen Ginger the bear on his ‘Amelie’style journey. The idea came fromLinda Carter who, after 14 yearsrunning Rainbow Group, wanted apiece of the group to carry on after itsadly closed. Linda gives the formernurture group regular updates onGinger’s travels. He is currently visitinga group in Wigan and will then be onthe move to Watford viaKidderminster. Keep checking ourFacebook group for Ginger updates.

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Afritwin and ‘Gangsta Granny’We recently came across agreat story from DartonCollege nurture group. Theyhave been running a projectcalled ‘Afritwin’ that linksschools in Africa and Yorkshirethrough reading. The learnershad been reading DavidWalliams' books that includetitles like Ratburger, GangstaGranny and Billionaire Boy andenjoyed it so much theywanted to tell him. To theirsurprise, David wrote backwith a signed picture and notethat said: “To all in NurtureClass, Keep reading! It’s goodfor you! David Walliams x”

Are your nurture groupsrunning any specialprogrammes at the moment?Are you doing anything youwould like to share with us? Ifso, please contact Kat in theLondon [email protected].

Learning About NurtureMaja KnudsenThose of us who work in the Oslo educational-psychologicalservices are very fortunate. Every couple of years our departmentarranges a study trip, where we visit other practitioners in our fieldto learn, find inspiration and see our own work from a new point ofview. This year's trip brought us to England, to the Nurture GroupNetwork, the nurture group schools in Enfield, and to the NurtureGroup Network's first international research conference. Our headof department had actually visited a nurture group once before,and spoke so warmly of her experiences there that we simply knewwe had to make this visit happen, and thankfully we did.

In Norway we face many challenges in our roles as educational-psychology practitioners, especially when working withdisadvantaged children, and attachment theory is one topic thathas recently come to the forefront of our minds. So when we firstlearned of the nurture groups and their six principles in workingwith children, especially children who have attachment difficultiesand poor levels of care in the home, we knew this would be agolden opportunity to see attachment theory at work in the field,incorporated into everyday school life. The fact that security,attachment and having a safe ‘home base’ is vital to children andto their learning is not new to us, far from it, but to incorporate thattype of work with an academic focus for the children is somethingwe really wanted to see more of. After all, it is so easy to overlookthe fact that children without a secure attachment and whosebasic needs for safety and care are not met probably will not beaccessible for learning.

So for us, reading about nurture group work was onething, but to actually see it being done is where the reallearning happened! The Nurture Group Networkconference was very exciting, informative and inspiring initself, especially getting to talk to other educational-psychology practitioners and hearing more about thechallenges they face and how they manage to overcomethem. However, seeing the nurture group teachers

actually working and interacting with the childrenin their groups during our school visits to Enfieldwas by far our favourite part of this trip.We were very inspired by how colourfulthe nurture group classrooms were! We may not have our own nurture groups here inNorway, but many of us have already begunincorporating the ideas behind nurture groups andthe six nurture group principles into our daily work.Some of us have found inspiration in the teacherswe observed, in the materials they used, and thesimple things they did, like starting every morningby talking about how the children feel, and haverelayed that inspiration on to the kindergarten andschool teachers we work with. Others have beguna trial project where they are establishing anurture-inspired "safe base" room at their schoolsfor one or two children who struggle withattachment and insecurity. Little by little, we areworking to put the importance of attachment,safety and care for academic and social learninghigher up on the agenda in our schools andkindergartens, and to the forefronts of our ownminds. We might not establish any actual nurturegroups just yet, but we hope to continue utilisingeverything we learned and experienced during ourvisit for the benefit of the children in our schoolsand kindergartens.

Nurture inJapanWe had the great fortuneof introducing a numberof Japanese delegates to nurture group practice at the London office in November. KevinKibble, Edurne Scott Loinaz and Helen Stollery presented research and nurture theory toProfessor Shinji Kurihara of Hiroshima University along with colleagues Professor TakayaKoyama of Doshisha University, Associate Professor Kenichi Kanayama of PrefecturalUniversity of Hiroshima, Associate Professor Ariko Kodama of Hirosaki University of Health andWelfare and Associate Professor Atsuko Takahashi of Waseda University, who are all part ofthe Japanese Peer Support Association. The group were keen to learn how nurture groupscan help address the issues that affect children and young people in Japan. Also joining themwere Professor Kurihara’s students Erino Mori, Haruka Miyamura, Nanami Kawasaki, MihoKabeya and Chisako Nakata. All the students took away lots of strategies and resources onhow to incorporate the six principles of nurture into their teaching practice.

We would like to thank them for joining us and also say ‘arigato gozaimasu’ to Hideo Katofor translating.



The First InternationalResearch Conference on Nurture in Education

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groups in Glasgow in 2009 by the University ofStrathclyde was the only controlled study toshow the impact of nurture groups onacademic attainment, but more studies areneeded in different areas of the UK. Large-scale, randomised trials with double-blindcontrols have more statistical rigour, he said.More research also needs to take place looking

Research is vital to get our message to government, Dr MarkTurner told delegates at The Nurture Group Network’s 1stInternational Research conference in October. “So far we have concentrated on evaluation in research,” he said, “and now we

need to go more towards exploration and explanation of how it works. It is so easyto justify this research as having meaning in the real world and it is clear that itmakes a real difference to people’s and children’s lives.’

Two key points that came out of the day’s sessions, both from speakers and fromdelegates, was that research into the effectiveness of nurture groups needs to bebetter quality. Existing research, while useful, has been to a large extent conductedwith small sample groups, which lack statistical strength. Other researchers notedthe lack of studies that have included the views of children in nurture groups. Bothare very important to produce evidence-based research that could ultimatelyinfluence government policy.

The one-day event heard keynote sessions from Professor Tom Billington of theUniversity of Sheffield, Dr Catherine Sebastian of Royal Holloway and ProfessorTommy Mackay of the University of Strathclyde.

Professor Billington conducted a small scale study in 2012 of the use of narrativein the evaluation of nurture groups. Three separate sessions using narrativemethodology were carried out with staff in each NG and themes emerged showing:the positive representations of children who might otherwise be perceived negativelyand ‘at risk’ from a number of factors; an emphasis on the value of establishinggood relationships with parents who would otherwise be alienated from schoolprocesses and expressions of dedication, commitment and the sheer enthusiasm ofNG staff for their work, the children and their parents. He said that narrativeapproaches particularly support nurture group practice, acknowledging theimportance of participation and ‘voice’. Telling experience as a story can provide themeans by which nurture group staff might make more sense of their ownexperiences and give them a way of helping children to make sense of theirs.

This can be helpful where there are concerns over the sustainability of the level ofcommitment of nurture group staff. It helps teachers to see the whole story, givesthem a point to refer to and to understand more deeply what they do.

Dr Catherine Sebastian, a neuroscientist from Royal Holloway, has beenconducting research into the socio-emotional processing of the adolescent brain,the results of which could well influence how we structure nurture groups insecondary schools. Adolescence is a time of change physically and emotionally, andis associated with increased emotional liability and risk taking, particularly in thepresence of peers. An adolescent brain, she said, could be described as a ‘fast carwith poor brakes’. She believes that there is now sufficient neuroimaging evidence toprove that neurodevelopmental factors are at play in antisocial behaviour, somepsychiatric and behavioural disorders.

There are a number of challenges facing nurture group research today, accordingto Professor Tommy Mackay in the day’s closing plenary. In existing research thereare methodological weaknesses with small samples, lack of controls, poor sampleselection and an absence of quantitative research. A large-scale study of nurture


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at situations when nurture groups are not feasible – forexample in rural schools and in places with low densitypopulations. Twenty per cent of primary schools in Scotlandhave fewer than 50 pupils, and there are more than 1,000 inEngland with a similar number. He told delegates that thenext steps in nurture group research are to develop acoherent model of practice for nurture in education withinwhich nurture groups are located, and to develop a research

agenda to map on to that model. He showed delegates a pyramidmodel for developing such a research agenda.The rest of the conference was divided into two themes. Theme 1, Effectiveness of Nurture Groups, looking at quantitativeresearch, nurture principles in secondary school and evidence-basedcomponents and practice in nurture groups. The sessions includedlooking at a ‘realistic evaluation’ framework for exploring factorsaffecting practice, an exploration of outcomes and mechanisms ofchange in part-time secondary school NGs and comparing nurturegroup provision to other well-established psychosocial interventions.Theme 2, looking at qualitative research of school culture andimprovement included sessions on parents’ and children’s perceptionsof nurture groups and the ways in which they impact on parent/childrelationships; whether relationships with nurture group teachers differfrom relationships children develop with their teachers in otherclassrooms, why we need to remember that nurture group children arehuman and an analysis of the qualities and characteristics of educatorswho nurture.

More than 60 people came to the conference, including delegatesfrom Norway, Canada and all four parts ofthe UK. Delegates said it was a great placeto share experiences with people whohave a common understanding of nurture.There was plenty of time for delegates tonetwork with others and Q&A sessionsgave the opportunity to have someimportant questions answered.

A number of the papers presented atthe conference will be included in TheNurture Group Network’s new journalwhich will be published for the first time inMay 2015. There was a call for papers forthe second issue, so if you have anyongoing research, please contact [email protected] for details.

NGN hopes the conference will becomean annual event to showcase the bestresearch on nurture from around the world.Watch this space for the details of theSecond International Research Conferenceon Nurture in Education.

Dr Mark Turner openingthe conference

NG+Nurture Groups

Other nurturingstructures

Nurturing schoolsand communities



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CoursesLEGO® and Nurture GroupsNGN training officer Angi Franklin recently travelled toBillund, Denmark to learn about the BuildToExpressmethod from LEGO®. BuildToExpress (BTE) encourages students to expresstheir thoughts and ideas on any topic by building symbolic modelswith LEGO® bricks. The method ensures a secure and non-judgemental process in which every student in the class gets the opportunity to be active,engaged and listened to. Delegates will have hands-on experience with BTE and will learnhow to create, develop and organise their own BTE processes to provide the nurturegroup with stimulating learning through creative thinking and self-expression.We are running this as a half-day course in 2015. See the website or contact us for more information.

MindfulnessA UK study published by the DfE found that pupil wellbeing predicted their lateracademic progression and engagement in school. Pupils with better emotionalwellbeing at age seven had a value-added key stage 2 score 2.46 points higherthan pupils with poorer emotional wellbeing.This practical half-day course is designed to support children within both the mainstreamclassroom context and within the nurture group setting. The key aim is to introduce andpractise mindfulness, which is an approach that increases children’s life skills by supportingthem in developing the ability to bothsoothe and calm themselves; to payattention to themselves in the world and tothink about and reflect on both theirrelationships.Delegates will receive a copy ofDr Tina Rae’s 60 Mindful Minutes.This is a half-day course and willstart in 2015. See the website or contact us for more information.

Managing Behaviour in aNurture GroupManaging Actual and PhysicalAggression (MAPA) is a course to helppractitioners to identify behavioursthat indicate an escalation towardsviolence and aggression, and takeappropriate measures to avoid and de-escalate risk behaviour. As children in the nurture group settle in,their unwanted behaviour may increaseuntil they feel genuinely safe, secure andbuild attachment relationships with the staffand peers. As staff, we have a duty of careto ensure the Care, Welfare, Safety andSecurity of everyone. This course identifiesthe skills needed to ensure that behaviouris managed in a positive and safe way forall concerned.

The key learning objectives for thiscourse are to:• Identify behaviour that indicates an

escalation toward aggressive and violent behaviour and take appropriate measures to avoid, decelerate and/or de-escalate crisis situations.

• Assess the level of risk associated with crisis behaviour and make appropriate decisions related to the management ofsuch risks.

• Manage risk behaviour using Disengagement skills.

• Identify the impact of crisis events and describe post-crisis responses which can be used for personal and organisational support and learning.

This is a BILD (British Institute ofLearning Disabilities) accredited,full-day course for nurture grouppractitioners.

Training is provided by Senior CPIInstructor and NGN Training Officer, AngiFranklin. Delegates will receive a MAPAworkbook, certificate and registration withthe Crisis Prevention Institute.

The Theory and Practice of Nurture Groups – AdvancedIt is evident upon reflection, that experienced, skilled nurture group practitionersare now in a position to develop their own knowledge in specific areas of theirpractice. This course will give those who have been running nurture group (for more than two years)the opportunities to address and advance further in their own areas of expertise within anurture group setting.

This two-day course will cover current context and challenges and give up to dateinformation in relation to: poverty, exclusion, mental health, working with parents,neuroscience and attachment theory. Delegates will revisit the six principles of nurturegroups and how they are applied in practice and future development for practice.

Delegates will revisit the 6 principles of nurture groups and how theyare applied in practice and future development for practice. See the website or contact us for more information.


Upcoming events

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Venue&date

Boxall Profile & Boxall Profile for Young People Nottingham 22 January 2015The Theory and Practice of Nurture Groups London 27/28 January and

3 March 2015Boxall Profile & Boxall Profile for Young People London 29 January 2015Boxall Profile & Boxall Profile for Young People Ashford 29 January 2015Boxall Profile & Boxall Profile for Young People Norwich 3 February 2015The Theory and Practice of Nurture Groups Liverpool 3/4 February and

17 March 2015Boxall Profile & Boxall Profile for Young People London 5 February 2015The Theory and Practice of Nurture Groups Cardiff 10/11 February and

12 March 2015Nurture Groups – why they matter Exeter 12 February 2015The Theory and Practice of Nurture Groups London 25/26 February and

28 April 2015Attachment Theory and Practical Strategies London 4 March 2015 Outstanding Nurture Groups & OFSTED/ESTYN/HMIE London 5 March 2015Outstanding Nurture Groups & OFSTED/ESTYN/HMIE Norwich 17 March 2015Outstanding Nurture Groups & OFSTED/ESTYN/HMIE Liverpool 8 March 2015National Nurture Conference Northern Ireland 26 March 2015Nurture Groups – why they matter Birmingham 16 April 2015The Theory and Practice of Nurture Groups Birmingham 6/7 May and

1 July 2015Outstanding Nurture Groups & OFSTED/ESTYN/HMIE Manchester 3 June 2015Assignment Re-registration Cheshire 24 June 2015Boxall Profile and Boxall Profile for Young People Manchester 24 June 2015



THE NURTURE GROUP NETWORKEXISTS TO PROMOTE THEDEVELOPMENT OF NURTUREGROUPS AND TO ENSURE THECONTINUING QUALITY OF THEIRDELIVERY THROUGH ACCREDITEDTRAINING PROGRAMMES,RESEARCH ON EFFECTIVEPRACTICE, RELEVANTPUBLICATIONS AND INFORMATIONEXCHANGE. ITS AIM IS TO MAKETHE NURTURE GROUP APPROACHAVAILABLE TO ALL PUPILS WHONEED IT AND ALSO TO ENSURETHAT THE CONNECTIONSBETWEEN LEARNING AND EARLYDEVELOPMENT ARE UNDERSTOODTHROUGHOUT EDUCATION.

Our Mission

Visit our website to download a membership form or call theMembership Office on 0141 280 0524National Office t 0203 475 8980 e [email protected] 18A Victoria Park Square, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PBTweet us! @nurturegroups

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