This comprehensive four-part course offers a structured approach for educators, providing a deep understanding of the origins, context and fundamental principles guiding nurturing practices.
Upcoming course dates
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Our first Nurture Groups and Nurturing Schools Courses for the new academic year 2025/26 began in early September.
There are three courses during September and October. All of these are now fully booked.
We have now added an additonal fourth course in November.
Please see details below.
This course is now open for booking.To book, click: Book this course
Our Whole School Nurture Overviews are facilitated as face-to-face sessions and, usually, during Croke Park Hours. These sessions can be designed in two ways - according to the needs of your school.
(A) As an introduction to nurture practice for the whole staff, as you begin your nurture journey in your school.
(B) To explore spreading nurture practice across all classes and across the whole school.
Nurture Overviews can be of any length between 1 and 3 hours
Schools often join other local schools for these sessions, thus creating a nurturing community and developing collegiality and communities of practice.
These sessions can be combined with the Bespoke Nurture Consultations, in order to make the most of the facilitator's visit to your school on the day.
To enquire about one of these Nurture Overview Sessions, please email us at:
or
We would be happy to set up a call with you to discuss your school's requirements.
Our Bespoke Training Consultations are designed, in consultation with your school, to explore the possibilites for nurture practice in your school context and to support your school in developing your nurture practice.
Sessions can be with any combination of the following personnel: Nurture Teams, SEN Teams, SNA/ANA Teams or Leadership Teams.
Topics/areas covered during these sessions will be decided in consultation with your school and will be bespoke to your school.
These consultation sessions can be held during school hours, after school hours, during Croke Park Hours, or, if needed, online.
They can also be combined with Whole School Nurture Overviews, for all staff, to make the most of the facilitator's visit to your school on the day.
Schools can join together with colleagues from neighbouring schools, to make the most of these sessions and develop their collegial communities of practice.
To enquire about one of these Bespoke Nurture Consultations, please email us at:
or
We would be happy to set up a call with you to discuss your school's requirements.
Our Whole School Nurture and Wellbeing Programme is a whole-school approach that helps schools to embed a nurturing culture to enhance teaching and learning, ensure better participation and engagement in school life, and enhance the wellbeing of all students and staff. The Whole School Nurture and Wellbeing Programme can help schools develop a happier, more resilient and more successful school community.
- Children’s learning is understood developmentally ·
- The importance of nurture for the development of wellbeing
- All behaviour is communication
- The classroom offers a safe base
- Language is a vital means of communication
- The importance of transition in children’s lives
School staff are trained to focus on emotional needs and development as well as the academic learning of all pupils, and to embed the six principles of nurture throughout the policies and practices of a school. This enhances teaching and learning and promotes healthy outcomes for children, young people and the staff in the school.
Schools are supported in identifying children and young people who need additional, more focused support or interventions, such as to be part of a nurture group. Through whole-class assessments, overviews of nurture needs and challenges for class groups can be used for planning interventions and strategies across the school.
Through regular monitoring of the social, emotional and behavioural needs of all pupils, a whole-school nurturing approach to support the wellbeing of all students and staff, and targeted support interventions for those pupils who need it (Nurture Groups) can be developed.
The Whole School Nurture and Wellbeing programme takes place over a period of between one and two years (depending on the time commitment the school can give to it) and requires the commitment of both senior management and teaching staff. The training is offered to senior leaders and a core group of staff who will be the coordinating teacher/s. The programme can start at any time of the year.
This programme requires a two-year commitment during which each school will undertake a nurture/wellbeing audit of their school (contributing to the school’s required School Self-Evaluation Process on Wellbeing). Participants will coordinate the identification of challenges to teaching, learning, engagement and wellbeing of staff and students, and will plan towards addressing those challenges.
This programme works very successfully when schools cluster together and provide support and encouragement for each other (maximum of 5 schools in a cluster).
Our Nurturing Schools Team, comprised of facilitators who have vast experience of school leadership in Ireland, will be available throughout the programme to train, support, guide and advise.
To enquire about our Whole School Nurture and Wellbeing Programme, please email us at:
or
We would be happy to set up a call with you to discuss your school's requirements.
Our Nurture Communities of Practice / Support Groups will begin in January 2025.
These sessions will seek to bring together nurture teachers and SNAs/ANAs engaging in nurture practice, to share and learn together.