CPD COURSES
NURTURE GROUPS AND NURTURING SCHOOLS ONLINE COURSE
This course would be your starting point for engaging in nurture practice
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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Bookings for our Nurture Groups and Nurturing Schools Course in September 2024 and October 2024 will open on 24th June 2024.
This course is suitable for teachers, SNAs/ANAs, principals & other educators:
- Who wish to set up and run a nurture group/ nurture groups.
- Who wish to support students in engaging in learning and school life.
- Who wish to support students who need to ‘settle to learn’.
- Who wish to support 'at risk' students.
- Who want to adopt a more nurturing approach while working with students who have
social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, attachment difficulties, low self-confidence, low self-esteem, low resilience, high anxiety, self-regulation and/or self-expression difficulties.
Nurture Groups and Nurturing Schools - supporting all students to learn:
- The practicalities of setting up and running a nurture group – early years, primary and secondary
- Attachment theory and neuroscience and the practical applications in the classroom
- Child development and learning: the effects of missed early learning opportunities, loss, trauma and neglect on learning and behaviour
- Assessing students’ developmental difficulties, blocks to learning and devising practical strategies to support them.
- Developing the curriculum to promote students’ social, emotional and learning skills
- Developing a whole-school nurturing approach and promoting wellbeing
- Monitoring and evaluation through a research-proven, evidence-based, structured & planned approach.
Participants will attend 4 x 2-hour online sessions, with guided, self-directed learning between sessions.
For maximum benefit from the course, participants should try to have a copy of the following resources (which may already be in your school).
They are not compulsory, and you can benefit from our course without them, but they are recommended resources when engaging in nurture practice.
- A copy of the Boxall Profile Assessment (there is one in the back cover of the Boxall Profile Handbook)
- A copy of: The Boxall Profile Handbook (primary) or The Boxall Profile for Young People Handbook (post-primary)
- A copy of Beyond the Boxall Profile: Strategies and Resources (primary) or Beyond the Boxall Profile for Young People: Strategies and Resources (post-primary)
Whole School Nurture Overviews
(Croke Park Hours)
Facilitated as face-to-face sessions and, usually, during Croke Park Hours.
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.
Nurtre 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.
BESPOKE CONSULTATIONS FOR NURTURE TEAMS, SEN TEAMS, SNA/ANA TEAMS, LEADERSHIP TEAMS
Explore the possibilites for nurture practice in your school
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.
Whole School Nurture and Wellbeing Programme
This programme is suitable for all schools, primary and post primary, with or without a Nurture Room already.
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.
Nurture Support Groups / Communities of Practice
Bringing together nurture teachers and SNAs/ANAs engaging in nurture practice.
Our Nurture Support Groups / Communities of Practice will begin in the Summer Term 2024.
These sessions will seek to bring together nurture teachers and SNAs/ANAs engaging in nurture practice, to share and learn together.
Other Nurture Related CPD
We aim to provide nurture related CPD that is current and relevant, and that is, also, requested by our nurture colleagues.
Our next session will be held in the summer term, online. This session will be: Exploring the links between the Primary Language Curriculum and Nurture Practice.
Watch this space for news about this, and furture, sessions, and for the booking link.