1. Halton Nurture Group Network Meeting
Friday 1st July

2. Agenda NGN update Selecting the children for the group
Planning and resources
Parental engagement
AOB: What do you want to include in future sessions?

3. NGN Update
NGN Summer School July 25th- 28th
For those schools interested in setting up, Yvonne will provide whole school training
Secondary, EY maintained and special Nurturing Schools 26th- 27th September and 28th- 29th September
Theory and Practice Course Part 1 – 31st January & 1st February 2017 Part 2 – 7th March 2017

4. Primary
Secondary
Friday 7th October 9.30am venue TBC
Friday 11th November 9.30am venue TBC
Friday 11th November 1pm venue TBC
Friday 3rd January 9.30am venue TBC
Friday 3rd January 1pm venue TBC
Friday 7th April 9.30am venue TBC
Friday 7th April 1pm venue TBC
Friday 23rd June 9.30am venue TBC
Friday 23rd June 1pm venue TBC

5. Deciding on the children
Families where there are no seriously limiting or distorting factors , but for different reasons there is clearly long-term stress in the home.
Children who have experienced or are experiencing loss of a key relationship or trauma. Desolation of primary attachment.
Consider the needs of the group as a whole, and the level of their stability.
Need to balance children who present as ‘aggressive.’
Nurture Groups in School: Principles and Practice

6. Selecting children for the group
Nurture was seen as being most effective when there was a balance between children with ‘externalising’ and ‘internalising’ behaviours.
It can be most effective for internalising children with low levels of self-esteem and confidence
Readiness for nurture?
there was a perception that certain children didn’t respond well to nurture provision when they are not ready for it (see example in Chapter 1). There was a concern to ensure that children are ready for provision in order for it to have impact.
NG Lancaster Report
Relatedly, the Head in Setting 3 suggested that the quieter more internalised children tended to be easily missed when the focus of staff attention was on the behaviour of children who presented the greatest disruptive challenges in school. There was also an awareness of the gender composition of NG groups although a preponderance of boys was evident across all the settings. The Head in setting 3 suggested that there was always a likelihood of an unworkable top-heavy skew toward disruptive behaviour from boys in the early years for an NG and this had to be actively avoided.

7. Selecting children for the group
The balance within the group is really important so think about:
the number of girls and boys
the age range
the mix of pupils who are acting out and those who are withdrawn
sibling rivalry if you start with pupils from the same family.

8. Planning
Sharing ideas and curriculum planning

9. Boxall Profile Section 1- Developmental
Developmental strands provides a description of the personal and social development of the child.
Characteristics of the developing child that reflect or contribute to a constructive learning process.
Easy to administer
Two clusters:
Organisation of experience e.g. makes appropriate use of the materials provided by the teacher without the need for continuing support
Internalisation of controls e.g. looks up and makes eye contact when the teacher addresses him by name.

10. Section 2-Diagnostic profile
Self-limiting features e.g. avoids, rejects or becomes upset when faced with a new or unfamiliar task or a difficult/competitive situation
Undeveloped behaviour e.g. restless or erratic, behaviour is without purposeful sequence, continuity or direction
Unsupportive development e.g. lacks trust in the adults’ intentions and is wary of what they might do, avoids contact or readily shows fear.

11. Parents

12. AOB Evaluating the impact! Please can I have your Boxalls! SDQs?
Progress?
Parents?
Yvonne tour of Halton NGN- Wednesday 9th and 10th November