Nurture at Norbury Manor Primary School
Achieve • Belong • Thrive
At Norbury Manor Primary School, nurture is part of our whole-school approach to inclusion. We want every child to feel safe, valued and understood so that they are ready to learn, build positive relationships and participate fully in school life.
We recognise that children's readiness to learn can be affected by their social and emotional development, communication, relationships, experiences and ability to regulate their emotions. Nurture helps us identify and reduce these barriers while maintaining high expectations for every child.
Our targeted nurture provision is called The NMP Nest. It provides planned, short-term support for pupils whose social, emotional, communication or regulation needs are creating barriers to learning, participation or wellbeing.
The Nest is not a punishment, a time-out room or an alternative to the classroom. It forms part of our graduated approach to supporting pupils and is designed to help children develop skills that they can increasingly use independently in their classroom, on the playground and throughout the wider school day.
Our approach reflects the current national emphasis on identifying needs early and providing high-quality, adaptive and inclusive support within mainstream schools.
Explore Nurture at NMP
The Six Principles of Nurture
Our practice is guided by the Six Principles of Nurture. These principles help us understand children's development, relationships, communication, behaviour and wellbeing. NurtureUK – The Six Principles of Nurture
At NMP, we have also linked each principle to our RESPECT values so that children encounter a consistent language across school.1. Children's learning is understood developmentally
NMP pupil language: “We learn in our own way and in our own time.”
Children develop socially, emotionally and academically at different rates. We consider what a child can currently understand and manage and provide appropriate support and challenge from that starting point. Developmental understanding does not mean lowering expectations; it means providing the right scaffolding to help each child progress.
NMP Value: Excellence
2. The classroom offers a safe base
NMP pupil language: “Our school is a safe place to be.”
Children learn best when they feel physically and emotionally safe. Predictable routines, clear boundaries and calm, consistent adults help children develop trust and confidence. Our nurture spaces provide a secure base while remaining connected to children's classrooms and the wider life of the school.
NMP Value: Community
3. Nurture is important for the development of wellbeing
NMP pupil language: “We believe in ourselves and look after our wellbeing.”
Positive relationships are central to nurture. Adults notice effort, recognise small steps of progress and create opportunities for children to experience success. We help children develop confidence, resilience, self-esteem and a strong sense of belonging.
NMP Value: Scholarship
4. Language is a vital means of communication
NMP pupil language: “We use our words to talk about how we feel.”
Children need language to understand and communicate their thoughts, feelings and needs. Adults model appropriate emotional vocabulary and create regular opportunities for conversation, reflection, problem-solving and listening. Visuals, signing and other communication approaches are used where appropriate to ensure communication is accessible.
NMP Value: Empathy
5. All behaviour is communication
NMP pupil language: “Our behaviour can show how we are feeling.”
We recognise that behaviour can communicate an underlying emotion, difficulty or unmet need. Adults seek to understand what a child may be communicating while maintaining clear, safe and consistent expectations.
Understanding behaviour does not mean accepting unsafe or inappropriate behaviour. Instead, we teach children the skills and strategies they need to communicate, regulate and make increasingly positive choices.
NMP Value: Peace
6. Transitions are significant in children's lives
NMP pupil language: “We can cope with changes in our lives.”
Changes can be particularly difficult for some children. We carefully support transitions between activities, classrooms, adults, year groups and schools. Children may use visual timetables, advance warnings, familiar routines, trusted adults and transition activities to help them manage change successfully.
NMP Values: Resilience and Thankfulness
These are the current six principles used by NurtureUK, which emphasises predictable routines, emotionally available adults, wellbeing, communication, understanding behaviour and planned transitions. nurtureuk
The NMP Nest
The NMP Nest is our targeted nurture provision within our wider inclusive school approach.
It supports children to:
- Achieve – be ready to learn, sustain attention, participate, persevere and access the wider curriculum.
- Belong – feel safe and valued, develop trusted relationships and friendships, and know that adults listen and help.
- Thrive – recognise and regulate emotions, develop resilience, manage change and become increasingly independent.
Children normally attend two planned afternoon sessions each week. They remain members of their mainstream class and continue to access an ambitious curriculum.
The purpose of The Nest is transfer, not dependence. Success is not simply a child managing well while they are in the nurture space. We want children to use the skills and strategies they develop successfully in their classroom, on the playground and throughout everyday school life.
Our Nurture Environment
Our dedicated nurture spaces include Willow Hub and the Maple Hub space in Blossom House. …
Our nurture environments are designed to be calm, welcoming, predictable and accessible. Children experience consistent routines and trusted adults alongside spaces and resources that support learning, communication, play, social interaction and emotional regulation.
The environment may include opportunities for shared activities, practical learning, sensory or regulation activities, conversation, group work and quiet reflection.
The physical environment is only one part of a safe base. Just as important are the relationships, routines and adult responses that help children know what to expect and feel secure.
Teaching and Learning in The Nest
Children attending The Nest continue to be part of the wider NMP curriculum.
The Nest curriculum provides practical, social and curriculum-linked experiences through which children can practise communication, cooperation, emotional regulation, resilience and independence. The programme is deliberately connected to our wider curriculum rather than operating as a separate curriculum.
Learning may include:
- PSHE and social and emotional learning
- emotional literacy and regulation
- communication and language
- collaborative games and activities
- practical STEM and Design Technology
- physical activity and cooperative games
- Natural Norbury and outdoor learning
- stories, discussion and reflection
- preparation for change and transition.
Each half term also provides opportunities to explicitly teach and revisit one of the Six Principles of Nurture and connect it to our NMP values.
Sessions have clear routines but remain responsive to the developmental needs and individual outcomes of the pupils attending.
How Children Are Identified for The Nest
Placement in The Nest is based on a child's identified barriers and developmental needs. It is not determined by a diagnosis, attainment level, one Boxall Profile score or a single behaviour incident.
We build a rounded picture of the child using information that may include teacher assessment, the Boxall Profile, pupil voice, parent/carer views, SEND information, attendance or behaviour information where relevant, previous interventions and advice from other professionals.
The Nurture Team, SENCO and Headteacher consider the evidence and agree the most appropriate support. Parents and carers are consulted before a child begins attending The Nest.
This reflects the school's Assess – Plan – Do – Review approach and our commitment to identifying and meeting needs as early as possible.
Working with Children and Families
Children and their families are important partners in nurture.
We listen to children's views about what they find difficult, what helps them and what they would like adults to understand. Parents and carers bring invaluable knowledge about their child and contribute information about strengths, concerns, successful strategies and priorities.
Class teachers remain responsible for children's education, progress and wellbeing while they attend The Nest. Nest staff and class staff work together so that successful strategies are used consistently across the school day.
That child-centred approach is also consistent with current statutory safeguarding guidance, which says children's wishes and feelings should be sought, heard and responded to and that practitioners should work with children, families and those who know them well.
Assessing Progress and Impact
Assessment helps us understand children's needs, plan appropriate support and determine whether nurture is making a meaningful difference.
We do not rely upon a single measure. Evidence may include the Boxall Profile, teacher assessment, pupil voice, parent/carer views, individual nurture outcomes, classroom observations and relevant information about learning, attendance, behaviour or SEND.
Children usually have two or three specific developmental outcomes, which are reviewed during their time in The Nest.
We look for changes such as improved emotional vocabulary, greater independence, stronger relationships, increased engagement in learning, improved regulation, greater resilience and a stronger sense of belonging.
Most importantly, we look for evidence that children are increasingly able to use these skills independently in everyday school life.
Reintegration, Step-Down and Exit
The aim of nurture is not for children to remain indefinitely in targeted provision.
Planning for successful reintegration begins when a child enters The Nest. Strategies that work successfully are shared with classroom staff and deliberately transferred into everyday school life.
Progress is regularly reviewed using the child's Boxall Profile, individual outcomes, teacher evidence, pupil voice, parent/carer views and evidence of how successfully skills are transferring beyond The Nest.
Depending on need and progress, the outcome may be to continue provision, adapt the child's targets, begin a gradual step-down or exit The Nest.
Where a child is ready to leave, this is carefully planned. Attendance may reduce gradually, successful strategies continue in class, and progress is followed up to ensure that improvements are sustained.
Nurture Across NMP
Nurture at Norbury Manor is much bigger than The Nest.
The Six Principles of Nurture underpin our wider approach to relationships, behaviour, inclusion and pastoral care. Adults across the school use predictable routines, calm and consistent responses, emotionally available relationships and appropriate language to help children understand and communicate their needs.
This means that children do not have to be part of The Nest to benefit from a nurturing approach.
Our goal is simple:
Every child should be supported to Achieve, Belong and Thrive.