Frequently Asked Questions

Can you advise me about where I can get support to access funding for your
training?
You may be able to access funding to support you to embed programmes linked to promoting the mental health and wellbeing of learners from a variety of sources.  These change and other funding streams occasionally become available. (If you hear of any please let us know so that we can update this page and keep other schools informed.

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Designated Senior Mental Health Lead Funding
The DfE offers a grant of £1,200 to eligible state funded schools and colleges in England to support Senior Mental Health Leads in developing and implementing a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing.
 

Criteria:

• Quality Assured Course.

Nurture International offers the Whole School Nurture Approach for Learning
(WSNAL) Programme which is accredited by the CPD Certification Service Limited.

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• Aligns with promoting emotional health and wellbeing for children and young people.

• The Six Nurture Principles for Learning support schools to embed an Inclusive, Developmentally Led, Trauma Sensitive, Nurture Approach which supports an emotionally safe environment and promotes emotional health and wellbeing for all. >> Click here << to see how the WSNAL meets the eight principles for promoting children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing.

• Senior Mental Health Lead should have sufficient time and capacity to complete the training and implement a new approach to mental health and wellbeing within the institution.

 

Senior mental health lead training - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
 

Education Endowment Fund
The Education Endowment Fund (EEF) is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement. This charity supports a range of educational establishments such as schools, colleges, early years settings, academy trusts and local authorities to improve learning through better use of evidence.
Find out more about funding opportunities here:

Taking part in an EEF project | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

Useful information about Nurture International
Many of Nurture International’s educational programmes have CPD certification through the CPD Certification Service.
Nurture International is committed to providing high quality effective educational programmes to assist schools to embed an Inclusive Developmentally Led, Trauma Sensitive, Nurture Approach to enhance mental health, learning and achievement for all learners.
The Digital Developmental Portrait is a speedy and effective tool that can be used to empower parents to work in partnership with schools to identify and meet the developmental needs of their children.
Family Nurture empowers parents to support their children to develop the underpinning social and emotional skills needed for their children to be happy and successful in school. This programme will support you to close the gap between family income and educational achievement.

Support the EEF | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

 

The Pupil Premium Grant
The pupil premium grant is funding provided to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in Local Authority maintained schools, Academies, Free Schools, and non-maintained special schools.
Useful Links
Overview: Pupil premium: overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Pupil Premium Guidance for School Leaders: Pupil premium - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Pupil Premium Funding Rates: allocations and conditions of grant for the 2024 to 2025 financial year 

 

How can Nurture International help schools to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils?

 

Nurture International offers a variety of educational programmes linked to promoting emotional and academic growth including a Whole School Nurturing Approach for Learning

 

An annual subscription to the Digital Developmental Portrait (DDP) enables schools to:

• Promotes learning.

• Tracks individual, group, class, and whole school progression.

• Provides evidence for SLT for analysis and improvement and sharing with

• Gain value for money. (The cost of an annual subscription is around ¼ of the pupil premium for one learner).

Training in analysis of data and using the DDP to engage motivate and enthuse
learners in all areas the curriculum is also available.

 

>>Click Here<< to see what the DDP can offer your school.

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School Based Mental Health Grant (US based)
The school based mental health services grant is a programme that provides competitive grants to support and demonstrate competitive partnerships to train school-based mental health service providers. The grants are awarded to state and local educational agencies and consortia of local educational agencies .

 

Find out more information here: U.S. Department of Education Announces More Than $188 Million from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to Support Mental Health and Student Wellness | U.S. Department of Education

 

Youth Endowment Fund
The Youth Endowment Fund is funding to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence.
Click here to find out more information and the latest opportunities for funding here:
Homepage | Youth Endowment Fund
Funding opportunities | Youth Endowment Fund

 

Nurture International’s educational programmes and the Digital Developmental Portraitsupport educational establishments to identify and meet, learner’s developmental needs.  Meeting developmental needs leads to improved mental health and wellbeing, enhanced learning, increased opportunities and reduces the risk of individuals becoming involved in crime.

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Youth Futures Foundation
The aim of this foundation is to find, support and evaluate promising practice. Youth Futures Foundation partners organisations that are committed to learning, investing in good practice and sharing what works to transform the youth employment landscape.
There are two types of funding grants available:

Development Fund
Impact Fund
Full details and how to apply can be found at https://youthfuturesfoundation.org/grants/

 

Nurture International’s six nurture principles for learning support schools to embed an Inclusive, Developmentally Led, Trauma Sensitive, Nurture Approach. The principles provide a framework for continued development to assist educational establishments to meet the developmental needs of all learners, within a graduated approach. This approach enables all earners to access the curriculum and enhances attainment and achievement for all.

Learn more: Home - Youth Futures Foundation.

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Some grants for mental health services in schools are:

• The Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Demonstration Grant Program, which funds partnerships to train school-based mental health providers.

• The School-Based Mental Health (SBMH) Services Grant Program, which funds the implementation of comprehensive school mental health systems.

• The Fostering Trauma-Informed Services in Schools grant, which funds the development of trauma-informed practices and policies in schools.

• The Full-Service Community Schools grant, which funds the expansion of mental health services through community partnerships.

• The SAMHSA Grant to Strengthen Youth Mental Health, which funds the prevention and early intervention of mental health disorders among youth.

 

Useful Information and websites
GRANTS – Outdoor Learning and Play | Creative STAR Learning | I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!

 

Never miss a funding Opportunity!
Grants4schools, is updated several times a week and supports a range of organisations to keep up to date with funding opportunities.
Find out more here: https://www.grants4schools.info/ 

 

What is nurture?
To nurture means to facilitate an emotionally safe environment in which learners’ developmental needs can be met, emotional and academic growth is promoted, and learners can flourish.

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What is the history of nurture?
The first nurture group was set up in September 1971 as a response to services and schools struggling to meet the needs of what we would now call the ‘Windrush’ children. Nurture Groups, the brainchild of Marjorie Boxall set out to recreate children’s earliest experiences to support social and emotional development.

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What is an inclusive, developmentally led, trauma sensitive, nurture approach?
This approach blends the well-researched elements of nurture that increase effective practice with a neuro sequential approach. By using this approach participants feel confident to enhance learning by using the six nurture principles for learning to guide the implementation of relevant neuroscience within their own practice promoting both academic and emotional growth for all learners.

 

Developmentally led: It is important that we identify and meet learners developmental needs to promote academic and emotional growth. The Digital Developmental Portrait (DDP) will help teachers to recognise developmental needs
and support adaptive teaching. 

Trauma Sensitive: Creating an environment in which learners feel emotionally safe
and can access the healing process of their traumatic experiences.
Nurture Approach: The six nurture principles for learning offer a framework for development and guide you to develop a Developmentally Led, Trauma Sensitive, Nurture Approach.

‘The world has moved on! Research has moved on! We need to increase the
effectiveness of targeting and meeting developmental needs'. Sylvia Lucas 2021

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What has been the Impact of embedding this approach across the whole school?
Case studies demonstrate that this approach impacts positively on:
Learning, attainment, and achievement.
Wellbeing of learners and staff.
Behaviour and Attendance.
Parental Engagement.
Please see section of research for more information.

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What is the history of the six Nurture Principles for Learning?

The six nurture principles have evolved from Marjorie Boxall’s vision of the successful elements of a nurture group. In the centre of the diagram Marjorie’s words are captured:
Mother child relationship. ‘Be’ and ‘do’ as for your own young child.
Eye contact, Touch, Verbilisation, Smiling
The Nurture Principles (Sylvia Lucas 2009) (Key Patron of Nurture International) are shown in the next circle in the diagram.
Sylvia encouraged Nurture International to update these principles in 2021 so that:
The principles were fit for purpose for both small group nurture interventions (Nurture Groups) and for embedding a

Whole School Nurture Approach for Learning.
These principles guide users to implement an inclusive, developmentally led, trauma sensitive, nurture approach for learning.

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What are the six Nurture Principles for Learning?

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Can I have a copy of the six nurture principles for learning for my school/classroom?

Nurture international would be happy to send you an electronic pdf of these principles. The principles are available in a variety of languages. Please select from English, Slovakian, Ukrainian, Icelandic or Welsh. (If you would like them in an alternative language, please contact us to arrange).

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Is it possible to access bespoke training and consultancy?
Yes of course. Please contact us and we can have an initial meeting. This may be virtual (online) or in person.

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If I wanted to conduct some research on the impact of your digital developmental portrait, or the six nurture principles for learning as part of my masters, would that be possible?
Absolutely. We would be very happy to help in any way we can.

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Are your courses CPD accredited?
The courses below will soon be accredited, and we will update asap.

• Nurture Practitioner (Sylvia Lucas)

• The whole school nurture approach for learning

• Sensory

• Nurture interactions.

• Lego let’s talk. Building blocks for learning

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Do you offer support after your training has been completed?
Yes we do. We offer regular Nurture International Network Meetings that you can attend. Come along to meet others and find out any updates.

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How can the digital developmental portrait help me in my mainstream classroom?

Enhancing Learning
The Digital Developmental Portrait is a speedy and effective tool to support you to meet the developmental needs of learners. Offering strategies that you can put into your curriculum. We are very happy to offer you a free demonstration.

Don’t just remove barriers to learning, impact on neural development!

How many countries, schools and learners has the DDP supported?
216,200 Learners
7,200 Classes
564 Schools
To enhance learning and improve mental health within
10 countries

 

How does Nurture International support a graduated approach to SEND and Wellbeing?
Nurture International support schools to enhance academic and emotional growth for all, by supporting a graduated approach to SEND and Wellbeing, through a variety of educational programmes and The Digital Developmental Portrait.

 

What tools would you recommend to identify and meet, the developmental needs of learners?
We would recommend the Digital Developmental Portrait.

 

Why is the DDP unique?
1. Speedy, Effective and Value for money (Designed by teachers for teachers
and we know how busy and broke you are!)
2. The DDP supports a graduated approach by enabling you to produce
universal, targeted, and intensive portraits quickly.
3. The DDP also provides a full assessment profile (We recommend that this is only used for a small number of learners as it is too time consuming)! The workable, efficient, core DDP is sufficient for most learners and allows you to drill down deeper for most learners in each specific area of difficulty.
4. Gain valuable information about learners’ sensory needs and gain strategies to support.

5. Use the designated parental strategies to empower parents to work in partnership with you!
6. Triangulate your results with learner and parental inputs.

 

Can you suggest any resources that would be useful for us?
Sensory – Targeting sensory needs throughout the day is powerful! Find out how to target sensory needs – you will be surprised what resources you already have! Let us help you to identify them and put together regulation resources targeted towards the needs of your learners!
Small Group Nurture Provision:
The most powerful resource is staff. Please consider if our established, comprehensive, and effective Nurture Intervention programme can help you.
Every learner is different and will have different interests and different needs. Wherever possible learner interests and both developmental and curriculum needs should be considered.
We have asked many experienced Nurture Practitioners what their most used resources are, and these are some of their suggestions:
Furniture/Layout of the room:
Safe Space
Couch
Dining table
Kitchen area
Role play area
Worktable
Good size space
Access to the outdoor
Resources:
Basic toys including cars trains, dolls house, and Lego®
Puppets and teddies
Worry Monsters