Our Nurture Provision
The Rainbow Leaves Nurture Provision
At Silver Tree Primary School and Nursery we recognise that for children to progress academically, they need to be emotionally and socially secure. We have various ways of ensuring that we meet the needs of children throughout the school, and for those who need some additional support we have some strategies that we can offer.
The Nurture provision is led by Mrs Johnson our Nurture Support Lead and Mr Crawley as well as other pastoral support staff. The Nurture provision is a space in our school grounds which is used to host a wide range of nurturing programmes. This area is a safe, calming and quiet space where children have access to national curriculum subjects and academic work as well as emotional and social support programmes. Here the children know they will be listened to and supported in a calming and slow paced, small group environment. Selected children have been allocated sessions and timetabled across the school to visit our Nurture provision. Our children can use this space to work at their own pace, talk to members of our nurture team and recognise when they just need a bit of time to reflect. In addition to this children in school have access to a range of supportive, nurturing programmes which are delivered by school staff.
Lego Therapy and Build to Express Programmes
This is a programme that helps develop children’s social and communication skills. During the sessions children learn to interact with each other through collaborative play, gaining listening and communication skills as well as establishing the benefits of sharing and working together.
Drawing and Talking and Sand Therapy
These are both 12 week programmes which offer children (as a group) a creative way to express their feelings and struggles through the metaphor of drawing and sand play. The purpose of these methods is to draw and play with sand, with a person who with whom they feel comfortable at the same time each week. The trusted person will learn to ask a number of non-intrusive questions about the drawing or sand scenes created, and over time a symbolic resolution can be found to old conflicts and trauma.
Social Stories
Social stories are stories written with the specific purpose of teaching a child or children specific behaviour patterns. They are often written when a child is struggling with a behaviour or anxiety that is affecting their school life. Using photographs and descriptive words, these stories take children through real-life situations and attempt to guide their behaviour.
Personalised stories can help children learn new patterns of behaviour and prepare them for new experiences, develop self-care skills (for example, how to clean teeth, wash hands or get dressed), social skills (for example, sharing, asking for help, saying thank you, interrupting) and academic abilities. Social stories can help someone to understand how others might behave or respond in a particular situation.
Relax Kids
Relax Kids is a programme which teaches children to relax through movement, games, stretching and breathing exercises, peer massage, affirmations and visualisation. The course is designed to raise self-esteem and confidence in children and supports the development of healthy behaviour and aims to increase the level of personal achievement for children. Relaxation skills are essential at all times of life but are incredibly helpful for children who struggle with emotional difficulties.
Counselling
We have a counsellor who visits school every weeks and works with a small number of children. She offer support on a wide variety of issues and always has a strong will with parents and carers.