Nurture Provision at Ferriby
At North Ferriby CE Primary School, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff. We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play.
Mrs Halsall is one of our Mental Health First Aiders at North Ferriby School and works in the Butterfly Room. She is also our school ELSA and works closely with children who need that little bit more support.
Mrs Beal is our Nurture teacher and runs our Nest and Roost rooms which caters for all kinds of needs from SEN to mental health through to academic support and confidence building
There are many ways to define wellbeing, and that is a discussion in itself. The World Health Organisation refers to mental health as: “a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”
Our Role
Over the course of their education, children spend over 7,800 hours at school. With such a huge amount of time spent in the classroom, schools provide an ideal environment for promoting good emotional wellbeing and identifying early behaviour changes and signs of mental distress.
The social and emotional skills, knowledge and behaviours that young people learn in the classroom can help them to build resilience and set the pattern for how they will manage their mental health throughout their lives.
Evidence shows that mental health and wellbeing programmes in schools, can lead to significant improvements in children’s mental health, and social and emotional skills.
Useful links
Dealing with anxiety – https://tutorful.co.uk/guides/the-expert-guide-to-help-your-child-with-anxiety
Young minds parents’ survival guide – https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-survival-guide/
Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families – https://www.annafreud.org/parents/
https://youngminds.org.uk/resources/school-resources/find-your-feet-transition-tips-for-parents/
Butterfly Room
At North Ferriby CE Primary School, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff. We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play. Mrs Halsall is one of our Mental Health First Aiders at North Ferriby School.
Butterfly Room
We have a dedicated space for children to reflect and mend-The Butterfly Room. This is a safe nurture space led by Mrs Halsall who is one of our trained ELSA’s in school. In the Butterfly room children can express their feelings, explore emotions and be listened to.
In the Butterfly Room we:
- help children to understand their emotions and feelings better
- help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
- help children socially to form and maintain relationships
- promote self-esteem and ensure children know that they count
- encourage children to be confident and achieve their ‘own person best’
- help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks
We offer different levels of support:
Universal Support– To meet the needs of all our pupils through our ethos and our wider curriculum.
Additional support– For those who may have short term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.
Targeted support– For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such as wellbeing groups or personal mentors.
There are 5 ways to support well-being.
The 5 Ways to Well-Being:
- To connect
- To keep learning
- To be active
- To take notice
- To give
Why not ask your child about the five ways, do they have a favourite, what works well for them?
The Nest & Roost
Our Nurture room opened in January 2023 when we employed an experienced Nurture teacher to help lead this new and exciting provision.
Mrs Beal runs our Nurture room and is supported by an experiences and dedicated team.
The aim of ‘The Nest’ is to provide the appropriate intervention, be that academic, social, physical or emotional for children who need extra support. It is located in the KS1 side of the building but is accessed by pupils throughout the school age range.
-We use all forms of current school assessment but also use the Boxall Profile to assess and track pupils social and emotional needs.
-We use an online platform called ‘Tapestry’ to provide parents with updates and activities alongside pictures of their children and their work.
-We teach a broad and balanced curriculum which is augmented with practical activities such as baking and crafts. We have breakfast together every day and regular stops for story time and mindfulness.
