Rowan Gate is a school which is proud to put Nurture and Well-being at the heart of its provision. We have provided Nurture Group Provision for many years; our Assistant Headteacher, Sue Morris gained ‘Marjorie Boxall Nurture Group Accreditation’ awards in 2008 and again in 2013. Rachel Allen gained the ‘Marjorie Boxall Nurture Group Accreditation’ award in January 2018.

In 2019, we began the process of applying for the ‘National Nurturing Schools Award’ and successfully completed this in March 2022.

At the heart of our Nurturing School are the 6 Principles of Nurture:

• Children’s development is understood developmentally; All curriculums focus on teaching the children at their own developmental levels, incorporating a practical and exploratory approach to learning.
• The classroom offers a ‘safe base’: all classes understand the importance of consistency, structure, visual support and familiar routines.
• Nurturing is vital in the development of self-esteem; activities through which we can achieve this include cooking, playing, creative arts and having meals together.
• The development of language and effective communication is vital to a child’s ability to express feelings appropriately: all classes have access to a variety of strategies to support language and communication development, our AAC lead teacher promotes the use of BSL signing throughout the school and ensures that robust alternative communication systems are available.
• All behaviour is communication: our ‘Norfolk Steps’ positive behaviour management approach is focused on understanding and supporting children through an holistic approach. All pupils have a Boxall Profile assessment 3 x yearly and these are used to identify areas of need for individual or groups of children.
• Communication with parents is essential in moving a child forward. At Rowan Gate we place great value on our ability to reach all parents. All children and their families are expertly supported by our Family Liaison Team.

We consider all our classes to be nurturing environments in which we aim to help children to reach their full potential academically, whilst understanding that this can be achieved best when a child’s well-being and self-esteem is valued and supported.

At Rowan Gate Primary School, we recognise that the more that we understand our children and their individual needs, the more our children will achieve. To this effect staff training is important to us. Examples of this are:

• Attachment Aware Training
• Norfolk Steps
• Safeguarding
• Protective Behaviours
• Boxall Profile completion & analysis

We provide a wide range of therapeutic interventions to support the well-being of our pupils; you can find out more about these on our school website.

We know that our children will learn and grow in an environment in which all stakeholders are nurtured. We place great value on supporting the well-being of the whole school team, from administrative staff, teaching assistants, teachers and school leaders. External visitors are welcomed with the same ethos.

Our teaching staff are offered ‘Supervision’ sessions termly to support their well-being. Posters are displayed around school prompting all staff to consider the importance of taking care of their well-being; monthly calendars from “action for happiness” are emailed to all staff.

We hope that you enjoy our video and reading our Nurturing Schools Report; which we believe further demonstrates our Nurturing Schools Ethos.