WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.700 Hi, my name is Jordan. I am a special education 00:00:02.700 --> 00:00:06.160 teacher from the UK. I share my passion for everything 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:09.119 communication, sensory regulation and fun lesson 00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:11.660 ideas for my classroom of disabled pupils aged 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:15.300 4 to 11. Each week I am joined by experts in 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:17.640 the field answering your questions and sharing 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:19.559 our knowledge and experience working alongside 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:22.559 our beautiful young people. Let's get started. 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:30.280 First of all, a message about our sponsor. Today's 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:32.979 sponsor is Octopus Energy. 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Head to the link in the description below 00:01:02.539 --> 00:01:05.340 to make the switch today. Now to the episode. 00:01:05.739 --> 00:01:08.659 Hello everybody and welcome to the Sensory Classroom 00:01:08.659 --> 00:01:11.859 podcast. My name is Jordan and today I'm joined 00:01:11.859 --> 00:01:15.200 by Senko Faria, who we're going to talk about 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:18.859 setting up nurture groups today. I am inundated. 00:01:18.859 --> 00:01:21.939 Every day I get messages from teachers and Senkos. 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:25.500 with wanting advice on how to set up nurture 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:28.400 groups or autism groups or you know separate 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:31.980 uh hubs i suppose you all have different names 00:01:31.980 --> 00:01:35.939 for them but it's essentially a safe place where 00:01:36.510 --> 00:01:39.129 the more the sensory children can go, the in 00:01:39.129 --> 00:01:41.250 -betweeners can go, the children that haven't 00:01:41.250 --> 00:01:44.209 got a specialist setting and don't quite fit 00:01:44.209 --> 00:01:47.250 into any space. And these wonderful teachers 00:01:47.250 --> 00:01:49.930 and SENCOs are being innovative and creating 00:01:49.930 --> 00:01:53.170 makeshift classrooms for these beautiful children. 00:01:53.349 --> 00:01:55.790 And I'm excited to talk to Faria about that today. 00:01:56.010 --> 00:01:59.590 Hello, Faria. Hello, Jordan. Would you like to 00:01:59.590 --> 00:02:02.750 introduce yourself on what you do, where you 00:02:02.750 --> 00:02:06.459 are and how long you've been doing it? I am Faria 00:02:06.459 --> 00:02:12.139 Alam, an inclusion manager and CENTCO at a primary 00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:20.659 school in London. I mean, I've been in CENT for 00:02:20.659 --> 00:02:27.520 the last 21 years because, I mean, I had a personal 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:33.939 physical medical. incident whereby I lost my 00:02:33.939 --> 00:02:38.419 voice. I lost my motor ability. So after that, 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:42.580 I realized how difficult sent children struggle 00:02:42.580 --> 00:02:46.020 with communicating. I mean, initially I was, 00:02:46.099 --> 00:02:49.500 I'm a qualified MSC science teacher who used 00:02:49.500 --> 00:02:53.219 to teach biology at GCSE and A -levels. But after 00:02:53.219 --> 00:02:56.919 that incident, I went back and qualified as a 00:02:56.919 --> 00:03:00.300 SENT specialist with autism as my specialism. 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:04.479 But then in the years, I then did my neurodivergent 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:07.479 coaching and therapy course and executive function 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:11.460 course as well. At the moment, I'm just, I mean, 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:13.580 the main thing I'm working very closely with 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:16.400 primary school children, neurodivergent children, 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:19.340 children with social, emotional behavior difficulties 00:03:19.340 --> 00:03:23.180 and supporting them and setting up. nurture groups 00:03:23.180 --> 00:03:25.659 in schools, training staff, training parents. 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:28.840 So are you doing that as an external person or 00:03:28.840 --> 00:03:32.340 within one school? Within one school. Amazing. 00:03:33.060 --> 00:03:36.340 Let's go back to that because I think it's really 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:40.000 an amazing insight that you've got actually is 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:44.860 losing your voice. What was it about that that 00:03:44.860 --> 00:03:48.819 made you resonate so much with these non -speaking 00:03:48.819 --> 00:03:52.830 neurodivergent children? What kind of frustrations 00:03:52.830 --> 00:03:55.969 did you find? Did it help you to understand what 00:03:55.969 --> 00:03:57.770 you were seeing in them or behaviours you were 00:03:57.770 --> 00:04:00.310 seeing in them in any way? Yeah, I mean, I had 00:04:00.310 --> 00:04:05.069 become very short -tempered, very edgy because 00:04:05.069 --> 00:04:08.770 many a time I would want something done and because 00:04:08.770 --> 00:04:14.210 of my physical disability or my, you know, my 00:04:14.210 --> 00:04:17.199 speech was slurred. I struggle to communicate 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:20.060 and I'd be saying something, but I feel like 00:04:20.060 --> 00:04:22.600 I'm communicating it clear enough to the person 00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:25.319 in front of me. And they are like doing the complete 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:27.939 opposite of what I'm asking them to do. And it's 00:04:27.939 --> 00:04:31.759 just like, oh, my God. And you just feel at that 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:34.199 time, I mean, obviously, as I was an adult, I 00:04:34.199 --> 00:04:38.180 was an educated person and I could because I 00:04:38.180 --> 00:04:40.399 could not write it and tell them I could not. 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:43.720 I mean, I was speaking. I thought it was legible, 00:04:43.779 --> 00:04:47.620 but it wasn't legible for them. It was very frustrating 00:04:47.620 --> 00:04:52.899 and it would just make me very edgy and irritated 00:04:52.899 --> 00:04:57.199 and just lose my cool very easily. It makes sense, 00:04:57.199 --> 00:04:59.660 doesn't it? Of course you would find that frustrating. 00:04:59.779 --> 00:05:03.680 So then now when you're seeing those same frustrations 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:06.839 in the children that you work with, what goes 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:10.100 through your mind when you're seeing that now 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:14.459 in comparison to maybe before? I recognize they're 00:05:14.459 --> 00:05:16.879 trying to communicate something. I mean, and 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:20.060 that is something what I train everybody. I mean, 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:24.259 my baseline or my, you know, my motto is something 00:05:24.259 --> 00:05:26.879 that with all the staff, with the teaching, with 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:30.740 the teachers, teaching assistants, HLDAs, parents 00:05:30.740 --> 00:05:34.300 always say behavior is communication. They're 00:05:34.300 --> 00:05:37.259 trying to communicate something. I could kiss 00:05:37.259 --> 00:05:39.899 you, Faria. It's true, though, isn't it? Behavior 00:05:39.899 --> 00:05:42.480 is communication. And yet, just like you, when 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:44.480 you were so frustrated, you knew exactly what 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:46.199 you wanted. You just weren't being understood. 00:05:46.740 --> 00:05:48.800 I mean, there is nothing more frustrating than 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:51.100 knowing what you want and not being able to access 00:05:51.100 --> 00:05:54.660 it or not being understood. Exactly. And no wonder 00:05:54.660 --> 00:05:57.439 that we're seeing hitting, kicking, biting, hiding, 00:05:57.540 --> 00:05:59.839 running away, all of these, throwing, you know, 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:03.699 all of these things. Because... Yes, it might 00:06:03.699 --> 00:06:05.360 be sensory needs and yes, it might be other things, 00:06:05.420 --> 00:06:08.139 but ultimately it comes down to frustration of 00:06:08.139 --> 00:06:10.959 not being understood. Yeah, because there's something 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:13.399 in the environment which is triggering them, 00:06:13.579 --> 00:06:16.000 which is making it difficult for them. They don't 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:17.500 want to be difficult. They don't want to bite. 00:06:17.740 --> 00:06:19.699 They don't want to hit. They do not want to kick. 00:06:20.060 --> 00:06:23.420 That's not what they want. You know, I mean, 00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:25.800 that is just their response. That's their triggered 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:29.120 response. That's them going into fight and flight. 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:32.300 Yeah, it's so true. Just like we all do, like 00:06:32.300 --> 00:06:34.980 you said. We all get pushed to that point in 00:06:34.980 --> 00:06:38.620 some incidences, don't we? And I guess it just 00:06:38.620 --> 00:06:41.939 comes down to thinking if we were in their shoes, 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:45.420 would we act any differently? And the answer 00:06:45.420 --> 00:06:48.839 actually is no. And I think actually we'd probably 00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:51.480 be worse. I mean, I feel like the children in 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:54.399 my class are incredibly patient with me, incredibly 00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:58.459 understanding and adaptive and resilient actually 00:06:58.459 --> 00:07:01.680 with what they have to manage every day. in a 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:05.079 world that really isn't built for them. Exactly. 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:08.259 I mean, and children, neurodivergent children, 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:11.060 children who are lacking in their executive functions, 00:07:11.319 --> 00:07:15.079 children with behavioral difficulties. It's usually, 00:07:15.180 --> 00:07:17.600 I mean, especially in a mainstream environment, 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:21.519 because they're having to deal with so many difficulties 00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:24.100 in their environment. You have so many of them 00:07:24.100 --> 00:07:27.259 masking it in school. And then parents come back 00:07:27.259 --> 00:07:30.160 and tell us we are having complete meltdowns 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:32.540 at home. And then parents are being told, oh, 00:07:32.680 --> 00:07:35.189 you know, your parents. has to be looked into 00:07:35.189 --> 00:07:38.490 you know it's your parenting it's not good enough 00:07:38.490 --> 00:07:41.769 or you know the support system has to change 00:07:41.769 --> 00:07:44.310 that understanding has to be there we need to 00:07:44.310 --> 00:07:47.589 find out what is causing this why is the child 00:07:47.589 --> 00:07:51.110 behaving like this why I nurture groups I feel 00:07:51.110 --> 00:07:55.259 have been a game changer because During COVID, 00:07:55.560 --> 00:07:58.079 you know, we, when the children came back, after 00:07:58.079 --> 00:08:00.639 COVID, when the children came back to school, 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:06.920 we saw, you know, a real need for support for 00:08:06.920 --> 00:08:09.680 parents and children because, you know, children 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:13.160 were coming back with their impulse control completely 00:08:13.160 --> 00:08:17.879 not developed. You know, we were having children's 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:22.939 behaviors completely escalated, you know, meltdowns, 00:08:22.939 --> 00:08:26.009 hitting. harming themselves, harming others, 00:08:26.189 --> 00:08:28.629 harming the adults that are harming peers. And 00:08:28.629 --> 00:08:31.790 it was just, how do we support these children? 00:08:31.990 --> 00:08:34.990 Children didn't want to come into school. Okay. 00:08:35.049 --> 00:08:38.929 So that's when, I mean, I had been, I had read 00:08:38.929 --> 00:08:41.269 a lot about on the research on nurture groups 00:08:41.269 --> 00:08:45.289 before. Historically, I have worked in specialist 00:08:45.289 --> 00:08:49.090 needs school as well. And I just thought, how 00:08:49.090 --> 00:08:51.950 can we bring something like that into the mainstream? 00:08:52.789 --> 00:08:56.409 but not have them excluded. Yeah, because that's 00:08:56.409 --> 00:08:58.610 the alternative, isn't it? For these children. 00:08:58.769 --> 00:09:00.710 The alternative isn't send them to a specialist 00:09:00.710 --> 00:09:03.149 provision because there isn't enough. There isn't 00:09:03.149 --> 00:09:05.049 enough spaces or maybe they don't meet the criteria. 00:09:05.370 --> 00:09:07.210 So yeah, in an ideal world, of course, they would 00:09:07.210 --> 00:09:09.509 go to a specialist school. But actually, in reality, 00:09:09.750 --> 00:09:12.269 the alternative of mainstream education is exclusion, 00:09:12.470 --> 00:09:17.049 isn't it? Yeah. And the mainstream school, I 00:09:17.049 --> 00:09:22.240 feel, is... It's good for our special needs children. 00:09:22.360 --> 00:09:24.740 It's good for our autistic children. It is good 00:09:24.740 --> 00:09:27.720 for our children with, you know, executive function 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:30.080 difficulties. It's good for our behavior because 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:34.179 they see their peers and there is modeling. There 00:09:34.179 --> 00:09:37.799 is mimicking. They do want to be there. You know, 00:09:37.820 --> 00:09:40.539 they want to integrate. It's more real world 00:09:40.539 --> 00:09:43.240 as well, isn't it? And then they will be going 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:45.360 out into the real world. You'll not have the 00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:48.799 specialist settings. I think it helps everybody. 00:09:49.769 --> 00:09:51.929 My specialist provision is attached to a mainstream 00:09:51.929 --> 00:09:54.250 school and the definite benefits I see is that 00:09:54.250 --> 00:09:57.710 they all will grow into adults in the same community. 00:09:57.750 --> 00:10:01.110 So if they're not seeing each other through childhood, 00:10:01.370 --> 00:10:03.450 then when they become adults and they see the... 00:10:03.929 --> 00:10:06.090 children in my class that will be adults in their 00:10:06.090 --> 00:10:09.049 community they'll be a lot kinder if they've 00:10:09.049 --> 00:10:10.909 brought been brought up with them and alongside 00:10:10.909 --> 00:10:12.710 them and played with them in the playground and 00:10:12.710 --> 00:10:14.190 all of those kind of things they're far more 00:10:14.190 --> 00:10:16.750 understanding kinder well -rounded mainstream 00:10:16.750 --> 00:10:19.629 children if they have that exposure and same 00:10:19.629 --> 00:10:21.789 for the children in my class they'll be far less 00:10:21.789 --> 00:10:25.389 scared of the outside world if if they've had 00:10:25.389 --> 00:10:28.210 some safe predictable experiences within a safe 00:10:28.210 --> 00:10:32.070 school environment Yeah, because you see when 00:10:32.070 --> 00:10:34.899 you had the mainstream children with the... with 00:10:34.899 --> 00:10:37.379 the children with special needs in their class, 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:40.519 you know, neurodivergent children in their classroom. 00:10:40.799 --> 00:10:43.539 You'll see them, even if this child plays in 00:10:43.539 --> 00:10:46.279 isolation or, you know, he will play alongside 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:48.480 the other peers and they'll allow them to hold 00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:51.039 their hand and take them, you know, to go and 00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:54.659 play during playtime. They will acknowledge them, 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:57.460 although there will not be any reciprocal play. 00:10:57.720 --> 00:11:01.669 But it's so beautiful to see that. It is. Their 00:11:01.669 --> 00:11:06.090 peers are so, you know, they really love them 00:11:06.090 --> 00:11:08.730 and they are there to help them all the time. 00:11:08.789 --> 00:11:11.330 And it's good to see that we are, you know, educating 00:11:11.330 --> 00:11:13.870 such children who are going to grow up to be 00:11:13.870 --> 00:11:16.710 citizens, who are going to adapt and who are 00:11:16.710 --> 00:11:20.309 going to help and understand, you know. And, 00:11:20.330 --> 00:11:22.929 you know, when you have the children, other children 00:11:22.929 --> 00:11:25.649 saying, oh, miss, I think he's struggling with 00:11:25.649 --> 00:11:28.929 the noise. That shows recognition. They are not 00:11:28.929 --> 00:11:31.250 just saying, oh, he's being naughty or he's crying 00:11:31.250 --> 00:11:34.669 or he's screaming. They are telling us what it 00:11:34.669 --> 00:11:37.809 is that is causing this. It's just amazing to 00:11:37.809 --> 00:11:40.389 see. It is. It's really beautiful. It really, 00:11:40.450 --> 00:11:44.009 really is. Another benefit is in my classroom, 00:11:44.169 --> 00:11:47.399 sometimes they... They attempt to communicate 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:49.299 or attempt to socialise, but because it's not 00:11:49.299 --> 00:11:52.379 reciprocated, it then falls on their fears and 00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:54.820 they might not try it again. So we do some of 00:11:54.820 --> 00:11:56.440 that in the class. And rather than relying on 00:11:56.440 --> 00:11:58.559 us adults, actually, it's really lovely to have 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:00.620 some inclusion time with the mainstream peers, 00:12:00.899 --> 00:12:03.600 where it is reciprocated, where those offers 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:07.580 of play are accepted and validated, and then 00:12:07.580 --> 00:12:09.419 they will try them again. So, yeah, there's so 00:12:09.419 --> 00:12:13.340 many benefits for having these hubs in mainstream, 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:15.889 but I suppose without the hub. These children 00:12:15.889 --> 00:12:17.470 won't be doing any of those things because they'll 00:12:17.470 --> 00:12:20.649 be so terrified and so anxious and so dysregulated. 00:12:20.850 --> 00:12:24.889 So what were you seeing before you started the 00:12:24.889 --> 00:12:28.250 hubs in your classroom? So we were seeing a lot 00:12:28.250 --> 00:12:31.269 of meltdowns in the classroom. We were seeing 00:12:31.269 --> 00:12:34.909 a lot of school -related absences, children not 00:12:34.909 --> 00:12:38.590 coming into school. We were seeing a lot of children 00:12:38.590 --> 00:12:42.620 being extremely... Either they're highly, you 00:12:42.620 --> 00:12:44.679 know, they're going to meltdowns or they were 00:12:44.679 --> 00:12:47.679 completely reserved. They were completely just 00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:51.039 sitting in one corner, not, you know, engaging 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:53.100 in anything. You were having, we were having 00:12:53.100 --> 00:12:56.620 lots of dysregulated behaviors during transitions. 00:12:57.259 --> 00:13:01.279 We're having, you know. Teachers were struggling. 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:03.279 Yeah, I was going to say as well, like the other, 00:13:03.320 --> 00:13:05.440 it's not just the individuals, is it? It's the 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:08.700 whole class. The whole classroom, because when 00:13:08.700 --> 00:13:12.000 you have the severe meltdowns and the whole class 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:15.220 has to, everything just stops because you have 00:13:15.220 --> 00:13:17.059 to look after this one child, even if you have 00:13:17.059 --> 00:13:19.820 an extra adult, the other children, the teacher, 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:22.519 everything was, you know, and we were getting, 00:13:22.659 --> 00:13:24.779 so my head teacher called me. She said, Faria, 00:13:24.840 --> 00:13:27.399 we need to think of something, you know. So I 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:30.730 went and read out. about nurture groups and the 00:13:30.730 --> 00:13:33.909 success they've had in Northern Ireland. You 00:13:33.909 --> 00:13:36.470 know, we've had such great success whereby, you 00:13:36.470 --> 00:13:39.730 know, you have almost 90 % success in mainstream 00:13:39.730 --> 00:13:42.409 schools where they've had nurture groups with 00:13:42.409 --> 00:13:45.830 neurodiverse children. You know, you have children 00:13:45.830 --> 00:13:47.909 with social -emotional behavior difficulties. 00:13:48.110 --> 00:13:52.179 And I put a bit of... twist to it because I wanted 00:13:52.179 --> 00:13:55.639 to support, after autism, we have seen this great 00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:59.539 influx of many children coming with the ASD diagnosis. 00:13:59.899 --> 00:14:03.500 So we've had many children, you know, with neurodivergent, 00:14:03.539 --> 00:14:06.679 autistic children, children with ADHD. I mean, 00:14:06.679 --> 00:14:09.580 in my so many years of being in SEND, I'd never 00:14:09.580 --> 00:14:12.220 seen a six -year -old being diagnosed with an 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:15.220 ADHD diagnosis, but now we're getting lots of 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:18.909 those as well coming through. So with parents 00:14:18.909 --> 00:14:21.830 also really struggling, that's when we decided 00:14:21.830 --> 00:14:27.370 to start off in 2023. We started a nurture group, 00:14:27.490 --> 00:14:33.169 you know, with six of the most children were 00:14:33.169 --> 00:14:35.929 really struggling, neurodivergent children. There 00:14:35.929 --> 00:14:38.690 were six neurodivergent children. Are they in 00:14:38.690 --> 00:14:42.210 the nurture group full time? No. No. Okay. So 00:14:42.210 --> 00:14:44.230 how does it work? What does a typical... That's 00:14:44.230 --> 00:14:46.129 what I want to explain. Right. So what does the 00:14:46.129 --> 00:14:49.850 day look like? The day looks like the child comes 00:14:49.850 --> 00:14:52.590 into. So because we are an early starting school, 00:14:52.769 --> 00:14:56.909 we start at 7 .50. OK, and then so we have a 00:14:56.909 --> 00:15:00.309 brighter start morning. So all the children get 00:15:00.309 --> 00:15:02.769 breakfast, whether you've had breakfast or not. 00:15:02.769 --> 00:15:05.649 There's breakfast on offer in every classroom. 00:15:05.750 --> 00:15:08.870 There's breakfast on offer. And then there is 00:15:08.870 --> 00:15:13.029 some dancing. It's silly to come, but they have 00:15:13.029 --> 00:15:18.759 some. That is first 15 minutes, first 10 minutes 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:21.940 is dancing, breakfast, and then you do your register. 00:15:22.279 --> 00:15:25.740 So by 8 .15, the first students that will attend 00:15:25.740 --> 00:15:29.139 the nurture group would be the year one students. 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:32.220 Because obviously they've come from reception. 00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:34.559 This is in September. They've come from reception, 00:15:34.899 --> 00:15:38.320 open plan, play, choice. They've had all that. 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:41.080 And now coming into year one into a completely 00:15:41.080 --> 00:15:44.620 structured environment with their tables there, 00:15:44.779 --> 00:15:49.529 it was very, very difficult, you know. They would 00:15:49.529 --> 00:15:52.129 come in and I would be leading that. A specialist 00:15:52.129 --> 00:15:54.789 teacher would lead that. And they'd come in at 00:15:54.789 --> 00:15:58.169 8 .15 to me. So this would be in September. We 00:15:58.169 --> 00:16:01.250 would start off with a 45 -minute session with 00:16:01.250 --> 00:16:05.129 them. And this session would, you know, include 00:16:05.129 --> 00:16:08.029 all this. So we would have attention bucket during 00:16:08.029 --> 00:16:11.289 that session. We would have, you know, sensory 00:16:11.289 --> 00:16:15.350 play. sensory therapy, Lego therapy, we would 00:16:15.350 --> 00:16:17.629 have Play -Doh therapy, we would have massage 00:16:17.629 --> 00:16:21.470 therapy. So it's four to five days a week, 45 00:16:21.470 --> 00:16:24.289 minutes during September, we would leave this. 00:16:24.470 --> 00:16:26.450 And then after that, they're going back into 00:16:26.450 --> 00:16:28.850 their classroom and they would join their classroom 00:16:28.850 --> 00:16:32.330 and they would have their sensory breaks. But 00:16:32.330 --> 00:16:34.889 throughout this year, while I was doing these, 00:16:35.149 --> 00:16:38.750 the teachers, every class teacher came and observed 00:16:38.750 --> 00:16:44.090 the sessions. So in this way, they could then 00:16:44.090 --> 00:16:48.970 mirror and put in the strategies they saw me 00:16:48.970 --> 00:16:51.850 using with these children. So, you know, transitions 00:16:51.850 --> 00:16:54.950 from carpet to the tabletop, transitions from 00:16:54.950 --> 00:16:58.450 one activity to another, sensory breaks, you 00:16:58.450 --> 00:17:01.970 know. So instead of being reactive, we started 00:17:01.970 --> 00:17:06.079 being proactive. It doesn't hurt any of the other 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:09.380 children either. All children benefit from sensory 00:17:09.380 --> 00:17:11.960 breaks and transitions and visuals and all of 00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:14.299 those things. So that's just music to my ears 00:17:14.299 --> 00:17:17.000 to hear that all teachers were invested and interested 00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:20.019 in not only introducing those and supporting 00:17:20.019 --> 00:17:21.559 the nurture group and understanding what's going 00:17:21.559 --> 00:17:23.940 on there, but actually bringing in those really 00:17:23.940 --> 00:17:25.720 important strategies that can help all children 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:29.049 into it. every class. Yeah. And everybody got 00:17:29.049 --> 00:17:32.230 training on trauma and nurture, you know, so 00:17:32.230 --> 00:17:35.490 everybody was trauma -informed. Everybody recognized, 00:17:35.809 --> 00:17:38.930 you know, the behavior iceberg. Everybody started 00:17:38.930 --> 00:17:41.349 looking at this child doesn't want to make your 00:17:41.349 --> 00:17:44.710 life difficult. They are struggling and that's 00:17:44.710 --> 00:17:47.289 why they're doing this. And once they started, 00:17:47.349 --> 00:17:52.089 you know, by the spring, second half of the spring 00:17:52.089 --> 00:17:57.440 term, the time is reduced because The behaviors 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:01.579 and the skills they have learned are now transitioning 00:18:01.579 --> 00:18:05.460 into class. You see, once they go from the nurture 00:18:05.460 --> 00:18:08.319 room, once they've had their sensory appetite 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:12.630 fed for the morning, you know, the morning. Waking 00:18:12.630 --> 00:18:15.029 up in the morning, being rushed into school, 00:18:15.369 --> 00:18:17.569 you know, we don't know what the home environment 00:18:17.569 --> 00:18:21.289 has been. We don't know if they slept well at 00:18:21.289 --> 00:18:23.589 night. As we know, autistic children struggle 00:18:23.589 --> 00:18:26.450 with sleeping at night. All those things are, 00:18:26.569 --> 00:18:29.150 when the child comes into the nurture room, I 00:18:29.150 --> 00:18:33.470 am there. The TAs who are trained, trauma -informed, 00:18:33.690 --> 00:18:36.710 nurture, you know, giving nurture, recognizing 00:18:36.710 --> 00:18:39.890 behavior iceberg, recognizing communication. 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:42.779 So many times, you know, you'll have the child 00:18:42.779 --> 00:18:46.359 bouncing in and he'll just run off because the 00:18:46.359 --> 00:18:49.619 hub that we have made is very much a home away 00:18:49.619 --> 00:18:53.299 from home. So we have a little carpet there. 00:18:53.420 --> 00:18:55.759 We have a little table, but we also have a little 00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:58.480 kitchen area. We have a living room area where 00:18:58.480 --> 00:19:01.559 we have soft furnishing. We have sofas. We have 00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:04.920 soft toys, you know. So you'll have them sometimes 00:19:04.920 --> 00:19:08.579 run in and just run in and go to the sofa and 00:19:08.579 --> 00:19:11.880 just lie down there. And the TAs know they're 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:13.839 not going to run and force them. They're not 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:16.519 going to. Eventually, they themselves come to 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:20.220 the carpet and join in. And it becomes less and 00:19:20.220 --> 00:19:23.160 less because they enjoy what they're doing. And 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:25.559 they know what the expectations are because there's 00:19:25.559 --> 00:19:28.079 consistency, there's structure, and there's routine. 00:19:28.579 --> 00:19:30.680 And they know what's going to happen. They feel 00:19:30.680 --> 00:19:32.720 safe. They know when I come into the nurture 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.640 room, if I don't want to engage in the first 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:38.200 activity, I can just go and lie down on the sofa. 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:42.599 Yeah. I feel like lots of people use the word 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:44.259 nurture hub and I feel like what you've just 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:47.119 described is exactly what it should be. It should 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:52.220 be a specialist, trained teacher leading. It 00:19:52.220 --> 00:19:55.720 should be an organized environment that is for 00:19:55.720 --> 00:20:00.200 the children. It should be planned for and predictable 00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:03.539 with support staff in there. There should be 00:20:03.539 --> 00:20:07.140 a planned transition in and out of the mainstream. 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:10.099 All of those things. Lots of the people that 00:20:10.099 --> 00:20:11.960 are doing nurture groups are not doing this farrier. 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:17.200 Lots of them are run in corridors and cupboards 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:20.140 by teaching assistants that are not trained. 00:20:20.680 --> 00:20:23.859 And it really is used as a way of getting them 00:20:23.859 --> 00:20:26.180 out of the classroom, but with no plan on actually 00:20:26.180 --> 00:20:28.339 what to do with the children and getting them 00:20:28.339 --> 00:20:31.579 back. No forethought onto what that... actually 00:20:31.579 --> 00:20:34.960 can be more of a babysitting service and it's 00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:37.640 such a shame because it means that they think 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:39.359 they're doing nurture groups when they hear that 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:41.000 but they're not being told what they actually 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:44.539 are and so hearing you explain what you do is 00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:46.980 really enlightening it that it makes so much 00:20:46.980 --> 00:20:49.980 sense to me that this is such a fantastic idea 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:54.099 and of course this is supporting All children, 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:57.000 the mainstream, them getting back into the classroom. 00:20:57.259 --> 00:20:59.539 It's supporting teachers' training. It's supporting 00:20:59.539 --> 00:21:04.140 their regulation. It just sounds fantastic. Because, 00:21:04.180 --> 00:21:06.480 I mean, the main thing, why are these children 00:21:06.480 --> 00:21:09.839 being sent out of the classroom? Why? Because 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:13.000 the connection is not there. Teachers are not 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:16.099 recognising. I know teachers have so many children 00:21:16.099 --> 00:21:19.259 and they have to. But once you have that connection, 00:21:19.579 --> 00:21:22.039 once you know, and you know today this child 00:21:22.039 --> 00:21:27.109 has come in, Yes, he has this learning to do, 00:21:27.210 --> 00:21:30.630 but today is not a good day for him. So maybe 00:21:30.630 --> 00:21:32.769 once he comes back from the nurture room, he 00:21:32.769 --> 00:21:35.710 could have this small activity, right? Or he 00:21:35.710 --> 00:21:38.250 could join in in this group and then do something 00:21:38.250 --> 00:21:41.450 else. The environment around that child is fostered 00:21:41.450 --> 00:21:44.569 in such a way. Or he gets along really well with 00:21:44.569 --> 00:21:46.890 this other child in class. Maybe if he's sitting 00:21:46.890 --> 00:21:49.529 next to this other child, you know, and that 00:21:49.529 --> 00:21:52.960 child. So it's recognizing and the NACHA group 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:55.980 has been really instrumental in building these 00:21:55.980 --> 00:21:59.059 connections with the teachers and with the students, 00:21:59.500 --> 00:22:03.140 you know, and them knowing by summer term only 00:22:03.140 --> 00:22:08.140 about. In September, I'd start off with a 12 00:22:08.140 --> 00:22:11.799 group student. By the summer term, I'd hardly 00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:14.279 have three or four left in there because they're 00:22:14.279 --> 00:22:16.980 happier to be in class and they're happier to, 00:22:17.019 --> 00:22:20.619 they know they can ask for their sensory break. 00:22:20.660 --> 00:22:23.640 When they've had enough, they can say stop because 00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:26.119 they've learned that in the nurture group. They've 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:29.960 learned, I can say stop. Okay, enough. I can't 00:22:29.960 --> 00:22:34.180 do this, you know. The teachers, the TAs who 00:22:34.180 --> 00:22:37.299 are working with them recognize, is this a tantrum 00:22:37.299 --> 00:22:41.539 or is it just, you know, are they trying to just 00:22:41.539 --> 00:22:43.799 avoid it? And they can't really, they're just 00:22:43.799 --> 00:22:46.599 being cheeky here. Or, you know, he's having 00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:49.880 a difficult time. Okay. Should we challenge here 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:53.259 or not? This is what we need to do. Recognize, 00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:57.880 connect, you know, and that is where the nurture 00:22:57.880 --> 00:23:00.819 groups have been. Excellent, because once those 00:23:00.819 --> 00:23:03.500 children have learned their social skills, they 00:23:03.500 --> 00:23:07.400 have learned how to ask for help. They've learned 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:09.920 how to say no when they've had enough. They've 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:13.180 learned how to communicate happy, sad, pain. 00:23:13.539 --> 00:23:15.599 You know, we use the zones of regulation. As 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:17.500 soon as they come into the nurture room, the 00:23:17.500 --> 00:23:20.140 first thing is they go and sign in. When they 00:23:20.140 --> 00:23:22.460 first start, they're just doing what everybody 00:23:22.460 --> 00:23:26.500 else is doing. But through the sessions, they 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:30.480 start saying no, blue. You know, and those who 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:34.880 cannot, who are pre -verbal or, you know, they 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:38.920 are able to show if they're in the blue, they'd 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:42.940 point to their stomach. I'm hungry. It's up in 00:23:42.940 --> 00:23:46.059 the blue today. It's just amazing. You know, 00:23:46.140 --> 00:23:48.920 and you know, okay, you're hungry. All right. 00:23:48.940 --> 00:23:51.000 First, you'll have something to eat then. You 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:52.980 didn't have anything in class. Let's have the 00:23:52.980 --> 00:23:55.279 choices. What do you want to have? Choose what, 00:23:55.420 --> 00:23:58.940 you know. And always, all of them, they're like, 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:02.440 you know, the ones who, I don't know what chocolate 00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:05.539 is, but you can have a muffin. But great asking. 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:09.039 But, you know, and they will try. And, you know, 00:24:09.039 --> 00:24:11.460 so many times they'll try and, you know, and 00:24:11.460 --> 00:24:13.440 then we... But they're understood. So even if 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:17.079 it's not a yes, they feel understood by you. 00:24:17.220 --> 00:24:19.500 You're giving them that connection rather than 00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:22.160 that control. Exactly. You're understanding them. 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:24.059 You're understanding that it's important to them 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:28.670 that they are hungry. Yes. And that's just beautiful. 00:24:29.109 --> 00:24:31.970 And the nurture then is transferred into the 00:24:31.970 --> 00:24:35.170 classroom because the teacher has attended. She 00:24:35.170 --> 00:24:39.509 has seen what a difference it makes. She has 00:24:39.509 --> 00:24:43.089 seen the strategies that we use. And I mean, 00:24:43.089 --> 00:24:45.190 they do have tabletop activities. They have phonic 00:24:45.190 --> 00:24:47.950 sessions. You know, we have curriculum based 00:24:47.950 --> 00:24:51.809 activities as well in there. We are adjusting 00:24:51.809 --> 00:24:54.289 to the environment to meet their needs. We're 00:24:54.289 --> 00:24:57.509 not asking them to adjust. And then they will 00:24:57.509 --> 00:25:02.309 learn how to be resilient enough to be able to 00:25:02.309 --> 00:25:05.789 succeed in environments that are not suitable. 00:25:05.990 --> 00:25:08.509 But at least they'll build that resilience. They'll 00:25:08.509 --> 00:25:12.049 build that confidence, you know? Yeah, absolutely. 00:25:13.129 --> 00:25:15.990 So they're your Key Stage 1 children. What happens 00:25:15.990 --> 00:25:18.009 with Key Stage 2 if they're needing a bit of 00:25:18.009 --> 00:25:20.690 support? So the Key Stage 2 as well. So I have 00:25:20.690 --> 00:25:23.089 year one, I have the early years at Key Stage 00:25:23.089 --> 00:25:26.130 1 and 2. And then Key Stage 2, we have a second 00:25:26.130 --> 00:25:29.309 SENCO who leads her group for Key Stage 2. Same, 00:25:29.490 --> 00:25:32.509 we've had excellent, I mean, we were all in tears. 00:25:32.529 --> 00:25:35.450 One of our students who was, you know, school 00:25:35.450 --> 00:25:39.410 avoidance was. a major an autistic autistic boy 00:25:39.410 --> 00:25:41.930 who struggled to come into school and school 00:25:41.930 --> 00:25:45.529 awarded the nurture group his attendance was 00:25:45.529 --> 00:25:49.049 excellent he got a head teacher's award he just 00:25:49.049 --> 00:25:53.200 you know on their graduation for year six You 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:56.220 know, and I was just like, so it's amazing when 00:25:56.220 --> 00:25:58.619 you see this progress, when you see them becoming 00:25:58.619 --> 00:26:02.019 so confident. We've had children going from our 00:26:02.019 --> 00:26:04.339 school, you know, going into secondary schools 00:26:04.339 --> 00:26:06.599 and, you know, their parents and them coming 00:26:06.599 --> 00:26:10.480 and saying to us that, you know, the boy was 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:14.000 able to tell the staff that I'm not comfortable 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:18.180 doing this. And, you know, because he's learned 00:26:18.180 --> 00:26:21.400 that, he knows that he has a voice. And if he 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:23.829 doesn't want to do something, You know, they're 00:26:23.829 --> 00:26:26.609 forcing, I'm not going to do this. Whereas before 00:26:26.609 --> 00:26:31.269 he might have run away or thrown something. It 00:26:31.269 --> 00:26:33.410 used to be one of those children getting very 00:26:33.410 --> 00:26:36.609 frustrated. But now he's using his voice or he's 00:26:36.609 --> 00:26:39.130 using his body whereby he got to move away from 00:26:39.130 --> 00:26:42.589 that place. And it's validated. He's not forced. 00:26:42.829 --> 00:26:45.349 He knows he can do that because he feels safe 00:26:45.349 --> 00:26:48.160 that he will be understood and not. told off 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:51.019 it's not seen as a naughty thing in that in that 00:26:51.019 --> 00:26:54.119 restraint yeah i mean i just think you know the 00:26:54.119 --> 00:26:57.619 key principles of the nurture group should be 00:26:57.619 --> 00:27:02.460 that the child is able to predict his environment 00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:06.519 know what's going to happen he knows his emotional 00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:09.980 you know he's able to communicate his emotional 00:27:09.980 --> 00:27:14.259 feeling how he's feeling we encourage every feeling 00:27:14.259 --> 00:27:18.609 is validated even if you're angry yes But how 00:27:18.609 --> 00:27:23.089 do we communicate that? How do we self -regulate? 00:27:23.130 --> 00:27:25.809 How do we co -regulate? How do we self -regulate? 00:27:26.029 --> 00:27:30.779 From co -regulating to self -regulating. We want 00:27:30.779 --> 00:27:34.039 to make these children independent enough. We 00:27:34.039 --> 00:27:38.599 want to make them successful in every area of 00:27:38.599 --> 00:27:41.579 their, you know, for them to be happy children, 00:27:41.740 --> 00:27:44.579 to be happy individuals, to be able to communicate, 00:27:44.779 --> 00:27:48.180 to be able to recognize how they're feeling and 00:27:48.180 --> 00:27:50.059 to be able to communicate how they're feeling. 00:27:50.299 --> 00:27:54.299 They don't have to resort to, you know, hitting 00:27:54.299 --> 00:27:58.400 or shouting or crying. going into severe meltdowns, 00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:02.000 which are very difficult for them as well. Yeah, 00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:07.180 of course. Yeah, but it's very tiring. Exactly. 00:28:07.460 --> 00:28:10.839 So, I mean, the main aspect of these nurture 00:28:10.839 --> 00:28:14.519 groups initially was just to support the children. 00:28:14.910 --> 00:28:17.109 after COVID, you know, children who are having, 00:28:17.130 --> 00:28:20.109 you know, meltdowns. But now, because we have 00:28:20.109 --> 00:28:23.009 seen such a great, even children who are coming 00:28:23.009 --> 00:28:25.369 in, you know, like the safeguarding team would 00:28:25.369 --> 00:28:27.890 get in touch with me and say, this child, you 00:28:27.890 --> 00:28:30.690 know, this ACE is involved, you know, we would 00:28:30.690 --> 00:28:33.630 take that child into a group, even if it is for 00:28:33.630 --> 00:28:38.619 a term. Great difference in their, you know, 00:28:38.619 --> 00:28:42.539 emotional well -being, a great difference in 00:28:42.539 --> 00:28:45.259 their able, you know, them able to connect, them 00:28:45.259 --> 00:28:48.299 able to know who they can connect with, them 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:51.339 able to know who they can ask help for, them 00:28:51.339 --> 00:28:54.220 able to communicate, to be able to, you know, 00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:57.140 their social emotional language, the vocabulary 00:28:57.140 --> 00:29:01.319 becomes brilliant, you know, amazing to hear 00:29:01.319 --> 00:29:06.319 them use different words, you know. Like the 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:10.480 other day, I think I had a year four child. You 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:12.960 know, she said, I think I'm just overwhelmed. 00:29:15.339 --> 00:29:17.900 And I was like, oh, that's a really good word. 00:29:18.339 --> 00:29:21.220 Why do you mean? What do you mean by overwhelmed? 00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:25.160 I'm in the blue zone, but I think I'm overwhelmed. 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:27.900 That's why I'm in the blue zone. And then she 00:29:27.900 --> 00:29:30.859 went on to explain, because in class as well, 00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:33.519 they use the zones of regulation. They check 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:36.460 in twice a day, in the morning and in the afternoon. 00:29:36.700 --> 00:29:39.049 And if they're in the red zone. They are able 00:29:39.049 --> 00:29:40.930 to communicate to the teacher. Why didn't this 00:29:40.930 --> 00:29:44.990 happen during playtime? Okay, let's see. How 00:29:44.990 --> 00:29:48.430 can we help you? We are here to listen, you know. 00:29:48.470 --> 00:29:52.609 So, I mean, again, as I said, nurture groups 00:29:52.609 --> 00:29:57.170 should be there, you know, to form those connections, 00:29:57.410 --> 00:30:02.410 to form that safety, you know. How, if SENCOs 00:30:02.410 --> 00:30:04.109 are listening to this or headteachers are listening 00:30:04.109 --> 00:30:07.420 to this and thinking, Either I want to set up 00:30:07.420 --> 00:30:09.440 a nurture group or we've got a nurture group, 00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:11.359 but actually it doesn't run quite like this. 00:30:11.740 --> 00:30:15.539 What would be, what's important for them to know 00:30:15.539 --> 00:30:19.160 when to ensure that their nurture group is done 00:30:19.160 --> 00:30:24.759 in this collaborative way? I think for them to 00:30:24.759 --> 00:30:28.259 recognize this, it is, and to be able to set 00:30:28.259 --> 00:30:32.529 up a nurture group is to have. The senior leadership 00:30:32.529 --> 00:30:37.569 team on board, head teacher is extremely wonderful 00:30:37.569 --> 00:30:41.529 and she's so inclusive and she's all for, you 00:30:41.529 --> 00:30:44.150 know, supporting special education needs, students, 00:30:44.349 --> 00:30:46.829 children, you know, other children, vulnerable 00:30:46.829 --> 00:30:49.670 children. She's always looking for avenues. I 00:30:49.670 --> 00:30:52.450 mean, the offer and provision we have in our 00:30:52.450 --> 00:30:55.690 school is amazing. You know, this was just the 00:30:55.690 --> 00:30:59.690 cherry on the cake, the nurture group. you know 00:30:59.690 --> 00:31:04.490 it's training the staff on recognizing connecting 00:31:04.490 --> 00:31:08.450 you know and training the teachers, the teachers 00:31:08.450 --> 00:31:13.089 need to come in. I know, but in teacher training, 00:31:13.269 --> 00:31:16.150 the scent portion is very limited. You know, 00:31:16.190 --> 00:31:19.309 teachers struggle when they have children coming 00:31:19.309 --> 00:31:21.910 into them, throwing tables, throwing, and it's 00:31:21.910 --> 00:31:24.089 difficult because they have 30 children in their 00:31:24.089 --> 00:31:26.349 classroom. It does become difficult. It's not 00:31:26.349 --> 00:31:29.410 that easy. And now with, you know, with the school 00:31:29.410 --> 00:31:32.279 struggling. you know, with funding and, you know, 00:31:32.299 --> 00:31:34.920 we don't have enough professionals coming in. 00:31:34.980 --> 00:31:38.619 We have to look for avenues. And I think having 00:31:38.619 --> 00:31:43.420 SLT on board, you know, training staff and, you 00:31:43.420 --> 00:31:46.460 know, three principles of it being to nurture, 00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:49.980 you know, to teach these children skills, to 00:31:49.980 --> 00:31:52.599 be able to develop, you know, their learning 00:31:52.599 --> 00:31:56.940 skills. So understand their learning is understood 00:31:56.940 --> 00:32:01.970 how developmentally for them. You know, recognizing 00:32:01.970 --> 00:32:05.670 language is a vital means of communication, whether 00:32:05.670 --> 00:32:09.609 it is through speaking, through PECs, through 00:32:09.609 --> 00:32:16.329 AAC devices, all those transitions are important 00:32:16.329 --> 00:32:19.609 for children. So for them to be able to transition, 00:32:19.730 --> 00:32:22.309 even in the... classroom. Nurture groups are 00:32:22.309 --> 00:32:24.910 the best place because they start in a small 00:32:24.910 --> 00:32:27.369 group. It's amazing when the head teacher walks 00:32:27.369 --> 00:32:31.029 in, you know, in the second half of the autumn 00:32:31.029 --> 00:32:33.609 term, and you have these year one children who 00:32:33.609 --> 00:32:36.630 struggled even, you know, the first few weeks 00:32:36.630 --> 00:32:39.410 were, and you know, you've just finished your 00:32:39.410 --> 00:32:42.549 attention bucket. And what's next? Tabletop activity. 00:32:42.950 --> 00:32:46.049 They're putting away their cushions, running 00:32:46.049 --> 00:32:51.599 to the table. And that is now then, you know, 00:32:51.599 --> 00:32:53.500 transferred into the classroom because when the 00:32:53.500 --> 00:32:57.980 teacher says, OK, table time, transition, they're 00:32:57.980 --> 00:33:02.480 more than happy to do it because that system 00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:05.519 has been taught to them in a smaller environment. 00:33:05.579 --> 00:33:09.539 And now they are able to practice that in a larger, 00:33:09.680 --> 00:33:14.490 more noisy, you know, safe, structured. emotionally 00:33:14.490 --> 00:33:18.549 responsive environment. Yes, absolutely. You 00:33:18.549 --> 00:33:20.390 said before you started this that you did some 00:33:20.390 --> 00:33:22.589 research about nurture groups. Do you have off 00:33:22.589 --> 00:33:24.829 the top of your head what kind of reading or 00:33:24.829 --> 00:33:27.549 what you used to research this? Because I'm sure 00:33:27.549 --> 00:33:29.569 people would want to find out more through those. 00:33:31.099 --> 00:33:32.319 I don't have it on top of my... That's fine. 00:33:32.380 --> 00:33:34.099 Do you want to email it to me and I'll leave 00:33:34.099 --> 00:33:36.019 it in the description below? I can send it to 00:33:36.019 --> 00:33:38.240 you. So if you're listening to this... Yeah, 00:33:39.160 --> 00:33:40.559 that's fine. If you're listening to this and 00:33:40.559 --> 00:33:42.539 you would like to learn more, then I will have 00:33:42.539 --> 00:33:45.460 all the links to what you've researched below 00:33:45.460 --> 00:33:46.400 and everything you find. Yes, I will send you 00:33:46.400 --> 00:33:50.220 all the links for that. I also have a debate 00:33:50.220 --> 00:33:53.680 that happened in the parliament a few years. 00:33:53.799 --> 00:33:56.319 It's quite an old one, but it's quite specific 00:33:56.319 --> 00:33:59.380 on how you're talking about nurture groups and 00:33:59.380 --> 00:34:01.759 how important they are. I think it's nice for 00:34:01.759 --> 00:34:04.240 people to go and look at that debate and all 00:34:04.240 --> 00:34:06.640 the questions that were asked around it. I would 00:34:06.640 --> 00:34:08.760 love you to send me that. Sometimes you have 00:34:08.760 --> 00:34:11.659 nurture groups whereby it's, you know, the children 00:34:11.659 --> 00:34:14.699 go there to complete work that they were not 00:34:14.699 --> 00:34:19.449 able to do in the classroom. No. So that is, 00:34:19.469 --> 00:34:23.969 that befits, you know, the main reason for bringing 00:34:23.969 --> 00:34:26.510 them in this. They were not able to do that in 00:34:26.510 --> 00:34:28.309 the classroom because there's a certain reason 00:34:28.309 --> 00:34:33.409 behind that. So we need to. It feels like a punishment, 00:34:33.530 --> 00:34:36.010 doesn't it? Yeah. We need to support that child 00:34:36.010 --> 00:34:40.769 to be able to build that skill, build that resilience 00:34:40.769 --> 00:34:44.070 to be able to do that task in the classroom. 00:34:44.349 --> 00:34:48.250 Yeah. Yeah. What do we do? We teach them those 00:34:48.250 --> 00:34:51.210 skills. We work with them to be able to build 00:34:51.210 --> 00:34:54.829 that resilience, that impulse control. Sometimes 00:34:54.829 --> 00:34:58.289 it's neurodivergent. They have spiky profiles. 00:34:58.889 --> 00:35:02.230 Sometimes they will be able to do it. And sometimes 00:35:02.230 --> 00:35:05.590 they will not be able to do it. It's us as the 00:35:05.590 --> 00:35:09.309 adults to recognize, have that connection and 00:35:09.309 --> 00:35:13.239 see, okay, today's not a good day. Don't do this. 00:35:13.320 --> 00:35:17.840 But excluding them, taking them out, it becomes 00:35:17.840 --> 00:35:21.199 more of a punishment. And otherwise, I think 00:35:21.199 --> 00:35:23.239 that's what's happening. And then it's losing 00:35:23.239 --> 00:35:28.260 that connection. It's losing the trust that that 00:35:28.260 --> 00:35:32.019 nurture group is building. It's making it a negative 00:35:32.019 --> 00:35:35.840 thing, a scary thing. And it's not ultimately, 00:35:36.059 --> 00:35:39.480 yeah. the purpose of fundamentally what a nurture 00:35:39.480 --> 00:35:42.179 group should be doing. Faria, what does the future 00:35:42.179 --> 00:35:44.360 look like? You know, you sound like you've got 00:35:44.360 --> 00:35:47.780 always lots of ideas and always developing. In 00:35:47.780 --> 00:35:49.860 your mind, what's the next thing? What does the 00:35:49.860 --> 00:35:53.599 future in SEND in mainstream look like to you? 00:35:53.840 --> 00:35:57.159 I want to be positive because it's very, unfortunately, 00:35:57.280 --> 00:36:00.940 it's very glim. And, you know, it is becoming 00:36:00.940 --> 00:36:04.170 very difficult for the teachers. It is becoming 00:36:04.170 --> 00:36:07.510 because we do not have the professional support. 00:36:07.730 --> 00:36:09.829 You know, before you used to have occupational 00:36:09.829 --> 00:36:12.449 therapists coming in. You had speech and language 00:36:12.449 --> 00:36:14.869 therapists coming in. You had the educational 00:36:14.869 --> 00:36:19.389 psychologist coming in. You had, you know, the 00:36:19.389 --> 00:36:24.329 speech and communication complex needs team coming 00:36:24.329 --> 00:36:27.289 in. They were all coming in to support you. And 00:36:27.289 --> 00:36:30.630 now you don't have that. Now it's only an assess 00:36:30.630 --> 00:36:34.099 and recommend basis. The children are getting 00:36:34.099 --> 00:36:38.360 more complex and higher needs and the support 00:36:38.360 --> 00:36:41.500 is diminishing. The support is diminishing. And 00:36:41.500 --> 00:36:48.579 I just feel we need to, as I said, the main aim 00:36:48.579 --> 00:36:52.019 of us putting this nurture room program in place 00:36:52.019 --> 00:36:54.900 was because we were struggling with this all, 00:36:55.099 --> 00:36:57.960 you know, children being, you know, we can't 00:36:57.960 --> 00:37:00.369 have that child in the classroom. And we can't 00:37:00.369 --> 00:37:03.130 just have them outside for the whole day, you 00:37:03.130 --> 00:37:05.750 know. And then, you know, alternative provisions, 00:37:05.989 --> 00:37:08.369 there's no spaces. There's no, you know, you 00:37:08.369 --> 00:37:11.210 have the educational side, get an EHCP. I mean, 00:37:11.250 --> 00:37:14.550 we have educational psychologists coming in only 00:37:14.550 --> 00:37:16.829 to assess for an educational health care plan. 00:37:17.150 --> 00:37:19.289 Before we used to have an educational psychologist 00:37:19.289 --> 00:37:22.329 coming in to give recommendations to observe 00:37:22.329 --> 00:37:25.510 the child, to, you know, train the teachers, 00:37:25.630 --> 00:37:28.920 to train the staff, you know. give us more insight. 00:37:29.239 --> 00:37:32.420 So I think at the moment it is very difficult, 00:37:32.480 --> 00:37:35.260 but we have to look for ways to support these 00:37:35.260 --> 00:37:38.679 children. And the nurture group is, it has been 00:37:38.679 --> 00:37:41.579 very successful for the last two years now, this 00:37:41.579 --> 00:37:44.719 third year going. And I feel setting up a nurture 00:37:44.719 --> 00:37:49.659 group in your school as a means to transfer the 00:37:49.659 --> 00:37:52.539 skills into the classroom, not as a means to 00:37:52.539 --> 00:37:55.380 hide the children in. Yeah. And I think that's 00:37:55.380 --> 00:37:58.099 it. That is exactly it, isn't it? How are your 00:37:58.099 --> 00:38:00.480 school funding this? Is it extra funding or are 00:38:00.480 --> 00:38:03.679 they self -funding it? Or is it through EHCPs? 00:38:04.039 --> 00:38:07.480 So we have some children who have got EHCPs. 00:38:07.480 --> 00:38:10.940 So that's how we are funding it. And then, I 00:38:10.940 --> 00:38:14.539 mean, our school has been quite good financially 00:38:14.539 --> 00:38:17.500 for many years. But now, of course, everything 00:38:17.500 --> 00:38:20.639 is going, everybody is struggling. So I don't 00:38:20.639 --> 00:38:23.079 know, in the future, we might be struggling as 00:38:23.079 --> 00:38:25.519 well. We are, you know, we are being very careful. 00:38:26.710 --> 00:38:30.329 But setting up a nurture group is not very expensive 00:38:30.329 --> 00:38:33.530 because if you already have a SENCO in the school 00:38:33.530 --> 00:38:38.150 who is a specialist, you know, and you can, you 00:38:38.150 --> 00:38:40.510 know, you can also use if you have your buy -in 00:38:40.510 --> 00:38:42.269 service or you have your speech and language 00:38:42.269 --> 00:38:45.250 therapist or, you know, just take those ideas, 00:38:45.429 --> 00:38:49.550 you know, a small room with good lighting, some 00:38:49.550 --> 00:38:52.900 soft furnishings, you know. have your carpet 00:38:52.900 --> 00:38:55.320 there have a you know a few tables there yeah 00:38:55.320 --> 00:38:57.360 we're not talking a full sensory room we're not 00:38:57.360 --> 00:39:01.400 talking anything like that it's a small space 00:39:01.400 --> 00:39:04.579 and yeah a small space and you have an interactive 00:39:04.579 --> 00:39:07.420 whiteboard there where you can you know like 00:39:07.929 --> 00:39:11.349 with your core word curriculum, the one you have 00:39:11.349 --> 00:39:15.369 where you have the videos. So we have our Play 00:39:15.369 --> 00:39:17.989 -Doh therapy, which again, it plays on the board 00:39:17.989 --> 00:39:20.110 and the children are with their Play -Doh. They're 00:39:20.110 --> 00:39:22.389 just following that. Yeah, so you need a couple 00:39:22.389 --> 00:39:24.289 of tables, a couple of chairs, a whiteboard. 00:39:24.349 --> 00:39:27.510 It's basically a small classroom. Yeah. specialist 00:39:27.510 --> 00:39:30.630 teacher and some support adults but they probably 00:39:30.630 --> 00:39:33.570 come with them from the main class or yes that 00:39:33.570 --> 00:39:36.750 you come with and those adults are trained in 00:39:36.750 --> 00:39:39.469 trauma and in you know yeah i guess that's the 00:39:39.469 --> 00:39:42.469 thing it's it's a it's using that budget whatever 00:39:42.469 --> 00:39:45.210 budget you do have for staff training ultimately 00:39:45.210 --> 00:39:49.469 exactly and again we are at the moment because 00:39:49.469 --> 00:39:52.699 we it has been so successful we are now we have 00:39:52.699 --> 00:39:55.920 parents also coming in to join into these nurture 00:39:55.920 --> 00:39:58.639 groups what's happening so that they can then 00:39:58.639 --> 00:40:03.039 transfer these strategies at home and we are 00:40:03.039 --> 00:40:06.460 also looking into now training different schools 00:40:06.460 --> 00:40:09.199 working with different schools sharing our practice 00:40:09.199 --> 00:40:11.960 so that's the next chapter what we are going 00:40:11.960 --> 00:40:14.019 to so if you're a school in london they're cut 00:40:14.019 --> 00:40:18.199 in town Then get in touch with Varya. Get in 00:40:18.199 --> 00:40:20.739 touch with me and we'll be more than happy to 00:40:20.739 --> 00:40:23.960 share our practice with them. I know, I know, 00:40:24.059 --> 00:40:26.280 because this is a question I get all the time. 00:40:26.380 --> 00:40:28.079 I know people are going to listen to this and 00:40:28.079 --> 00:40:30.179 thinking, I need to get in contact with her. 00:40:30.340 --> 00:40:33.260 I want to find out more. Where do people find 00:40:33.260 --> 00:40:37.380 you? Okay, so as you already know, I have my 00:40:37.380 --> 00:40:41.260 Instagram, Agent Senko. I can be found on there 00:40:41.260 --> 00:40:44.579 and I will leave my email with you. which they 00:40:44.579 --> 00:40:47.960 can contact me through email. Amazing. They definitely 00:40:47.960 --> 00:40:50.300 will. Just warning you. Thank you so much, Farah. 00:40:50.340 --> 00:40:52.320 This is such an important conversation. And I 00:40:52.320 --> 00:40:55.119 am so pleased that there are schools out there 00:40:55.119 --> 00:40:58.019 that are doing this and doing it this way. And 00:40:58.019 --> 00:41:00.320 I'm so pleased that you have come on here to 00:41:00.320 --> 00:41:03.199 share your insight to, and this is the perfect 00:41:03.199 --> 00:41:06.250 time as well, the start of a new term. to get 00:41:06.250 --> 00:41:08.510 this right, I think it's really important. So 00:41:08.510 --> 00:41:10.650 thank you so much, Faria. Thank you, Jordan, 00:41:10.730 --> 00:41:13.769 for having me over. And I just say if there's 00:41:13.769 --> 00:41:15.969 anything anybody needs, I'm more than happy to 00:41:15.969 --> 00:41:16.250 help.