excuse me girls but isn't it still Tuesday the 1st of August? I know it's the holidays and we do lose track of the days (well i do I must admit ) but I am sure that when I looked at the calendar this morning it said 1st August! interesting subject though . our special needs teacher does some of the testing of our integration group kids...I test usimng TAPS, TVPS, Beery VMI, and BPVS but not the emotional development type tests .

i've been thinking about work since i finished in the middle of July!!!

nothing like forward planning

I remeber the summer we set up our nurture group, it was the first on in the lea outside a small cluster of schools who had been running for a year with SRB funding. We had to fund ours ourself and me and my best mate spent an umhealthy chunk of the summer hols preparing the room to turn it into something a lot more soft qand cuddly than it had been previously

that was in 1999

You hit hte nail on the head there Summer, me, my colleague and senco are meeting once a week through the summer hols along with EP to make plans for the group. We met through the term as and when, at work, but the work always got in the way! In behaviour support you can never plan when something is going to kick off!
When we did meet we always met the financial brick wall.
I think the main frustration is that as an early intervention that has a proven track record, there is still no major investment from government ie dfes. whereas in secondary if you need new sports development you become a 'sports college' ;if you want to develop the arts you become an 'arts college', hey presto money appears!
What happens in early years is vital development that affects children so deeply- forever, and yet Sure Start ends at 5 years and then youre on your own, begging in fact, for resourses.
Don't even get me started on pay!!
The thing is we are all passionate about making a difference to children's lives and the drive we have is the motivation for others, but shouldn't we be rewarded for the love of it too?
Oh my, it's only 9.30 am , could be a long day, !!

I can honestly say that keeping our group alive was a real struggle in those early years, the HT of the time let us go ahead under the proviso that 'it doesn't cost me anything' we had little SMT support apart from my best mate who was SENCO and at the time had a real bitch of a secretary who wouldn't even let me have pencils because 'nurture doesn't have a budget' so we spent a great deal of our own money supplying some of the equipment we needed. but the rewards were obvious.


We had one little boy called jake, jake was 6 when he first came to nurture, I'd worked in his class and he made you want to weep. He was always hungry withdrawn and above all smelly and he knew it. he wouldn't sit near the other children because he knew they couldnt stand the smell, he wouldn't get changed for PE either and we had to leave him to change alone, one day I walked into the classroom unaware he was changing in there and noticed his underwear was so old there was litereally only the waistband still in tact. due to all his other problems he wasn't achieving and only attained a W in his KS1 SATS.
He stayed with me in nurture for 3 years starting with 5 sessions a week and gradually working down to one.
During his Y6 leavers assembly he gained an award for most improved student
He had his KS3 SATS results recently and gained all 7s, he's in the school band and last term had the lead role in the school production, he has friends and even a girlfriend. I often walk into my classroom at the end of the day to find he's been to visit, I always know cus he leaves me a little bunch of wild flowers he's collected on the way home

jake alone makes it all worth it for me but he's not alone, so hang in there all the effort will be worth it

awwwwwwwwww that is such a great story. thats what makes our job worth while isnt it? the one that really succeeds! well done you!

By the way Summertime, I would love a sponser banner on my postings. thanks!

there ya go

what a lovely story summer

The school I work in has one,ours has been running several yrs.I have been in there about 6yrs.I am just doing my assignment for the training.
The TA that runs it done hers before starting the nurture group,and is now involved in training (myself)and others with the nurture group trainers.

I work in an 'inclusive' school and our senco belives ALL the children should be in class. None have a one to one. It works well for most children but I really think we need a nurture group (ours lasted a year until it was considered by senco as un-necessary). I am very envious of you lot who have them!

OOOOOO I can not imagine not working one to one,I do try and include them as much as possible in the class(I work as a class ta in yr4)but need to bring them out to do their programmes etc.How does it cover their allocated time not being able to bring them out?
Do you just have to support them in the class,and are they SA+ ?

Our school is an inclusive secondary but our SENCO supports us in bringing students out to do 1:1 and small group work in our unit. It is the treachers who tend to moan when we pull kids out of their lessons.
I run Move to Learn, Speed up and Fine Tuning programmes with kids from years 7,8 and 9. We also run short sessions during the 20 minutes of afternoon registration , i do 3 a week, handwriting, juggling and an OT club . The tesing I do with the kids informs what they are withdrawn to do.