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Nurtureuk is delighted to share that fifteen-year-old Louis Dunn, star of popular CBBC show ‘Jamie Johnson’, is taking on the Simplyhealth Manchester 10k challenge on Sunday 19th May to support children and young people struggling with their mental health.

Speaking about running for nurtureuk, Louis says:

 ‘I understand that not all children have the support and opportunities that I have had and can struggle with mental health that can be related to several different issues in life.  I would like fans of the show, and other children to be aware that all of us have times in our lives that we may struggle with. Support is out there and all you have to do is talk, and I would like to please encourage you to reach out and speak to someone who can help. Please donate to ensure that more children and young people can receive the support they desperately need.’

The crisis in schools with regard to exclusions has been widespread in the news over the last 18 months. In 2016/2017 academic year, there were 7,700 exclusions from schools, equating to about 40 permanent exclusions a day from English state schools. A lack of adequate support for children’s wellbeing can get in the way of their learning and increase the risk of exclusion, contributing to the growing social isolation many children and young people feel. Nurtureuk is working hard to change this through providing training, consultancy and community support in schools to embed a nurturing ethos and inclusive approach to education.

Nurtureuk’s Community Engagement and Fundraising Manager, Gill Fewins adds:

‘We are absolutely thrilled that Louis has decided to take on this challenge for nurtureuk. No child should feel excluded or isolated. Nurtureuk is working hard to offer alternatives to exclusions in schools, so every child is included, their wellbeing is supported and they are getting the quality education they are entitled to. Nurtureuk would like to say a huge thank you to Louis and his donors for their support, we are very grateful.’

If you would like to make a contribution to support Louis and his fellow volunteers on their run, please click here. 

We all understand the widely researched impacts of nurture – happier, more successful children, reduced exclusion, improved attendance, better attainment.  Lately, I’ve been interested in one of the finer, more subtle impacts for children and young people – the impact of a sense of belonging. The language of belonging is everywhere – we talk about a sense of place; putting down roots, even CBBC asks our children to find their tribe!

How many of us belong to a choir, gym, sports team, am-dram group, organisation of some sort?  How many of you enjoy the pleasures of sharing an interest with others?  How many of you get the buzz of discussing ideas with those of like mind?…  All belonging – all that biological drive to belong, to share, to be part of something.  Humans, like many other species, are geared up to live in social groups.  Bruce Perry, a well-known child psychiatrist and neuroscientist talks about the advantages of there being roughly four developmentally more mature potential caregivers for each child under the age of 6 in multi-generational groups seen throughout the history of human evolution. This enriched relational ratio helped the group protect, nurture, educate, and enrich the lives of each developing child.  The African proverb says “it takes a village to raise a child” referring to the belief that all adults in the group are responsible for the child’s growth and development.   Current neuroscientists refer to the “social brain” and we know that much early learning occurs through mirror neurons.  At the other end of the spectrum of belonging, isolation through solitary confinement in prison is one of the most devastating sanctions we apply in our penal codes.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that “belonging” is a significant strand in the resilience framework developed by Angie Hart, Derek Blincow and Helen Thomas  (2007).   This strand looks at relationships – the number and quality; it looks at supporting children and young people to make sense of their place in the world – who am I; where do I fit – what do I believe in?  And it looks at fun and enjoyment.  An inspiring mission statement for schools?  And certainly seen in nurture groups across all phases.   Think about Harry Potter – bereavement, trauma and neglect in his early life but when he found a place to belong, he could do marvellous things.

John Bowlby, the pioneer of our current understanding of attachment, opened up our awareness of the importance of attuned, consistent caregiving and the consequences when children don’t experience this.  Among his key ideas is the concept of a secure base – a place of safety and confidence from which the child can explore, take risks, learn and become resilient.  Those of you who have been the adults with the buggy, or seen this in the park, will know how the toddler wanders away from the buggy, finds a treasure, takes it back to the buggy, or secure base, and is then able to go and explore again confidently.

Our schools are the secure bases for many of our children and young people with insecure attachment or other SEMH need.  Often their world outside school is not safe – school is their haven.  And, we know that we can sometimes challenge and punish who we love the most – those of you who, like me, may not have been kind to your family at home on your return after a tough day.  And so it is for children and young people – they project their negative thoughts and feelings to us, give us what my colleague once called “emotional vomit”.  But they lack resilience, they doubt our regard and question our response.

To hold on to our children and young people when they challenge us; to understand that their behaviour communicates distress and fear; to be resilient enough ourselves to contain their distress – this is what building resilience through belonging truly is.  Through confidently understanding this and maintaining an ethos of inclusion, resilience throughout the school system will develop.  The more we see the successes, the more we are motivated to remain committed to the children and young people we serve.  Each success creates positivity.

Alongside this, investing in support for ourselves and our colleagues is crucial.  We can’t pour from an empty jug.  Exploring the resilience framework as it relates to staff wellbeing is an essential part of the work that we do.  It is a core part of our duty to ourselves but also improves our efficacy as a practitioner.  Making time to rest and recharge makes us better at responding to our children and young people – it will improve the capacity of the school system to respond effectively and with resilience.

So building resilience through creating a sense of belonging – for everyone in schools – is it hard? – “You betcha” as Rita Pierson says in her TED talk “Every child needs a champion” but it can be done.  We know it can; we see it all the time in our nurture groups.

Reference

Hart A, Blincow D & Thomas H (2007) Resilient Therapy: Working with children and families. Hove: Routledge

It is with great regret that we announce the death of Marion Bennathan, our Honorary Life President, who passed away peacefully on Sunday 4th February, aged 90, surrounded by her family.

There is no doubt this is sad news, but there is much to celebrate about Marion’s long life – the many vulnerable children who succeeded at school, the teaching professionals who gained a more nurturing approach, and the nurture group movement that flourished – all thanks to her determination, passion and drive.

Born in Blackburn, Lancashire in 1927, Marion was the fifth of sixth children born to working-class parents. On leaving school, she gained an economics degree from Birmingham University and, a few years later, went on to read psychology at London’s Birkbeck College. That was followed by training as an educational psychologist at the Child Guidance Training Centre, where she met and became friends with Marjorie Boxall.

After finishing their studies, the two stayed in touch, and Marion showed a keen interest in the nurture groups Marjorie set up in Hackney, east London. After a short spell as a teacher, Marion spent the next 12 years working as an educational psychologist, moving in 1969 to become Bristol Education Department’s Senior Educational Psychologist. During this period, Marion spoke at many conferences and served on many committees. She was never shy of promoting nurture groups to those she met, including members of the Association of Workers for Maladjusted Children (now the Social Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Association, SEBDA) of which she was chair for many years. Marion retired from her position as the head of Avon’s Educational Psychology Service in 1987, returning to London.

While enthusiasm for nurture groups had continued to grow, by the late 1980s they were in danger of disappearing as Marjorie retired and ILEA funding was withdrawn. Determined that nurture groups should stay on the public agenda, Marion and Marjorie co-wrote Effective Intervention in Primary Schools: Nurture Groups in 1996.

The response to this seminal publication was extremely positive. Conferences were held around the UK, and teachers, who quickly understood the formative influence of early relationships, demanded nurture-based training. The authors were told to start training teachers and to convert the government. The first was easy; training took off immediately. The second was more difficult, with Marion, Allan Rimmer and Bob Law of SEBDA presenting to the Department of Education. In 1997, the New Labour government recommended nurture groups in several policy papers as the outstanding example of effective early intervention.

In the same year, with Professor Fred Stone, she led the move to change the Child Guidance Trust into Young Minds and became its honorary director until 1991. Marion may have been retired but she continued to work as a consultant, writing articles and books – including the Boxall Profile in 1998 – and give talks on nurture groups in the UK and overseas. Instrumental in setting up the Nurture Group Network in 1997, she became its Honorary Director and was elected Honorary Life President in 2007. In 2011, she was awarded an OBE for services to special education and the development of the Nurture Group Network.

Marion has left a wonderful legacy. Her name, along with Marjorie’s, will always be synonymous with nurture groups. It is through her tireless work and determination that her vision of nurture groups throughout the world is becoming a reality – with over 2,000 nurture groups and 300 nurturing schools in the UK alone and more being set up every day. The staff at the Nurture Group Network, joined by the thousands of nurture practitioners around the world, thank her on behalf of the millions of vulnerable children who have been able to participate and benefit from mainstream education. For this reason, the Nurture Group Network set up The Marion Bennathan Memorial Fund to help teaching professionals access nurture-based training.

A final fitting accolade for all Marion’s work would be if governments took on the challenge of caring for all vulnerable children and ensure that they had a nurturing environment to thrive, explore and learn in. The Nurture Group Network will continue what Marion started – to take nurture to the heart of government – and reach more children than ever before.