TEAM LOCH means: Together Everyone Achieves More, Learning Opportunities Create Happiness

Children’s voice is at the heart of decision-making in the school. Their input was central in the review of the school’s positive behaviour policy and house system. The pupil council also helped create a child-friendly version of the ‘Six Principles of Nurture’.

Wellbeing at the heart of the school

The school’s commitment to embedding nurture principles is leading to a strong, shared understanding of the importance of wellbeing and its impact on learning and achievement.

As a result of this work, children’s mental health has improved.

Children are happy at school and are more willing and able to access learning across the curriculum. This has had a noticeable impact on improving attendance levels.

Culture

Embedded values create a school that is: nurturing, inclusive, happy, achieving, welcoming and respectful

Monitoring wellbeing

Daily feelings charts are completed in all classes and the nursery. This helps to identify and remove potential barriers to learning. All About Me and Motivation and Wellbeing profiles are regularly completed to monitor children’s wellbeing over time.

Nurture groups

Children can put themselves forward for nurture ‘drop-in’ groups using the Sunshine Room post box. The nurture groups provide targeted support to children with specific social and emotional needs. Teachers or parent/carers can request support through the nurture groups.

Our journey

The school’s focus on nurture has been a seven-year journey. South Lanarkshire Council’s work on ‘Promoting Positive Relationships’, and ‘Understanding Distressed Behaviour’ has influenced the school’s approach.

The learning environment

The focus on nurture is having a positive impact on the learning environment. Teachers frequently use ‘mindful minutes’ and ‘sensory minutes’ with children in order to promote calmness and to develop their resilience. The Leuven Scale is also used to measure engagement and enjoyment across literacy and numeracy. As a result, all children learn in calm, supportive classrooms. This is having a positive impact on their attainment.

Impact of professional learning

Staff have engaged in meaningful professional learning, resulting in a strong, collective understanding of nurture principles, the use of Boxall Profiles and Nurture Groups. Staff also use LEGO Build to Express activities, which encourage children to express their thoughts and ideas by building symbolic models with LEGO bricks.

Eight staff have received accreditation for their professional learning on nurture principles.

Pupil relationships

As a result of the school’s work on restorative practice, children have developed a strong empathetic approach in their actions and behaviour. Their ability to express feelings and emotions has improved and they are now more able to support other children.

Family learning

Strong partnerships with parents ensure that there is a shared understanding of nurture principles. The school provides practical support and ideas for parents to use at home. Parents are invited to attend targeted nurture sessions with their child.

Partnerships

The school ensures that all families have equal opportunities to thrive. The school’s Barnardo’s worker helps support the home to school links and is contributing to improving the wellbeing of learners. Children can access counselling, one-to-one support and small group supports. This has improved the mental health of children by giving them the opportunities to explore their thoughts and to express them in a safe space.

Self-evaluation questions

1. How well do all staff understand their role and responsibility in supporting learners’ health and wellbeing?
2. How well do we ensure that all children feel safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included?
3. How effective are our approaches to support wellbeing?
4. How do you measure the impact of these approaches?