The Nurture Approach

What is a nurture approach?

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines nurture as “the process of bringing up or training (especially) children” (1995). This definition gives a glimpse of what the nurture approach is all about- it’s an approach that is aimed at providing an avenue for students to receive social, emotional and academic training. Majority of children start school with zest and readiness but not all, some take a longer time to adjust to the academic and social demands of school (Pupil Engagement Team, 2010). This slow adjustment process, sometimes makes them stay aloof and disengaged while others are learning. The outward manifestations of these internal problems can be physical aggression, constant disruption of lessons or outright withdrawal. Interestingly, some of these children may benefit immensely from scaffolding to help them settle academically and socially at school.

 Every so often, we try to deal with matters of children’s incongruous behavior when it can no longer be handled, the nurture approach is a timely method of dealing with anti-social behavior in the most loving and sensitive manner. These children are placed in a separate diminutive class and provided a warm and safe environment in order to offer valuable opportunities of experiencing the warmth and care that may have been missed in early childhood (Pupil Engagement Team, 2010). This separate class is known as the nurture group. The nurture group is the initiative of Marjorie Boxall, an educational psychologist who worked with children dealing with different types of social and emotional challenges. Having observed that a large number of children came into school with severe social, emotional and behavioral needs, Boxall developed the nurture groups in 1969 (Boxall, 2002). Marjorie Boxall hypothesized that children’s challenging behavior is a by- product of poor nurturing experiences in early childhood. She argued that these children had not experienced a connection with a substantial adult and were unable to flourish emotionally as a result of deprived attachments (Boxall, 2002).The objective of the nurture group is to develop children’s emotional growth in a secure environment that supportsconfidence, routines, clear boundaries and cautiously scheduled, repetitive learning opportunities (Boxall, 2002).

Nurture groups are practiced in-school and offer psychosocial intervention to a class that is made up of twelve students or less (Pupil Engagement Team, 2010).The goals of nurture groups are achieved through an environment that enhances positive relationships with both teachers and peers. Teachers and teaching assistants exemplify positive relationships with an emphasis on fostering a warm learning environment that children can look forward to attending (Pupil Engagement Team, 2010). The curriculum of nurture group as suggested by Marjorie Boxall, concentrates on three crucial areas: the development of self-esteem, the use of play to teach social skills and developing language for communication (Bennathan and Boxall, 2000).

Irrespective of where it is practiced, all nurture groups apply the attachment theory in their operations (University of South Wales, 2016).The attachment theory as proposed by John Bolby and Mary Ainsworth argues that children acquire age appropriate behavior through interaction with significant care givers (Parke et al,1994).