Since its launch in September 2025, The Nest has provided a caring and supportive environment for children who benefit from additional social and emotional support. Working with up to eight children at a time, The Nest helps pupils build confidence, develop positive relationships and overcome barriers to learning so they can thrive both in school and beyond.

This nurture group is a specialised, small-group intervention designed to support children with social, emotional, behavioural, or attachment difficulties that create barriers to learning. By providing a structured, secure, and nurturing environment, resembling a home setting, it helps young children develop confidence, self-worth, and essential skills—like sharing, listening, and managing emotions—to improve their ability to engage in the classroom. 

The Nest is designed to be a comfortable space, so there are sofas, comfy beanbags and curtains at the windows!  There is plenty of space for children to access open-ended play resources, inside and out, role play and areas for the children to work on developing social skills such as turn taking.  The children who come to The Nest also have ‘must-do’ jobs linked to their learning in the classroom.

The curriculum is based on the Six Principles of Nurture. This was developed by Marjorie Boxall and others, to support children with emotional, behavioural and social difficulties in a secure and nurturing environment.  As children develop strategies to deal with their emotions and their barriers to learning are overcome, the teachers in the Nurture group will also start to target specific areas of academic need.

The Nest is open from Monday to Thursday from 11.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m.  This means that the children spend the morning with their class to maintain a secure link with their friends.  They also join their class for activities such as trips or special events.  We work together with class teachers and parents to develop strategies and form a consistent approach at home and in school.