The Development of Nurture Groups in Secondary Schools

Nurture groups are small, discrete classrooms on the mainstream school site where two staff, with specific training, deliver individualised programmes to students who are struggling to cope with the demands of the mainstream classroom. Nurture group intervention is designed to be both temporary and part-time, with the aim of returning all students to full-time mainstream education as soon as they are ready to engage and succeed. An increasing amount of empirical evidence from the primary phase is suggesting that nurture groups can make a “considerable difference to the behaviour and social skills of children who might otherwise be at risk of exclusion” (Ofsted July 2011). However, empirical research into the development of nurture groups in secondary schools is currently very limited. This study has sought to contribute to the development of nurture groups in secondary schools in two ways: 1. By investigating the perceptions of professionals, students and parents regarding the practical effects of nurture group provision in the secondary school. 2. By making specific modifications to the nurture group’s Boxall Profile assessment instrument for use with an older age group. The study confirms that secondary school stakeholders perceive nurture groups to be effective in enhancing the school’s continuum of support and in promoting positive student progress. Based on the findings of this study, the Boxall Profile for Young People was published in 2010.