Nurture ~ The care and attention given to something or someone that is growing and developing. (Merriam Webster Dictionary)
In Scoil Bhríde we are very lucky to have created a Nurture Room for the children to use. This room which has been aptly called “The Sunshine Room” is a place where children can feel safe and secure and is designed to be a bridge between home and school. The children are given the opportunity to participate in a range of activities in a relaxed, structured environment which promotes and supports their social and emotional development.
The concept of nurture in education recognises that students’ wellbeing is as important as their academic achievements. Schools applying a nurture approach address the social, emotional and learning needs of individual students by providing help to remove barriers to learning. There is a strong emphasis on emotional literacy, language development, relationships and communication. When the barriers to learning have been addressed and children feel connected to school life, then engagement in learning follows. Working in their Nurture groups provides the children with this opportunity and helps to develop their maturity and resilience.
On October 26th 2023, Minster for Education, Ms. Norma Foley officially open “The Sunshine Room”. This provided us with an excellent platform to explain how successful and transformative this initiative has been for the school and more importantly its students.
Nurture in the media:
Check out the links below to find out more information about nurture and the nurturing approach.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/nurture-rooms-how-schools-are-boosting-pupils-wellbeing-1.4094188
https://www.irishnews.com/news/educationnews/2018/11/21/news/self-funded-nurture-room-improving-emotional-wellbeing-of-pupils-1488321/
