A nurture group Willaston Primary School has attained a prestigious quality benchmark award.
The group, named the Rainforest Room, has been won the Marjorie Boxall Quality Mark Award after a rigorous assessment process in June 2009.
The award, presented by the Nurture Group Network UK, recognises quality of practice.
It is named after Marjorie Boxall, an educational psychologist who worked in inner London schools in the 1970s and founded the principles of nurture groups in response to the difficulties presented by the children she worked with.
The Rainforest Room, which opened in 2008, operates five afternoons a week, supporting pupils with social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.
The facility provides a carefully planned routine, where there is a balance of learning and teaching, support and structure within a home-like atmosphere.
Keith Hardisty, Headteacher at Willaston School, said, "We are delighted to have established a nurture group that is recognised for providing a high quality intervention for children with additional needs.
"Having achieved this prestigious award in only the first year the Rainforest Room has operated, the school is determined to build on the work done so far and establish a school based on nurturing principles of care for the individuals so that all children at Willaston can benefit.
"We are very excited about our planned developments and we believe that Willaston staff, working closely with parents, will bring many beneficial developments for children and provide a pathway to excellence."
Mr Hardisty added, "Everyone at Willaston is excited as the work of the Rainforest Room continues to progress.
"Due to the enthusiasm and creativity of the staff, the school will now be able to offer children opportunities to benefit from learning together in a nurturing atmosphere throughout the school year."
As its name suggests, the nurture group at Willaston School has a rainforest/jungle theme and the room is decorated with a large tree and pictures of jungle animals.
Animal picture books are enjoyed and the book themes are used for activities and displays.
The room boasts a kitchen, an area for formal learning and an area for practical/play activities. Typically, six pupils work in the nurture group at one time and pupils attend for between two and four terms.
"Nurture groups are rigorously assessed against a set of quality standards before attaining this award," explained Chris Scott, who established the Rainforest Room.
"The process involves submitting a large project file containing evidence of how standards are met, plus a further written submission on how a group’s provision incorporates the six core principles of nurture group work.
"There is then a visit from an accredited assessor."
Mr Scott has enjoyed developing the nurture group at Willaston and is equally excited by his new part-time role as advisory teacher for nurture from September 2009.
As well as continuing to be responsible for Willaston, he is looking forward to working with the 11 primary and four secondary nurture groups.
Dave Colley, Special Educational Needs Adviser at the Department of Education, said, "Nurture groups represent an important aspect of the continuum of care, support and provision that we offer children and young people on the Isle of Man.
"I am delighted that the Rainforest Room has achieved the Boxall Quality Mark Award and I look forward to a time when all 15 nurture groups on the Island have secured this prestigious award, which is something we are working towards."
Pictured (l-r): Stephanie Ferguson (Nurture Assistant), Keith Hardisty (Headteacher), Chris Scott (Nurture Group Leader) and Sue O'Callaghan (Nurture Assistant) with the award, in Willaston's Rainforest Room.
