A psychological service contribution to nurture: Glasgow’s nurturing city

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article details the work undertaken in Glasgow to develop a range of nurturing approaches across establishments. Glasgow Psychological Service (GPS), in conjunction with Glasgow education colleagues, used the nurture group principles as developed by the Nurture Group Network, and extended and adapted these to give more detail and direction as to how establishments apply them. These, referred to as ‘Glasgow’s Extended Nurturing Principles’, were the basis from which GPS created a universal training framework to help develop awareness of the principles, their underpinning theory and their application, for 8000 staff in 313 education establishments. In addition to this, GPS contributed to Glasgow Education Service’s whole local authority strategy of using nurture principles to embed school improvement and self-evaluation by developing a tool called ‘How Nurturing is Our School?’. This tool offers a more targeted approach to support schools to self-evaluate their current practice in terms of a nurturing approach and to develop an action plan for improvement. The article reports on the positive impact of nurture within Glasgow. Nurture has been a substantial part of a success story in education in the city which can point to a clear reduction in pupil exclusions, an increase in attendance and a dramatic improvement in Glasgow establishments’ capacity to hold on to the most vulnerable young people.).