‘You do what you need for your children, don’t you?’: An exploration of the current range of practice and priorities of nurture group staff in a local authority

Abstract

Aim:This paper describes a small-scale piece of research, conducted within a single Local Authority, which provides an initial exploration of the variance in nurture group (NG) practice, and of NG staff perceptions of the successes and challenges of running a NG.Rationale:NGs are a school-based, small group intervention designed to replace unhelpful or missing ‘early nurturing experiences’ for pupils who display social, emotional or behavioural difficulties in school. However, an increase in the popularity of NGs in schools has meant that the implementation of this intervention differs widely from school to school.Method:Detailed data regarding the practice and demographics of six NGs were gathered through an initial survey. Staff involved in running these six NGs were then invited to take part in a focus group to consider factors which constitute and contribute towards an effective NG.Findings:Whilst survey data suggested a broad range of practice in terms of NG delivery, thematic analysis of focus group data suggested that there was a large amount of consensus between NG staff about the components of an ‘ideal’ NG.Conclusions:The contrast between the uniformity of ‘ideals’ and the varied practice of NGs is then discussed, with the suggestion that differing pressures of resources and expectations lead staff to compromise, to a greater or lesser extent, on their ‘ideal’ NG.