Growing a Nurturing Classroom

"Growing a nurturing classroom" is an awareness training programme presented by educational psychologists in Leicestershire for professionals working in primary schools with the aim of promoting an optimal environment for learning and emotional well-being. The training helps primary school staff to take a holistic approach to education; see emotional well-being and resilience as central to the development, learning and happiness of children; consider the impact of promoting secure relationships within a positive learning environment; and reflect on the value of an emotionally supportive school for children and adults. The environment is characterised by a clear sense of consistency, a common approach of shared values and a sense of belonging and connectedness. The key themes promoted throughout the training are "secure relationships" and "attachment", "resilience" and the importance of "positive learning environments" in enhancing "well-being and" children's "readiness to learn". Analysis of evaluation data directly following the training identified how well the course content met the overall aims, theoretical components, case discussion, practical resources, sharing practice, planning for the future and assessment tools. The three-month follow-up questionnaire reported the maximum benefit perceived by school staff as improvements in the interactions between themselves and children. This paper provides an overview of a training course that was delivered to 73 schools in Leicestershire. It is the first of three with subsequent papers addressing in-house training and the national delivery of training to 26 educational psychology services. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)