Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Written Evidence submitted by nurtureuk (CWSB213)

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

1. Executive Summary of Submission:

1.1 Nurtureuk is the national charity dedicated to promoting the use of nurturing approaches in schools, which have been developed and applied over the past 50 years. We provide teachers and school staff with effective training, tools and resources to identify and address children’s social and emotional developmental needs in school, removing the barriers that prevent children from positively engaging with learning.

1.2 Nurtureuk supports free breakfast clubs (Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, Part 2) to give all children a strong start to the school day. As a charity working with over 5,000 schools, we advocate for nurture-based approaches to support children’s social and emotional development.

1.3 Nurtureuk recommend:

● Training for breakfast club staff in child wellbeing and early intervention.

● Embedding nurture principles to foster relationships and inclusion.

● Funding for training, resources, and assessment tools (e.g., Boxall Profile® Online).

● Ofsted to assess breakfast clubs’ role in inclusion and wellbeing.

2. Evidence regarding breakfast clubs

2.1 Nurtureuk are responding to the call for evidence on the Bill, regarding the section of the Bill establishing free breakfast club provision in primary schools in England (Part 2 – Schools, 21)

2.2 This measure requires that:

● State-funded schools to ensure that all children in Reception class to Year 6 are provided with access to a free breakfast club.

● The aim of these measures is to give all children, regardless of their circumstance, a great start to the school day, helping to break down barriers to opportunity. [1]

3. Who are nurtureuk?

3.1 Nurtureuk is a national charity dedicated to promoting the use of nurture practice in schools, which has been developed and applied over the past 50 years. We provide teachers and school staff with effective training, tools and resources to identify and address children’s social and emotional developmental needs in school, removing the barriers that prevent children from positively engaging with learning.

3.2 We are commissioned by local authorities, school trusts and violence reduction units, as well as working with schools on an individual basis. We currently work with over 5,000 schools across the UK.

3.3 Nurtureuk trains teachers to assess children’s social and emotional developmental needs using the Boxall Profile®, and in how to support children with tailored interventions grounded in the Six Principles of Nurture to meet their identified areas of need, removing the barriers to accessing learning and thriving in school.

4. Breakfast clubs and inclusivity:

4.1 Nurtureuk have been really encouraged to see the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill introducing free breakfast club provision in primary schools in England. Breakfast clubs can provide:

● A safe base where children feel secure, valued and respected.

● Developmental support for student’s specific needs, through targeted support and structured routines.

● In line with a whole-school approach to inclusion, breakfast clubs can also provide a "soft start" for children with SEND or those facing social and emotional difficulties. [2]

4.2 As set out in Government’s recent Guidance "Breakfast clubs early adopter guidance for schools and trusts in England", to ensure a breakfast club is inclusive, schools are asked to consider (amongst other elements):

● Ensuring all staff are trained to provide high-quality and inclusive provision.

● Appropriately designing the breakfast club offer to meet the needs of children with SEND.

● Ensuring a plan to identify the needs of children with SEND. [3]

4.3 Nurtureuk agree that these principles are key to ensuring that breakfast club provision is effective in breaking down barriers to opportunity. An inclusive education system is one which meets the needs of all pupils, and supports them to feel a sense of belonging in school. Nurture practice is a huge part of delivering inclusion in schools. Educators need access to appropriate training and support to equip them to develop an inclusive and nurturing learning environment.

4.4 Firstly, social and emotional developmental needs that might be a barrier to children feeling happiness and a sense of belonging at school, as well as to engaging with the curriculum, are identified (e.g. through use of the Boxall Profile ®). Then, teachers are equipped with the methodologies to deliver the right support at the right time, to meet these needs and remove barriers to learning.

4.5 The development of a whole-school nurturing school culture has been shown to improve pupils’ social and emotional wellbeing, as well as reducing the risk of exclusions, poor attendance and poor behaviour.

4.6 For example, Nurture provision has proven extremely effective for supporting children experiencing deprivation in Northern Ireland, where the Nurture Advisory & Support Service (NASS) has been set up to support the current 62 Department of Education funded nurture groups which have been integrated into primary schools across the country. A 2016 evaluation of 30 of these funded nurture groups, carried out by Queen’s University Belfast found that 77.7% of children who entered nurture groups as part of the trial were exhibiting difficult behaviour (as measured by the SDQ total difficulties score), and that this reduced to just 20.6% at post-intervention tests over one academic year. [4] The study found clear evidence that Nurture Group provision in Northern Ireland is highly successful in its primary aim of achieving improvements in the social, emotional and behavioural skills of children from deprived areas exhibiting significant difficulties.

4.7 Secondly, the impact of nurture approaches can also be seen in Scotland – Glasgow Psychological Services, working with education colleagues in Glasgow, used nurturing principles as a basis for a training framework for 8,000 staff, across 313 education establishments. A 2017 report by Glasgow Psychological Services found that "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." [5]

4.8 To implement an inclusive, nurturing school environment in practice, it is key that the staff members delivering breakfast club provision receive the appropriate training and support to deliver nurturing approaches.

4.9 Therefore, nurtureuk recommends that:

● Breakfast club staff should have access to training on the link between improved pupil wellbeing and better educational outcomes, and the need for early identification of unmet social and emotional developmental needs, as well as the role that breakfast club provision can play in improving outcomes for children.

● Breakfast clubs should be treated as a key space where children can form trusting bonds with peers and adults, based on the implementation of the Six Principles of Nurture.

● Breakfast clubs receive funding for training, resources and tools such as the use of the Boxall Profile® Online. All those who work with children in schools, including children with SEND, should have access to training on nurture practice (defined by adhering to The Six Principles of Nurture) to support pupils’ wellbeing and behaviour in schools.

● The extent to which breakfast clubs are inclusive and support social and emotional development, should be assessed in Ofsted’s new inspection framework.

February 2025

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[1] Department for Education, Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (December, 2024); p.63; https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6769425bbe7b2c675de309bb/Children_s_Wellbeing_and_Schools_Bill_Policy_Summary_Notes.pdf

[2] Department for Education, "Breakfast clubs early adopter guidance for schools and trusts in England" < https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breakfast-clubs-early-adopter-guidance-for-schools-and-trusts-in-england/breakfast-clubs-early-adopter-guidance-for-schools-and-trusts-in-england > (January 2025)

[3] Department for Education, "Breakfast clubs early adopter guidance for schools and trusts in England".

[4] Sloan, S., Winter, K., Lynn, F., Gildea, A. & Connolly, P., The impact and cost effectiveness of Nurture Groups in Primary Schools in Northern Ireland, Belfast: Centre for Evidence and Social Innovation, Queen’s University Belfast (2016), available at: <https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/education/162037_QUB%20Nurture%20Evaluation%20Exec%20Summary%20-%20new.pdf>

[5] March, S. & Kearney, M., A psychological service contribution to nurture: Glasgow’s nurturing city, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 22:3, 237-247 (2017), available at: < https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2017.1331972 >