Nurturing Minds Programme

At Castlefort JMI, we recognise that pupils with low levels of confidence, poor social skills and low self-esteem can often demonstrate challenging behaviours. The reasons for these behaviours can be varied but one or more of these factors may contribute to them having difficulty in accessing the curriculum. As a result, we have invested in the creation of a nurturing facility dedicated to helping pupils identified as having high levels of emotional or behavioural difficulties.

Young people with emotional and behavioural problems often have a negative view of school, which can persist through their life, but it is hoped that a positive experience will change that perception. Through our bespoke ‘Nurturing Minds’ programme, we aim for pupils’ anxieties and personal fears to become alleviated. We hope to provide students with the skills necessary for them to express their feelings and engage with their emotions in a healthy manner. As our pupils come to discover ways to manage and cope with their emotional and behavioural difficulties, they will be able to access the curriculum and work towards achieving their potential in life.

Aims and Objectives of ‘Nurturing Minds’

• To allow young people a space to express and communicate feelings and difficulties in their lives, through a variety of media in constructive rather than aggressive ways and in a non-threatening environment.
• To help young people feel good about themselves, and raise their self-esteem by providing activities which focus on their strengths and by valuing what they do and making it special.
• To provide a non-authoritarian, supportive, reliable, safe, unconditional relationship within the school and other settings.
• To provide some of the early experiences that may have been missed but which are necessary for formal education and social interaction.
• To help young people acquire the complex range of life skills needed to achieve their full potential.

Our Setting

To promote positive feelings towards school life, we have created two special rooms where children who are experiencing difficulties can feel safe and enjoy their surroundings. The majority of our 'Nurturing Minds' programme will be taught in the Forest Room. This is a room designed to comfort our pupils and to make them feel 'at home' with many fun educational resources available to use. Every child will also get to experience a short time in our sensory room called the 'Magic Room', which has been designed to meet the needs of all children, including those with diagnosed sensory needs.