The Nurture Nest at Wooden Hill Primary and Nursery School in Bracknell offers a dedicated space for its pupils who, for many reasons, might struggle in a mainstream classroom. The new building was funded by Wellington College following its Big Ambition grants competition last summer and its doors are now open.
Wooden Hill Primary and Nursery School, like many schools in England, has an increasing number of pupils struggling with full-time, mainstream schooling. Its proportion of pupils diagnosed with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) has almost doubled in the past year, and they are also seeing more mental health challenges. The school’s usual support functions – including one-to-one learning assistance, or periods of respite in a quiet space – could not scale up to meet this need within the confines of its 48-year-old school building. Pupils needing time out of the classroom had few alternatives, meaning more disruption occurred within the classroom, or pupils worked in isolation in a corridor or small side room.
Nakita Swanson, the school’s business manager, had a vision of a nurture room, which she described as “a place where the children are helped to overcome the barriers to learning that they experience every day, quite distinct in design from a normal classroom – a welcoming and relaxed space within the school”. Here, small groups of pupils could work separately or together, receiving extra help and practising social and emotional skills and coping strategies before rejoining usual lessons.
In February 2024, Wellington College launched the Big Ambition grants competition to help fund an extraordinary local school improvement project. The manager of the competition, Kerry Symeonidis said: “We were captivated by Wooden Hill’s idea for a nurture room where all pupils would thrive. It was our pleasure to provide the funds needed to set-up this innovative facility”. The school fundraised hard to provide 10 per cent of the budget and just over one year later, the Nurture Nest is ready.
Ian Garner, headteacher at Wooden Hill Primary and Nursery School, said: “The Nuture Nest is a fantastic extra resource for us. It’s homely – which instantly removes a stressor from the children – and it’s practical for a whole range of learning activity. Although initially conceived as an additional support for our SEND population, we can already see how many more pupils will benefit from using it.”
