8. Nurture Groups

Tristan Middleton, a former headteacher and author of the final chapter in this section, ‘Nurture Groups: Perspectives from Teaching Assistants Who Lead Them in Britain’ (Ch8) turns to the English primary stage (ages four to eleven) and examines with teaching assistants how they deal with critical incidents when running Nurture groups for children with challenging behavior. As an insider researcher who has worked with Nurture groups himself, Tristan is keen to capture the reality of the work and encourages the practitioners to talk freely in order to explore both negative and positive aspects. Carried out alongside supervisory sessions, the study coincidentally encouraged reflective practice, creating additional layers of benefit.