What are the costs of the programme and what is included?
Daily session - £365 per day (initial period of 12 sessions). Please note that unfortunately no refunds can be provided for missed sessions.
Two members of staff (Option available for just one member of staff with one accompanying adult provided by the school for £255 per day after first three sessions have been completed at the discretion of NFS).
Morning snack and lunch provided
All resources provided
Waterproofs/ hats/ gloves for children if they come ill-equipped for the weather.
Tracking reports completed by NFS
Insurance covered by NFS
Final summary/ assessment completed by NFS
The Application Process
1. The first stage is to complete a request form here
2. We will contact you and together arrange a meeting (preferably where we can meet the child/ young person without alerting them to the prospect of the programme). We will discuss the individual case and complete a risk assessment for the child/young person in question. There is no charge for this initial consultation.
3. Following the initial meeting we will make a decision as to the suitability of the programme for the child/ young person and allocate staffing. We only take up to four children per day.
4. This decision will then be brought back to the school and once the school have confirmed that they are happy to commence a contract will be drawn up which will include consent, formative assessment dates and review points as well as a commencement date.
5. The programme will be run for an initial period of 12 weeks (unless otherwise stated).
6. An assessment will be carried out after each session. This information will be relayed back to the school every 6 weeks (unless a particular need arises)
7. As the programme nears the end of the initial period a reintegration plan will be written up unless it is decided that it is in the best interest of the child/young person to continue the programme.
Nurture and Wellbeing Programme
What does the programme look like?
A typical programme does not exist, on the basis that every child and young person is different and our programmes are individually tailored to fit. The following examples are fictional.
Example 1. Toby - A nine year old boy who has had trouble getting along with his classmates due to aggressive outbursts which sometimes get out of hand.
Aim - Help Toby to learn to control his temper and find ways of reintegrating him with his peers in a way in which he will be welcomed and accepted.
The programme is run on a one day per week basis for initial 12 weeks. (Note: Options available for additional sessions each week or longer term agreements.)
Weeks 1-3 Building a rapport with Toby, trialing out different activities and finding out where his interests lie (building on any information gained during the initial consultation).
Weeks 4-6 Honing in on a couple of areas of interest (building walls and lighting fires). At the end of Week 6 a mid term report is filed to the school and Toby’s carers are contacted to find out how the program has been affecting his home life. Toby has helped to build a stone wall on which will sit a pizza oven. We spend time working with Toby to find out why he feels unable to control himself emotionally.
Weeks 7-9 Toby helps to build the beginnings of the pizza oven and practices his fire lighting skills. Toby is loving sitting around the fire and talking about his favourite YouTube channel. We discuss the idea of him running a campfire for his peers back at the school. Toby is practicing expressing his feelings in words and learning to go for a walk when he feels agitated.
Weeks 10+11 Toby prepares his fire lighting lesson (including getting all the right safety equipment in place. Toby also finishes off building the pizza oven and lights his first fire in it. Toby is learning the importance of loving himself and valuing his emotional needs.
Week 12 Toby delivers a fire lighting lesson to his classmates and helps facilitate toasting marshmallows. After his peers have left we review the last 12 sessions and Toby comes up with a plan of how he will manage his emotions in the classroom. We meet together with Toby’s teacher after school and Toby explains the plan to her. The following week Toby is back in the classroom with his peers.
Example 2. Laura - A 15 year old girl with poor mental health who has been regularly missing school due to trouble fitting in.
Aim - Help Laura improve her self image and establish herself as a powerful lady who is able to make powerful decisions about her own life.
The program is run two days per week for an initial 6 weeks. The program is run by Kate and Anna.
Week 1 - Getting to know Laura, going on walks, cooking lunch together and making daisy chains. The staff take time to build trust and spend time listening (not giving advice).
Week 2 - Our staff have found out during the initial meeting and subsequent days that Laura enjoys fashion and so bring along lots of material, thread, scissors and buttons. The girls spend time together designing a dress, then decide to make hand bags out of the material using natural dies to colour the material.
Week 3 - The girls decide to cook up a feast and spend the first day planning and the second cooking up a banquet. At the same time Laura has taken to making mini dresses for the collection of Forest School teddy bears.
Week 4 - Laura is encouraged to make decisions about the direction of the program and decides to arrange a fashion show. The days are spent creating a range of woodland outfits inspired by nature.
Week 5 - Laura and the girls continue to sew and design the outfits and enjoy cooking lunches together around the fire.
Week 6 - Laura presents the fashion show and some of the other children ask to join in. The staff make a mini video of the show for Laura to take home. It is decided by Laura and the school that the programme is helping her mental health and has also given her a new excitement for studying fashion. The programme continues on a once per week basis for another 10 weeks until the holidays.
