Whole School Approaches to Nurture

Tender description

This contract will deliver a programme of accredited, evidence-based training and consultancy support to mainstream primary and secondary schools in Kent, to enable them to establish and embed Whole School Approaches to Nurture. The concept of ‘nurture’ in an education setting is built on the principle that all behaviour is a form of communication, and that by focussing on the root causes of presenting behaviours (which may appear challenging), responses can be better adapted to improve outcomes for individual children and young people, both academically and emotionally. There is a broad evidence-base outlining the efficacy of Nurture models, which can lead to improved emotional wellbeing, engagement in education and reduced exclusions, particularly for children and young people with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. Through focussing on a whole-school approach to Nurture, the service will aim to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of all children and young people in participating schools, with specific focus on improving a range of outcomes for children and young people with SEMH needs. The offer to schools will involve training and on-going consultancy support in implementing both whole-school approaches and targeted Nurture provision for those with more significant SEMH needs. It will also include providing schools with a complementary accredited tool to measure pupils' emotional wellbeing, and offering training and support to schools in applying the tool successfully throughout the programme. Lot 1: The Whole School Approaches to Nurture Service will provide training and consultancy support over 3 years to enable a minimum of 300 schools (by the end of Year 3) to develop and implement their own whole-school approaches to Nurture, working within an evidence-based, accredited framework. The offer will include training and consultancy support for schools in relation to whole school approaches to Nurture, the development and practical implementation of school-level Nurture Groups, as well as delivering against the wider core objectives set out in the Service Specification. This will include supporting schools to engage positively with parents /carers as partners in developing whole school and individual nurture strategies, facilitating informal networks of participating schools, and working in close collaboration with local partners and practitioners to support the longer-term sustainability of the model beyond the contract lifetime. The service will also provide all participating schools with a secure, evidence-based, accredited tool to assess emotional well-being and will train and support schools in using this tool and identifying appropriate nurture strategies in response to identified needs. The overall intended outcomes of the service will be as follows: 1. All children and young people in participating schools have improved social and emotional wellbeing. 2. Pupils with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND), and particularly those with SEMH needs, in participating schools demonstrate improved emotional wellbeing, attendance, and educational engagement. 3. Staff in schools participating in Whole School Nurture training are better able to respond to the social and emotional needs of all children and young people and in particular those with SEMH needs. This procurement process was conducted in accordance with the Light Touch Regime as it involves the purchase of educational and training services which are included in Schedule 3 of The Public Contracts Regulations 2015. This was a bespoke two-stage tender process with an optional negotiation period.