Hello, I am Mrs Allan and I am pastoral support worker for our children here at St. James’. My role primarily involves reacting to the daily needs of our pupils as well as delivering a range of intervention and support programmes directly to children who require them.
I work closely with our school SENDCo (Miss Lee) and our PSHE lead (Mrs Bell) to ensure children's personal development is of the highest priority. As a team, we know that children need a healthy and positive mindset in order to make the best possible progress in all other curriculum areas.
At St. James, we pride ourselves in offering a nurturing environment. We have staff (including myself) on hand, at all times, to provide our children with the support and reassurance they need to grow in self-worth and resilience - whether this be on a regular basis or as and when issues arise.
During lunch breaks and set nurture group times, children have the opportunity to enter the nurture room to work together, turn take and communicate building vital social skills which can be transferred into their daily lives. The space is also used as a quiet retreat where our children (with additional needs) work on a one-to-one basis with myself.
After the national lockdown, we noticed an increase in social and emotional needs - particularly linked to anxiety. The nurture room has been a safe haven for some children to relax and calm themselves so as they are fully ready to access learning.
Overall, the nurture room and the support provided within it has had and continues to have a huge impact on the mental health and well-being of our pupils.
