How Nurture Primary is bucking the Primary School exclusion trend
As has been widely publicised, the mainstream UK education system is facing a growing crisis, with neurodiverse children affected disproportionately. The rate of primary pupil exclusions in England is continuing to soar with the 2022/23 figures recording 84,300 suspensions. This is double the number that there were a decade ago, with the rate of permanent exclusions increasing by almost 70% in the same time frame.
Whilst we don’t yet have this year’s statistics, the Autumn 2024 comparable data from the Department for Education is already indicating an exponential rise in primary schools - even beyond the 2022/23 figures.
Yet at TCES Nurture Primary, our specialist provision based in Newham, we are experiencing continued pupil success and growth. Whilst this is in part thanks to our commitment to our ‘zero-exclusion’ policy, it is also because of our specialist therapeutic approach.
Working with some of the most complex young children, Nurture Primary has a maximum class size of 6, each supported by a Therapeutic Education Practitioner (TEP). Our Integrated Services Teams of educators, social workers, family support workers and therapists all work together to deliver integrated therapeutic education, which is underpinned by our six vital principles for learning.
For many pupils, Nurture Primary is a lifeline, offering a supportive environment for pupils who have often spent considerable time outside of education, having experienced multiple exclusions. Focused on creating a place where every child, regardless of their past behaviour or challenges, can not only succeed, but thrive, we have chosen inclusion over exclusion.
We have seen first-hand how our ‘no-exclusion’ approach doesn’t simply ‘just work’, it changes lives. We have watched how young people who were once deemed "unteachable" go on to achieve incredible things, evolving fully from social isolation to independence.”
One such pupil is Charlie. Before joining TCES Nurture Primary, Charlie had six separate fixed-term exclusions, and his attendance was at a worrying 50% or severely absent - in line with new Government guidance on absence.
Charlie was also experiencing suicidal thoughts and arrived at TCES Nurture Primary with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Charlie is now fully engaged in his lessons, his attendance has risen to over 98%, and he has begun to modulate his behaviour, which means he can now follow instructions from his teacher. He particularly enjoys English and has expressed interest in becoming an author.
With an arguably unsuccessful decade-long ‘culture of exclusions’, TCES Nurture Primary is a glowing example of why it is time to switch from an exclusive approach to an inclusive one.
Our ‘zero-exclusions’ philosophy is proving that with the right approach to education, you can transform the lives of even the most complex children.