Nurture Learning - Wellbeing in Education & Beyond

Aim

Empowering adults to supercharge the wellbeing of all children so that they thrive and develop a love of learning and life.

* Coronavirus Update: 

Gift holistic tuition to a vulnerable child.

In light of the current pandemic, we are mixing things up a little.  We are very lucky to have smashed our £1000 target; this means our awesome start up has the funds to supercharge.  Our website can now be redesigned to host a subscription service and we have the cash to create our first Nurture Learning Teacher course, including some pretty fantastic manuals!

Our project has been extended by 7 days to raise funds to support children who may be vulnerable during the Covid-19 crisis.  Rewards to gift tuition to vulnerable children will be used to offer eligible children a free space on our online groups. There are many children at home right now who find school a place of sanctuary.  This might include Young Carers or children who are living in poverty. Nurture Learning can recreate that safe space, some routine, bags of giggles and stimulation.  

Please choose your gift from the Rewards on offer.  At the end of this project, we will celebrate the number of children that you have helped to nurture through this difficult time.  

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Is our education system at crisis point?  Is it possible for children to achieve, and thrive, under the pressure of our modern-day expectations?  

Nurture Learning has the key to give every child the superpower to reach their full emotional and academic potential – and it starts with you!

Nurture Learning needs your pledge!   

Your money will create change in your child's education.

Your child CAN thrive AND achieve at the same time!  

Make a difference to the children in your life and grab a reward now!

This is our 'Why?'

Mental Health is a hot topic on almost everyone’s lips… Sadly, paying lip service to an issue this immense isn’t going to make it better.   At a time when an unprecedented number of children sit on Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services waiting lists, schools are being judged on results, teachers are working to targets, and our children end up bearing the brunt of our own stresses and unrealistic expectations. So, what can you do?

Children are like sponges.  They soak up the world around them; this means that every experience and every interaction they encounter becomes a part of who they are.   Children deserve safe and positive environments in which to grow.  As their role models, care-givers and educators, it is our responsibility to take care of our own emotional wellbeing to create a place where our children can thrive, learn and develop into happy, successful humans.  

This is where Nurture Learning comes in.

This is our 'What?' 

Nurture Learning is all about empowerment.  I’m yet to find another ‘way of teaching’ quite like it! Inspired by holistic principles, we are helping the grown ups to develop a growing awareness of their own needs so they are better placed to recognise the changing needs of the little humans in their lives.  Children that thrive are more able to manage their big emotions and develop resilience, confidence and determination to succeed.  These are life skills that can impact every aspect of their future lives – way beyond the four walls of the classroom.

We are going to do this in a number of ways:

• Online support for parents and families
• Training courses for educators
• Resources for adults and children

This is our 'How?' 

Homework Helper and Family Hub

Most of us have felt it… That moment your child asks for help with their homework and you are shocked by what your child is supposed to know.  Since when did the letters ‘oo’ join together to make two different sounds? And come to think of it, what is a digraph and when is it split? Don’t even get me started on the ‘embedded clause’ that they have put somewhere in that piece of comprehension that my 7 year old needs to highlight! That’s just the literacy…

What our children learn, and the way our children learn is constantly changing. Parents are often expected to ‘fill in the gaps’ when children are given home learning tasks to complete.

The Homework Helper website will include a growing library of ‘How To’ videos from your phonics through to your bus stop method.   There will be a parent forum and a Facebook page to share ideas, resources and for regular ‘Live Feeds’ with a Nurture Learning Teacher to answer your questions.  Nurture Learning will give you the support to be able to boost your child’s emotional and academic intelligence.

Nurture Learning Teacher Training

Today’s teachers are incredible. They juggle an entire class of children's changing needs with, most often, limited time and resources. Many teachers then continue to be put under enormous stress with targets, paperwork, tests, inspections and school politics outside of the classroom.  It has never been more important for educators to learn how to look after their own mental health, as well as the wellbeing of those around them.

Our 2 day training course will teach educators to embrace Nurture Learning strategies in their lessons.   Attendees will benefit from the expertise of an Educational Specialist and a Reiki Master Teacher with a joint experience of working with children for over 40 years!

Day One will focus on achieving Reiki Level 1 and explore applying the principles when working with children.

Day Two will involve active learning activities for educators to learn a range of Nurture Learning strategies and begin to embed them into everyday interactions.

These courses will include a full manual, free resources and opportunities to access ongoing peer support.

*In order to receive Nurture Learning Teacher Certification and to appear on the ‘Find a Section’ area of our website, all teachers must provide a valid Teaching certificate, DBS clearance and Public Liability Insurance.  This will mean you can advertise your awesome skills as a certified Nurture Learning Tutor/Teacher/Educator

Resources

As well as developing our own resources, including meditation tracks to support learning such as times tables, we will be selling our recommended third party products.

What is Reiki?

The working definition of Reiki from The Reiki Council is:

“Reiki” (ray-key) is Japanese for ‘universal life energy’, a term used to describe a system of natural healing. This healing tradition was founded by Dr Mikao Usui in the early 20th century and evolved as a result of his research, experience and dedication.

We live in a world of energy that nourishes and maintains all living things. When this energy flows uninterrupted there is balance and harmony within and around us and we experience a sense of well being. There are many variations of Reiki, but in essence Reiki works at bringing us into balance and is believed therefore to reinforce the body’s natural ability to heal itself at all levels, whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. It is a tradition that is open to any belief system.

http://www.reikicouncil.org.uk/What-is-Reiki.php 

You do NOT need to believe in the concept of Reiki.  

The children that we teach will not need to know about Reiki. 

Nurture Learning loves Reiki because of the holistic awareness that it brings to the teacher and the increase of positive vibes around us. Reiki is based on 'intent' and it is these principles of mutual respect, harmony and well being that are absolutely necessary for our children to become the best version of themselves.

'This is Me'

I’m Anna and I’m the Founder of Nurture Learning.  I started working with children about 12 years ago.  I have developed this as an area of expertise as I’ve climbed the career ladder, qualifying as a Primary School Teacher, then as an Early Years Specialist and then as an Inspector of Education.  Sadly, this clamber to the top meant that I was no longer serving my true passion; teaching children.  Throughout my career I have dipped in and out of an interest in holistic therapies, gaining several qualifications, including Reiki Level 2.  The enormous stress of the classroom environment no longer appeals to me and, since leaving inspecting, I have been working as a tutor.  I am now lucky enough to be able to do what I love and use my holistic awareness to have a positive impact on every single child that I teach.

Nurture Learning has gradually flourished from tutoring vulnerable children individually, to private tuition including preparation for exams, children with additional needs or any child that needs a boost, academically or emotionally, to be able to be their individual best.  The need for this type of tuition is so high that I started local classes in October 2019 for ‘11 Plus Nurture Groups’ and ‘Times Tables Champions’.  It has been a raving success and I have received many requests to open classes in other schools, and other areas of the country!

Take a peek at our current website here: www.nurturelearninguk.com

I love that I am able to make such a difference to the children that I teach, but there is only one of me.  So now Nurture Learning needs to spread its wings!   As such, I am joining teams with Fiona, a Reiki Master Teacher and a qualified Primary Teacher for over 30 years, to bring Nurture Learning Training to every single educator that we can.  We are putting together a training programme to make sure that every teacher that carries our certification is true to the Nurture Learning ethos and teaches with passion and from the heart.  We want them to be able to share this love for learning with as many children as they can reach.  To do this, every Nurture Learning teacher will be qualified in Reiki; this will give them a boost for their own wellbeing and an attuned awareness of children’s changing emotional needs.  No other teaching strategy embraces this. No other teaching strategy starts with the mental health of the educator first and foremost.  

It is true - you cannot pour from an empty cup.  

This brings me to my very own, personal, ‘Why?’

I have been a young mum, an older mum, a single mum, a married mum, a struggling mum and, from time to time, a truly awesome mum.  A lot of the time, I’m a ‘winging it’ mum – as are the majority of the mums out there.   This is my most significant qualification in life and the role that has taught me the most and been the most rewarding.   I’m really lucky to have three amazing children, but family life is never simple.  There are just too many balls in the air at any one time.  This is where the Homework Helper and Family Hub can help. There are many families who cannot access, or do not want to access, additional tuition for children outside of the classroom.  Locally, I am trying to offer help for some of these families through my current classes.  I have found that there are so many parents who would love to be able to help their child themselves. I want this service to give parents back the power, to release the pressure and make learning at home a fun, bonding experience that children want to engage in.  I am going to create a one-of-a-kind service that does exactly this. I’m going to share the Nurture Learning strategies and give parents the support that isn’t available currently.  

It’s time to make it happen and we are already partway there!

Bring it 2020!

Nurture Learning was selected for the 'Back Her Business - Bring It 2020' competition which is run by Natwest and Crowdfunder. 

This is exciting stuff and a fantastic opportunity for our growing business!

But what's it all about?

Find more information about 'Back Her Business' opportunity at the dedicated website:  https://natwestbackherbusiness.co.uk/  

Bring it 2020! is a competition to help women in business raise money and build their skills, helping them to get their business ideas off the ground. We have been receiving coaching and support from their team helping us to build our crowdfunding project. The successful projects will not only be eligible for further grant funding from Natwest, but we will also be in the running for a £10,000 cash prize towards our business project!  

We need your support now more than ever!

What is 'Crowdfunding'?

In short, Crowdfunding allows people to reach out to other people to raise money towards a given goal.  This could be a personal goal, a charitable goal or a business goal.  The idea is that it is a platform for people to invest in the things that matter to them.  In return for pledges, you can choose to receive rewards.  This makes Crowdfunding a win-win; Especially when the rewards are going to give you access to a new service or product that will benefit you too!

How Will the Money be Spent?

The first £1000 raised will enable us to create the Homework Helper platform and Nurture Learning Teacher Training manuals.   It will also give us the opportunity to create our first resources, such as the soundtrack, and help us to get the word out there through targeted marketing strategies on social media.

Wow! You Made it to the End of the Page!

Thank you for investing your time to get to know about our project!  If you've made it this far, you must be hooked!  Now we need your help to make this happen - please choose a reward and make a pledge.  You'll find the different reward options on the right hand side of this page >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You could save £200 on a Nurture Learning Training course; bargain!

My final 'ask' is easy peasy for you to fulfil. Simply help us spread the word by sharing the link to our campaign on your social media, through email, text message, fax... You can even send it via pigeon courier if you like!  

However you do it, please give us a hand and tell everyone you know about this fantastic opportunity!  

This project successfully funded on 9th April 2020