The Oasis: nurture group provision for Key Stage 3 pupils

This paper gives an account of The Oasis, which is a nurture group provision for Key Stage 3 pupils in a mainstream high school. A brief account of the underlying theory and principles of nurture groups is given, followed by a discussion of the applicability of these to meeting the emotional needs of adolescents. The account includes discussion of both psychodynamic and neurological factors related to adolescent development that contribute to the rationale for offering nurture group provision to Key Stage 3 pupils. The paper concludes with a description of the way in which a nurture group operates in a mainstream secondary school. Impact and outcome evidence is provided via data from Boxall profiles and a detailed case study of one pupil.