NORTH Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood paid a visit to a Shotton school to find out more about its nurturing programme,

Nurture programmes are educational psychologist-designed, teacher-led interventions for disengaged and troubled children.

These approaches remove behavioural barriers to engagement and attainment in schools by recreating missing or distorted early attachments and are proven to support greater academic attainment, improved behaviour and attendance, and reduced school exclusions.

After describing the whole-school approach to nurture at Ysgol Tŷ Ffynnon “as excellent practice”, Mr Isherwood was invited to visit the school to learn more.

Speaking after his Friday morning visit, he said: “It was lovely to meet staff and pupils at Ysgol Tŷ Ffynnon to see some of the great work done by the pupils and to learn more about the school’s activities, including its work with families, its nurture group and eco-groups, its lunch time clubs and access to sports activities and so much more.

"I was particularly impressed to learn that the school has received the Investors in Families Award and that it was the only school in North Wales chosen to take part in the Ballet Cymru programme”.

Ysgol Tŷ Ffynnon was the first school in Wales to complete the two-year National Nurturing Schools Programme, which allows staff to develop personally and professionally while embedding a nurturing culture throughout their schools, enhancing teaching and learning, promoting healthy outcomes for children and young people.