This blog is part of our Quality Times series, inviting professionals working with young people with SEND / ALN in further education to speak about their work developing quality provision.
Head of Nurture Provision Bev Simmonds reflects on four years of progress and lessons learned since launching Derwen College’s Nurture Programme in 2021 – sharing how the team has grown, adapted, and championed students with profound and multiple learning disabilities and complex learning disabilities.
I am the Head of Nurture Provision at Derwen College in Shropshire. Nurture is a two-year bespoke programme for students with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and complex learning disabilities (CLD). Although we are about to celebrate our centenary as a college, the Nurture Programme is only in its fifth year. Despite being fairly new, there have already been significant changes and expansions to what we initially set out to do, as we strive to ensure that all students at Derwen College reach their maximum potential.
In the May 2022 edition of Quality Times, we shared our early reflections on establishing the provision. Nearly four years on, we revisit those thoughts to consider whether our original aims still hold.
We launched the Nurture Programme in September 2021, while still in the midst of Covid restrictions, to provide a day curriculum to three students who had transitioned from a school in a neighbouring local authority who found themselves with no educational setting to attend in the local area post-16. It was key that students attending the Nurture Programme had access to the same activities, facilities and support needed to thrive in their aspirations as all other students in the college.
The curriculum was designed by me and Dawn Roberts, then Head of Quality, as a two-year, full-time course structured around four key areas of development: Social Interaction and Wellbeing, Communication, Independence, and Cognition and Learning. These pillars form a holistic framework that supports each learner’s personal development and future aspirations. The aim of the Nurture programme was for this to be seamlessly blended with therapy provision. Therapists work directly with students and teachers throughout the timetable to seek opportunities to develop students’ skills and build on strengths in everyday activities; for example, accessing kitchen skills in a standing frame or art whilst lying prone on the floor. Both of these examples involved students who had previously demonstrated an adverse response to physiotherapy activities, who went on to enjoy their activities with ‘hidden’ physio support. The early work we put into getting the intent right from the start has continued to support the growth we have seen in the department.
Key to the quality of this provision was ensuring that all Learning Support Practitioners (LSPs) and teachers had high levels of training to deliver programmes within sessions, which also includes the delegation of a wide number of healthcare tasks. Staff receive a mixture of high quality internal and external training so that a great deal of health, care and therapy provisions can be delivered directly to students within their educational activities. This model reduces the trauma of interruption and fosters a sense of continuity and purpose, while maximising their opportunities to access learning.
Looking for excellent support and expertise was always a priority for us. Providing a wide range of training to staff who work in Nurture has been key to maintaining high standards of educational within the provision. Staff development is continuous, with our team regularly engaging with the latest research, adapting practice, and sharing expertise with professionals across the sector. All LSPs and teachers engage in PMLD conferences and courses. We have also sought to provide training for staff working in the college to better understand the skills and needs for those diagnosed with PMLD and CLD. I was able to train as an ELKLAN tutor and the training we have provided has been well attended by staff working in departments including safeguarding, nursing, therapy, IT, and admissions. Although this training has been met with positivity, this has often one of our biggest challenges. Delivering training to staff working a variety of shift patterns and to those whose jobs are not solely focused on the Nurture Programme can be difficult and we have had to be creative in when and how often we run training.
After being open to day students for several years, the programme started to receive interest in a residential placement from students from further afield. In response to this we opened our first bespoke PMLD residence in September 2023, equipped with equipment to maximise independence and engagement including hoists in all areas, rise and fall equipment in kitchens and bathrooms, CLB acoustic monitoring in all bedrooms and a deluxe rise and fall bath. The previous work we had put into creating a clear intent for the Nurture programme and the roll out of training to the wider team meant that it was easier to advocate for what is right for the students in setting up the residential element of the Nurture provision, even with the high cost of some of these features. We were able to highlight how these elements benefitted the students’ independence, wellbeing and communication needs, and how we could provide a quality extended-day provision for the learners. The residential provision allowed us to expand our offer to students from across England and Wales.
Central to the Nurture ethos is community engagement. Our students regularly access the local area, participating in travel training, shopping, and leisure activities. These outings are more than educational, they are a form of advocacy. By being visible in the community, our students and staff serve as role models, demonstrating to the public, shop staff, and bus or taxi drivers how best to support individuals with PMLD and CLD. We have established good relationships with local facilities and have seen their staff grow in confidence over time in understanding the students’ needs and responding to them directly, using their preferred communication strategies. In short, highly trained staff modelling good practice and visibility of students in the community is the best thing we can do to promote community inclusion.
Seeing our students graduate from Derwen College’s Nurture Programme with the confidence and means to make themselves heard is the ultimate aspiration for all of us. One shining example is Jordan. Over two years, he transformed from a school refuser into a confident and sociable young adult. Supported to make his own choices and empowered to say “no” when he wanted to, Jordan discovered the power of communication through eye-gaze technology. With that breakthrough came new friendships, greater independence, and a true sense of control over his life. His journey is just one of many celebrated by the dedicated team, who continue to champion personalised support, communication, and dignity in every aspect of student life. We have been able to be creative about what transition looks like and celebrate the students’ growth and development in all areas. Some students transition to new settings and placements, and some students transition into a life after college, with a new skillset where they are better able to instruct their personal care team in their choices.
After four years of growth, the Nurture provision stands as a testament to what’s possible when young adults with PMLD and CLD are given the time, tools, and trust to thrive. I still think it’s really important to pace yourself and to be clear about what needs to get done and what needs to get done now when expanding a provision. It’s no wonder that one of our most frequent sayings in Nurture is “we’ll get there”, knowing full well we’ll be straight onto the next exciting plan!
Find out more about Derwen College’s Nurture programme, as well as the College’s vocational pathways, at their website. For more information about PMLD training accessed by the college please contact bev.simmonds@derwen.ac.uk