Ms Niamh Jordan:

I have been an SNA for 22 years in a mainstream school. I am based in a nurture room, which was introduced in September 2021. The nurture room is a short-term focused intervention for children with particularl social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. We address the children's needs and prevent exclusion from the classroom, and any distress caused by them not having the coping skills through no fault of their own. I work alongside the teacher and assist her with modelling self-regulation skills, co-operative play and promoting self-esteem.

The zones of regulation are used daily in our room and they are an important tool for all children. From time to time all of us find it hard to manage strong feelings such as worry, anger, restlessness, fear or tiredness, which stops us from getting on with our day. My daily routine differs every day and depends on the zone the child is in when they arrive. The nurture room is a safe place where children are given the freedom to express themselves. I celebrate their achievements every day no matter how small that might seem. When someone tells us that we have done a good job then that makes us feel positive about ourselves, which is what nurture is all about.

To help the children self-regulate I start the day with Braincalm. I do Braincalm Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. with three groups of three pupils who are aged between seven years and ten years. The Braincalm programme is for children with sensory issues, ASD, ADHD, anxiety and behavioural issues. We complete 20 minutes a day of a variety of therapy-based and fun activities to help children become calm, organise their brains and return to their classroom calm, focused, alert and ready to learn. Although Braincalm is not a replacement for therapy it gives parents and school staff a programme to help the child while he or she is on the waiting for therapy or as an add-on to therapy received outside the school.