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A further ten schools in ����ֱ�� and Bute have achieved accreditation for their achievements in developing nurturing cultures in their school communities, bringing the total number of accredited schools in the area to 18.

The accreditation is part of the Council’s, ‘Our Children, Their Nurturing Education (OCTNE) Strategy’, and aims to ensure that children and young people have the emotional support they need to thrive.

The schools that have received bronze accreditation in this round are: Ardrishaig Primary, Bowmore Primary, Campbeltown Grammar School, Colgrain Primary School, Dunoon Primary School, Garelochhead Primary School, Hermitage Academy, Rothesay Primary and Sandbank Primary

Port Charlotte Primary on Islay made an outstanding achievement and received gold accreditation.

The council’s Nurture Team, which is led by the Educational Psychology Service and includes a Principal Teacher of Nurture and two dedicated Nurture Teachers, have been supporting these schools to develop implementation plans to develop approaches that are sustainable and that are grounded in improvement methodology.

The teams has also developed a series of Nurture Podcasts as a way of providing support around the Nurture Principles and will continue to develop to provide ongoing, easily accessible support for education staff and beyond.

Jennifer Crocket, the Council’s Head of Education for Lifelong Learning and Support, said: “The positive mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people is a priority for the council.

“The last few years have been a difficult and challenging time for everyone, none more so than our children and young people, but the Nurture Programme is helping staff to work together in a reflective, solution-focused way to support pupils showing signs of distressed behaviour.

“The programme helps staff to better understand learners’ behaviour, and put into practice nurturing approaches to support them. It also enables pupils to learn to understand their emotions and self soothe more.

“The programme is proving a great success and it is therefore no surprise that Education Scotland is using it as case study for positive practice in its national thematic review. Well done to all our schools that have already completed the programme. I look forward to seeing it continue to be rolled out.”