Current Initiatives
Dyslexia Friendly Schools
Click on the image to download the South Ayrshire Dyslexia Support Pack
Click on the image to download the South Ayrshire Dyslexia Support Pack
To access more information about the Dyslexia Friendly Schools initiative in South Ayrshire please click here. We also have useful information and strategies for both schools and parents to help support children with dyslexia.


Creating Confident Kids
Click on the image above to find out more about the development of Creating Confident Kids in different schools across South Ayrshire
Click on the image above to find out more about the development of Creating Confident Kids in different schools across South Ayrshire
Creating Confident Kids- Developing Emotional, Well-being and Self-esteem.

Creating Confident Kids is a comprehensive health and wellbeing curriculum programme which has been designed to highlight the importance of emotional literacy within the learning process and to enable children to develop their emotional wellbeing. Developed by staff within the City of Edinburgh Council, it recognises that all children begin with an in-built potential to understand and handle the world of emotions. Experiences help children make sense of this and develop skills in making best use of emotions.

The materials take a whole-school-community approach, involving parents, and bringing benefits in behaviour, tolerance and increased responsibility as well as academic achievement. In A Curriculum for Excellence the focus of Creating Confident Kids is on Developing Confident Individuals although it impacts on all four capacities. It sits in the Health and Wellbeing curricular area. The programme is delivered sequentially through a whole-school community approach, early years to P7, and aims to help develop emotional and social competence in all children.

Creating Confident Kids is based on four emotional literacy domains;
• self-awareness
• self-management
• empathy
• relationship management.

The materials are published in 8 themes, each comprising a Teacher’s Book and a Resource Book. Supplementary materials include a set of Emotions Cue Cards and an Ideas Bank book. The programme has been shown to have a positive effect on outcomes for children including:
• self-esteem
• educational progress
• behaviour in class
• interpersonal skills, e.g. in group work
• personal responsibility

To find out more about Creating Confident Kids please click here. To find out more about how the programme is being used in different schools across South Ayrshire, please click on the image above.
Nurture Groups
Click on the image above to find out more about the four pilot Nurture Groups
Click on the image above to find out more about the four pilot Nurture Groups
Nurture Groups are an inclusive approach for addressing children’s social, emotional and behavioural needs within a mainstream school setting. They are based on the principles of attachment theory, early intervention and prevention, and are targeted towards children who for a variety of reasons have missed out on early experiences that promote secure social and emotional development. Nurture Groups are staffed by experienced teachers and pupil support assistants who have completed accredited training with The Nurture Group Network.

Within the context of Scottish education, Nurture Groups have been recognised as having a significant role to play in addressing educational disadvantage and underachievement, promoting resilience, and ensuring educational success for all. The approach closely aligns with the strategic priorities of the Early Years Framework, Curriculum for Excellence and Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). Nurture Groups are now being developed in most Scottish Local Authority areas, have been identified as good practice by HMIe, and are being actively promoted and supported by the Scottish Government Schools Directorate through its Positive Behaviour Team.

To find out more about Nurture Groups and their principles please click here.
Bounce Back
Click on the image to find out more about the development of Bounce Back within schools across South Ayrshire
Click on the image to find out more about the development of Bounce Back within schools across South Ayrshire
Bounce Back is an award-winning wellbeing and resilience class-based program for children and young people from nursery through to secondary school. Bounce Back offers practical strategies to help children and young people function well at school and in life and is a whole school social and emotional learning curriculum program. Bounce Back promotes positive mental health, wellbeing and resilience for students and teachers plus safe and supportive class and school learning environments.

The Key Features of Bounce Back!
• It is a long-term, multi-year, multi-faceted whole-school program and not just an ‘add-on’.

• It is a universal program taught to all pupils, not just selected pupils. However concepts and skills from the program can also be further consolidated in individual or small-group sessions.

• The components and teaching strategies in the program are all evidence-based

• It is taught by classroom teachers and based predominantly on children’s literature (especially younger and older picture books) and follow-up language/literacy activities.

• There is a strong focus on circle time, cooperative learning approaches & educational games to build positive relationships, positive emotions and teach social-emotional skills.

• The psychological content of Bounce Back! is predominantly drawn from two core models: Cognitive Psychology and Positive Psychology

Bounce Back was piloted in a number of different schools in the Marr cluster last year and was evaluated by both teachers and pupils as being a great success. The programme is now being used by an increasing number of schools across South Ayrshire with the Psychological Service leading the evaluation process. To find out more about Bounce Back please click here.