Nurture Group Network | Connah

Connah’s autism made school a daily struggle. When he joined a nurture group he started to make friends and gain confidence in his abilities.

Nurture groups are small groups run in schools to support children like Connah who, for a variety of reasons, are having trouble accessing their education. The Nurture Group Network invited us to make portraits of three young adults who had used the groups during high school: Connah is autistic, and was being labelled as ‘naughty’, Emma developed intense anxiety, Shane had a very troubled childhood – just his name was enough to put teachers on guard for his behaviour.
 
By focussing closely on Connah, Emma and Shane’s stories; specifically on their education – the difficulties, the time spent in nurture groups, and the outcomes – we get a glimpse into a transformative time in their lives, and feel a moment of connection.
 
We’d like to thank Connah Strong, Emma Canavan and Shane Seddon for allowing us into their lives. Also a special thank you to Yvonne Monaghan at The Nurture Group Network (who found them and persuaded them to talk to us), and to Kevin Kibble and Adam O’Riley also at NGN for giving us the opportunity.

Music
“Waste of TV” by Brad Sucks

ClientNurture Group NetworkInfoShot on Blackmagic Production camera with Canon 17-55m f2.8 lens at 4k by Brad Bell for StoryPartners. Shot raw, processed as Kodak 5213 with FilmConvert in DaVinci ResolveDate19 November 2016Linknurturegroups.org