Chief Executive Officer | nurtureuk
Arti is a seasoned leader with a career that has spanned over 25 years across teaching, commercial and not-for-profit sectors where she has been able to showcase her expertise and passion for education and the development of children and young people. Arti has big ambitions to make #nurturethenorm across our education system.
Imagine a world without Einstein’s theory of relativity, Edison’s light bulb, or Jobs’ iPhone. Now imagine how many future world-changers—brilliant minds capable of revolutionising science, technology, business, and the arts—are being left behind because our education system is not designed to support their social and emotional developmental needs. Without nurture-based education, we risk losing generations of potential game-changers simply because they didn’t fit into a rigid system.
At nurtureuk, we believe that relational practice, understanding social and emotional development, and recognising children's unique needs are not “extras” in education; they are fundamental to success. Without them, we are failing to provide the foundations that enable children to thrive—not just academically, but as resilient, creative, and confident individuals.
A system that shackles teachers, not a failure of teachers
Teachers enter the profession because they care. They want to inspire, support, and nurture young minds. However, the UK education system too often shackles them with rigid structures, relentless pressure to meet academic targets, and a lack of resources to support children holistically. This isn’t the fault of teachers—it’s the system that doesn’t give them the tools, training, or flexibility to prioritise children’s emotional and social developmental needs.
Many of history’s greatest innovators struggled in school. Marie Curie was discouraged from studying science due to gender biases but went on to win two Nobel Prizes. Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock was diagnosed with dyslexia and often underestimated at school but her dreams of becoming a scientist never faded and she is now a leading space scientist, science communicator, and co-presenter of The Sky at Night. Ada Lovelace, often called the first computer programmer, faced significant societal barriers to education. Agatha Christie, despite struggling with dyslexia, became one of the most successful authors of all time. Temple Grandin, who is autistic, revolutionised animal science and has become an advocate for neurodiversity.
These individuals were fortunate enough to find ways to develop their talents despite their school experiences. But how many others never get that chance? How many children today are labeled as “difficult,” “disruptive,” or “underachieving” when, in reality, they are simply not being given the nurture they need to succeed?
Why social and emotional development comes first
The research is clear: children learn best when they feel safe, valued, and supported. If a child’s emotional needs are unmet—if they are experiencing anxiety, trauma, or insecurity—they cannot engage fully with learning. Nurture-based approaches recognise that relationships, emotional well-being, and social connections are just as important as academic instruction.
At nurtureuk, we work with teachers to integrate relational practice, ensuring that every child feels seen and understood. By fostering secure attachments, emotional regulation, and resilience, we create the conditions for learning to take place. But without systemic change, teachers will continue to face barriers when trying to implement these approaches in their classrooms.
The cost of ignoring emotional and social needs
Without nurture, we risk wasting human potential on a massive scale. Children who might otherwise become great scientists, inventors, artists, leaders or even just great citizens can disengage from education, develop low self-esteem, or struggle with mental health challenges that limit their future opportunities.
The impact is not just personal—it’s societal. A lack of nurture in education contributes to lower attendance and disengagement, increased mental health challenges, decrease in school staff retention. We can imagine the future knock-on effect on unemployment, underemployment, lost innovation and creativity would equally be high.
When we don’t nurture children’s emotional, social, and developmental needs, we risk overlooking brilliance that doesn’t "fit the mould."
If we want a future where new Curies, Jobs, and Edisons thrive, we must start by empowering teachers with the resources and training they need to nurture the next generation.
A call to action: what needs to change
We cannot afford to continue treating social and emotional development as secondary to academic achievement. The two are inextricably linked. By embedding nurture in education, we create the conditions for every child to reach their potential. But this can’t just be left to individual teachers or schools—it requires systemic reform.
Schools must be required, and properly supported, to identify and address children’s social and emotional developmental needs.
We know there are so many schools already doing this well, using the Boxall Profile® Online and nurture interventions to great effect, and going above and beyond to support their entire school communities, creating a real sense of belonging for pupils and families, and ensuring pupils can genuinely flourish and learn. Percy Main Primary School in North Shields is one such example, no child has been excluded or suspended from this setting for more than two years and its nurture group is transforming the lives of children, families and teachers. (Listen to a short feature on BBC Radio R4’s Today Programme to find out more).
The new Inclusion in Practice initiative, led by Tom Rees, feels like an important step towards ensuring this can happen in every school. It provides the opportunity for examples of excellent practice to be shared and learnt from. I strongly encourage nurtureuk members, our partner schools and supporters, and all those invested in inclusion, to respond to this call for evidence, and share what works for them when it comes to creating truly inclusive environments that support all children.
Because the world can’t afford to lose another Curie, Einstein, or Grandin.
