Baby joins lessons at Downend Secondary School

Pupils at Downend School have a new classmate – baby Nathan.

Nathan and his mum Crystal are going in to meet the Year 8 students every three weeks as part of The Josie Project, a new initiative funded by South Gloucestershire Council.

The project originated in Canada. As well as building a special relationship with Nathan and learning about the responsibilities of parenting, the pupils will also have the opportunity to find out more about a baby’s developmental milestones.

They will learn about his social and emotional development and to link it to their own. The programme develops their emotional awareness and encourages young people to recognise their responsibilities as members of the community.