We understand that social and emotional well-being is hugely important for children to flourish and learn. The thrive approach is a specific way of working with all children that helps to develop their social and emotional well-being; it supports them in becoming more self-assured, capable and adaptable. It can also address any troubling behaviours providing a firm foundation for academic attainment.

Positive relationships are at the heart of thrive and we use these relationships, together with play and creative activities, to give children key experiences at each different stage of their development. Repetition of these activities supports their development, helping them to:

• feel good about themselves and know that they matter
• increase their sense of security and trust
• increase their emotional well-being
• improve their capacity to be creative and curious
• increase their self-esteem and confidence to learn
• learn to recognise and regulate their feelings
• learn to think before behaving in a certain way

How does it work?

Appropriate for all children from birth to adulthood, the thrive approach draws on the latest research into brain science, child development theory and attachment theory. It helps us to understand how babies’ and children’s brains develop, and how parents, teachers and other professionals can best support this development by providing the best experiences for the children at each stage. Thrive helps us to better understand the children’s needs being signalled by their behaviour. Sometimes children may struggle as a result of temporary setbacks or other, longer term changes in their lives such as a separation, a bereavement, a family illness or accident, or even the arrival of a new baby. They may signal their distress by becoming more withdrawn, or distant, or perhaps more challenging or disruptive, or even by trying too hard to please. If this happens we use thrive to look beyond the behaviour to give these children the support they need to get back on track. Sometimes they only need a little extra support in class, sometimes they need a small group and sometimes they may need additional one-to-one time to help them along.

How will my child be involved in Thrive?

We use a screening tool and activity planning resource called Thrive-Online. This allows us to check that children are working appropriately for their age and ensure they are as emotionally and socially supported as they can be. Using Thrive-Online we will also identify any children in need of extra help. If the screening process suggests that your child would benefit from additional support, we will put this in place and carry out a more detailed assessment to develop an action plan. The action plan gives specific strategies and activities for supporting your child within our school. The plan can also suggest activities you can do at home so we can work together to help them through any difficulties they may be experiencing.

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