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Thrive

Highwood Primary staff commenced the journey of being a Thrive School on Monday 20th February 2023.

We are excited to be introducing a nurturing whole-school approach.

Madame Watson and Mrs Trundle are our licensed Thrive practitioners.

What is the Thrive Approach? We know that children learn best in school when they are happy and settled. Children cannot always put their needs into words, but the way children behave can tell us a lot about how they are feeling. At Highwood, we are using the Thrive Approach to help us develop our pupils’ emotional and social well-being.

Thrive approach draws on the latest research from current neuroscience, recent attachment research, and current studies in order to help the school to understand the needs being signalled by children’s behaviour. It gives us targeted strategies and activities to help them re-engage with learning and life.

Thrive helps us to check children’s readiness to learn, to identify any gaps and then plan to meet them. Through doing so, we will be able to make sure that all of our pupils have what they need to make the best possible progress in their learning.

Why are we a Thrive school?

• Positive relationships are at the heart of Thrive. We will use these relationships, together with play and creative activities, to give children key experiences at each different stage of their development.

• Thrive teaches the understanding of children’s behaviour as communication, improves learning skills and leads to greater attainment.

• It promotes productive PSHE learning for all children.

• It supports practitioners, providing them with the confidence to work with more challenging and vulnerable children, and with parents and integrated teams.

• It leads to better relationships at home and in school.

How do we use Thrive? Thrive is a way of assessing and supporting children’s emotional and social development, which can then be used to provide personalised programmes for classes, groups and individuals.

All class teachers will use a tool called Thrive-Online to screen their classes. The results will help them to create an action plan for their social and emotional curriculum and teaching will be adapted to best meet the needs that are indicated. Strategies and activities are suggested which can be built into lessons and work.

What is a Thrive Action Plan? A Thrive Action Plan is a plan of activities tailored to support a child’s identified social and emotional learning targets. The activities are varied. They can be through play, discussions, games, sports and arts-based activities designed to help the child feel better about him/herself; become more resilient and resourceful; form trusting, rewarding relationships; be compassionate and empathetic; and/or be able to overcome difficulties and setbacks. For example, they might include playing in the sand, puppets, cooking, painting, model making, exploring difficult situations through role-play or comic strips, and playing strategy games or projects focusing on the child’s own interests.

Action Plans are shared with parents/ carers and they are encouraged to do some of the activities at home if possible. They are reviewed regularly to see the progress children have made.

Here is the Thrive Website:

Thrive Website