Thrive is a therapeutic approach to help support children with their emotional and social development and Mrs Owens is our fully trained practitoner. It is a whole school approach based around current studies of effective learning and current models of child development – in order to help the school to understand the needs being signaled by children’s behaviour.
The Thrive approach offers practical strategies and techniques and is built around online assessments which identify children’s emotional development and provide action plans for their individual needs. Whole classes can also use Thrive techniques and activities to address any issues or as part of PSHE sessions in school.
Research has shown that how we behave is linked to how we feel and our emotions are linked to how we learn. By teaching children to recognise and notice these feelings and emotions it can help with their development and learning.
Our aim is to develop children emotionally so they are able to recognize and distinguish their emotions and learn ways of responding to their feelings appropriately.
We will:
- Provide alternative support for children who are experiencing emotional, social or behavioural difficulties.
- Provide a safe and calm environment for children to develop their skills.
- Enable children to take pride in their achievements and enhance self-esteem.
- Help children to manage their feelings and develop skills to enjoy and participate in school life.
- Use positive approaches to manage all behaviours.
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The What happens in a thrive session? Sessions may be on an individual basis or as part of a small group of children and will usually take place in our Thrive room. During each session there will be an activity which may include:
- Story telling
- Circle games
- Arts and crafts
- Sand play
- Movement and relaxation
- Cooking and preparing food
- Role play and puppet work
- Games
- Gardening
Who has thrive sessions? Everyone! Though they might not realise it. All of our pupils have access to regular class-based Thrive activities; most art and sport activities are taught within the Thrive approach. Each class has Thrive sessions as part of PSHE in areas such as sharing, turn taking, importance of rules and respectful behaviour. Many children will respond to the care, understanding and support given by parents, family, friends, and teachers. However, some children need a little bit extra.
Some children will also require individual or small group sessions. Just like adults, some children experience difficulties during their time at school and these difficulties may also be present at home. The thrive approach enables us to pick out the specific difficulties and plan activities to address these difficulties
Some of the typical areas we work on in Thrive sessions are:
- Finding it hard to settle in the classroom.
- Finding it difficult to manage their strong feelings.
- Difficulties with friendships.
- Not knowing who to turn to when feelings are too big to manage on their own.
- Bereavement
- Moving school
These situations can lead to many different feelings which may seem overwhelming at times. They might include: anger, frustration, sadness, loneliness, confusion, or anxiety.
All these feelings are very normal and happen to a lot of children. The Thrive sessions are to help children learn to manage their feelings and teach them strategies that will help promote their learning at school.