Hello, 

Welcome to my thrive page! My name is Mrs Whitmore, and I am the Inclusion Officer here at Springfield. I am the lead on all things Thrive and take great pride in the fact that we use the Thrive approach as a whole school approach. 

I oversee the Thrive interventions throughout the school, which are led by our brilliant support staff and me, who have been fully trained on how to use the approach. 

Please see below for more details on Thrive and look out for updates on what we have been doing in some of our sessions in the Pastoral Newsletter.

What is Thrive?

Thrive supports children with their emotional health, well-being and social skills, all of which are needed to enable learning to take place. Children cannot always put their needs into words, but the way children behave can tell us a lot about how they are feeling. For some children, there may be an obvious reason why they need extra support. This might be due to bereavement, family break down or an identified neurodiversity. For others, there may not be any obvious trigger as to why they are finding some aspects of school and/or home life difficult.

The Thrive Approach draws on the latest research from current neuroscience, recent attachment research, current studies of effective learning and current models of child development, in order to help us to understand the needs being signalled by children’s behaviour. Working with parents and class teachers, our Thrive practitioner, Mrs Whitmore carries out assessments of identified children’s social, emotional and behavioural needs which helps us to build an Action Plan of targeted strategies and activities to help children re-engage with learning and life.

Here at Springfield we have a whole school Thrive approach which means all staff are trained to support children’s emotional well-being. Thrive sessions take place on an individual and group basis and are led by trained support staff and the Thrive practitioner. Activities might include sand tray work, baking, painting, junk model making, exploring difficult situations through role-play or comic strips, or playing strategic games focusing on the child’s own interests. Action Plans can be created for home use and are reviewed regularly. A Thrive Action Plan generates a plan of activities tailored to support children’s gaps in social and emotional development. The activities are one-to-one, small group and whole class. We also run a thrive-based lunchtime friendship club which happens every lunchtime in the Thrive room. Activities are play and arts-based. Through Thrive, children become more resilient and resourceful; form trusting, rewarding relationships; are compassionate and empathetic; and can help to overcome difficulties and setbacks.

If you would like further information on The Thrive Approach, please go to: www.thethriveapproach.co.uk

The lead practitioner at Springfield is: Mrs Kate Whitmore. If you have any questions around your child and their emotional well-being please feel free to contact her.