The Science of the
Thrive Approach
The Thrive Approach is a way of supporting the social and emotional needs of children and young people that’s grounded in both experience and research.
At its heart is a simple idea: behaviour is communication. When a child is struggling, their behaviour is often telling us something about what they need. Thrive helps you understand that and shows you what to do next.
Developed over more than 30 years, it brings together learning from education, social work and psychotherapy to give you a clear, practical way to make sense of behaviour and respond in ways that help.
our approach
Looking beyond behaviour.
When behaviour shows up, whether that’s disruption, withdrawal or a lack of engagement, it’s easy to focus on fixing what’s happening in the moment. Thrive helps you understand what’s driving it.
When development is disrupted, it can affect how children and young people experience and engage with school. Thrive helps you support both those who need visible support and those who may otherwise be overlooked.
What the Thrive Approach is based on
The Thrive Approach draws on four key areas of science and theory.
These give us a deeper understanding of children’s needs and how best to support them.
01
ATTACHMENT THEORY
What is behaviour communicating?
Relationships shape how children and young people feel safe, trust others and manage emotions. Thrive helps you respond in ways that rebuild that sense of security and support them to feel safe and ready to learn.
02
CHILD DEVELOPMENT THEORY
How does development unfold?
Children move through key stages of social and emotional development. Thrive helps you understand where support is needed and how to help them move forward.
03
NEUROSCIENCE
What’s happening in the brain?
Stress and relationships shape how the brain develops. Thrive helps you understand what may be shaping a child or young person’s behaviour and supports regulation and readiness to learn.
04
PLAY, CREATIVITY and THE ARTS
How do we build safe, supportive relationships?
Play and creativity help children and young people express themselves, connect with others and process experiences. They are central to how Thrive builds relationships and supports development.
Meet our experts
Behind the Thrive Approach is our Product and Innovation team: education experts who draw on classroom, leadership and specialist experience to shape resources, training and tools that work in practice. We also work with a nationwide network of over 70 Thrive Trainers, who deliver our training directly to educators and help bring the Approach to life in schools and settings.
Take the next step toward lasting change across your school or system.
Join 2,600+ schools and thousands of educators already
transforming practice with Thrive.