Become a Thrive Primary School
A practical way to reduce disruption, identify barriers to learning earlier, and build a consistent approach across your school.
Thrive gives your staff a clear, shared way to understand behaviour and support children’s social and emotional development over time. This reduces time managing disruption and helps more children feel settled, secure and ready to learn.
What does it mean to be a Thrive School?
A Thrive Primary School uses a consistent, inclusive whole-school approach to support behaviour, relationships, wellbeing and children’s social and emotional development.
Staff are trained to notice what might be getting in the way of a child’s learning, attendance or participation, and to respond early through relational classroom practice, targeted support and Thrive-Online action plans.
When a child needs more help, Thrive Licensed Practitioners can offer one-to-one or small group support to help them build emotional regulation, feel safer in school and stay engaged in learning.
What Thrive primary schools see
More consistent responses across the school
Staff respond in more consistent ways across the school, helping create a calmer environment where children feel secure, develop a sense of belonging, and regulate more effectively.
Earlier support before needs become more complex
Staff can identify barriers to learning and gaps in development sooner, helping reduce escalation and the need for more intensive support.
Supporting more children within mainstream classrooms
With a clear approach and targeted support in place, schools are better able to meet a wider range of needs in a manageable way, helping more children stay in class and engage in learning.
CASE STUDY
Masefield Primary School
See how Masefield introduced Thrive and strengthened behaviour, attendance and wellbeing in practice.
Independently evaluated impact
The Thrive Approach has been independently evaluated by ImpactEd through analysis of over 2,600 schools and a two-year mixed-methods study.
Schools using Thrive show:
For primary leaders, this provides clear, independent evidence to support school improvement, SEND provision and inspection.
The foundations of a Thrive School
Two core foundations underpin every Thrive School. Together, they provide the structure and consistency that make the approach work in practice.
At least one member of staff trains as a Thrive Licensed Practitioner, building in-house expertise to support social and emotional development and guide practice across the school.
Through this training, schools can:
- Develop a deeper understanding of behaviour and emotional development
- Identify pupils who need targeted SEMH support
- Assess need and plan relational interventions
- Build greater consistency in how staff understand and respond to behaviour
Thrive-Online supports assessment, planning and tracking across the whole school, helping staff respond to need in a practical, manageable way.
Through Thrive-Online, you can:
- Identify and understand barriers to learning early
- Create targeted action plans matched to need
- Track progress over time
- Evidence impact for leadership and inspection
Your subscription also includes My Thrive Scan, providing a whole school snapshot of wellbeing through two short staff-completed scans.
Learn more about Thrive-Online
Two routes to becoming a
Thrive Primary School
DIRECT ROUTE
Thrive Whole School SEMH Approach
for mainstream primary schools
The fastest way to get started.
What's included:
- Thrive Licensed Practitioner training for one staff member | £1,780
- Thrive-Online annual subscription | £5 per pupil on roll
- Implementation support from a Thrive expert included
Eligible schools may be able to use the Inclusive Mainstream Fund to help fund this route, where it fits with their inclusion priorities.
Prices exclude VAT.
FUNDED ROUTE (ENGLAND ONLY)
Thrive wellbeing apprenticeships
A funded route that helps you build expertise in school over time.
What's included:
-
Thrive Licensed Practitioner training plus a Level 5 qualification
-
Access to Thrive-Online for the duration of the programme
-
On-the-job learning embedded within school practice
From £9,000 £0
To keep Thrive School status after the apprenticeship, schools continue with Thrive-Online or train another apprentice.
Not sure which route is right for you?
If you’d like to talk through your options, book a conversation with a member of our team.
In this 30-minute discussion, you can explore your context, priorities and funding routes,
and decide whether Thrive is the right fit for your school.
How Thrive can grow in your school
Many primary schools build on their initial foundations over time, expanding expertise and strengthening practice.
01
Training additional staff
Expand capacity through further Licensed Practitioner training, senior leadership training, whole school inductions and training days.
02
Advanced training
Deepen expertise through advanced training and apprenticeships, strengthening long-term SEND and SEMH leadership.
03
Engaging parents and carers
Train a Family Thrive Course Leader to share the approach with parents and carers in practical, accessible ways.
04
Recognition and excellence
Work towards Thrive Ambassador and School of Excellence status, recognising sustained impact.