Thrive Pedagogy Podcast

For the latest in our Thrive pedagogy podcast series, we spoke to Laura Griffin and Jason Goddard, from the Greater Horseshoe School, based in Devon. The independent special school, which is run by Enhanced Learning Services, opened in 2018 and has embedded Thrive® at the heart of the school day ever since. The school has 21 pupils aged from eight to 19-years-old, many of whom have an Education Health Care Plan in place with a variety of diagnoses including learning difficulties, autism and ADHD.

Liz Parks, PR Officer at Thrive, talks to Teacher Laura Griffin - a Thrive Licensed Practitioner® who had used Thrive in her previous schools. When Laura started working at Greater Horseshoe, she believed the Thrive Approach® would be invaluable to measure pupils’ progress and help to draw up action plans to support their development through the monitoring and evaluation functions of Thrive-Online®. In our podcast, Laura describes how the school uses Thrive ... and what the results have been so far.

This special edition of Thrive Pedagogy comes to you from the Northern Education and Academies Show which took place in Manchester in October 2019.

Our guests are Drew Povey, former Head Teacher of Harrop Fold School, the setting of Channel 4’s Educating Manchester TV series and Chris Dyson, headteacher at Parklands Primary, situated on one of Europe's largest council estates in Leeds. When Chris arrived at the school in 2015, it was deemed inadequate and had 150 exclusions in a year. 

We also speak to Rock Kidz, a social enterprise that gives Primary School children in the North-West of England the opportunity to work with established musicians. Like the Thrive Approach®, they utilise the arts, play and creativity in supporting social and emotional development.

View our Thrive Together® trailer at: https://mythrive.uk/35kJlNd

In our Christmas edition of Thrive Pedagogy, we speak to Helen Cousin founder of the charity Help Me I’m Fine, which has raised thousands of pounds to organise mental health sessions in primary schools in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Helen founded the charity after her 16-year-old daughter, Maisie, died by suicide in June 2017.

Helen tells us why she thinks that more needs to be done to help children to understand and talk about their emotions so that they are able to recognise when they need help, instead of pretending that everything is OK.

Helen also discusses her book, the Knot, which helps children identify and undo worry knots in their tummies, is available from the Misterton based, Independent Publisher, JJ Moffs.

When Thrive heard about the charity’s work, we decided to make Help Me, I’m Fine our charity of the year. In the run-up to Christmas we have held fundraising events including a bake sale and donations in lieu of Christmas cards.

Helen's book can be purchased from JJ Moffs at: https://jjmoffs.co.uk/product/the-knot/

The Thrive Approach is informed by established developments in neuroscientific research. It is underpinned by a theoretical base in child development theory, transactional analysis and attachment theory, creativity, play and the arts. At the heart of the Approach lies the understanding that children’s behaviour represents a form of communication – of their underlying needs. If we can recognise and meet these needs, children are able to flourish, learn and succeed in their education and life.

In this Podcast, you will gain an introduction to the Thrive Approach, Thrive-Online and learn about the impact Thrive has had on a primary school in a deprived, rural area of Cornwall.

You can learn more about Thrive at: www.thriveapproach.com