Katie Parks and Nicola Gough are transforming children’s social and emotional wellbeing across Barking and Dagenham, through an innovative borough-wide Thrive Hub. Thrive’s Regional Manager for London, Sarah Kilou, caught up with them to learn more.
I met with Katie and Nicola at Rose Lane Primary School in Dagenham, where Katie brings her extraordinary expertise as both a trained child counsellor and Thrive Licensed Practitioner. Katie has been a driving force in embedding trauma-informed practice in her setting, positively impacting pupil outcomes - and achieving the prestigious Thrive School of Excellence Award in the process.
Katie explained that she was introduced to Thrive during her counselling training, and shared the many ways it complements her therapeutic work:
“Thrive is a whole-school, graduated approach. It includes universal whole class Thrive sessions, group work and individual Thrive sessions. We then offer therapy or refer onto CAMHS - although getting a referral accepted by CAMHS can be a challenge.”
Katie also spoke of how Thrive has helped her in delivering pupil interventions, drawing on her work in supporting a non-verbal autistic child in the Additional Resource Provision (ARP) at her school:
“Thrive gave me a framework to settle with him emotionally, beyond my therapy skills. It’s one of the highlights of my week. When I go and pick him up from the ARP he’s often got his head down, and then he sees me and just lights up. We have a ritual of moving across the playground. I say: ‘one, two, three, jump’ and we jump from one side of the playground to the other, and he beams and I’m beaming as well. He comes alive, it’s just lovely. That’s what Thrive does.”
A Thriving duo is born!
Katie and Nicola first met in 2016, when Nicola, newly appointed as a Learning Mentor in neighbouring Hunters Hall Primary School, visited Thomas Arnold Primary to observes the excellent practice led by Katie – work that was already making waves locally.
Nicola was blown away by the impact she witnessed through Thrive. Nicola explained how she went back to her school “with my cap in hand and said - we need to do this”. Fast-forward nine years and Nicola shared how she brought Thrive to Hunters Hall Primary School, leading its implementation from humble beginnings through to achieving the Thrive School of Excellence accolade in 2021.
The journey wasn’t always easy, though. Nicola shared that resistance to Thrive sometimes comes from staff unfamiliar with its principles or sceptical of change.
“When I embedded Thrive at Hunters Hall, some staff thought it was ‘fluffy’ or just about rewarding good behaviour. But once they saw the impact, it transformed the whole school culture”.
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From Thrive Schools of Excellence to a borough-wide hub
Keen to leverage the expertise of Thrive Schools of Excellence to support the wider region, Barking and Dagenham local authority has launched a Thrive Hub, co-led by Katie and Nicola.
“The Hub’s role is to go into schools, review their current social and emotional support, and help them embed Thrive so they can progress towards becoming Thrive Ambassador schools or Schools of Excellence themselves,” said Katie.
Katie and Nicola offer practical advice, share best practice, and signpost schools to relevant Thrive training. Nicola’s a certified Thrive Trainer and delivers sessions to colleagues across the borough, including Family Thrive training.
The local authority has funded extensive Thrive training for schools, but with budget cuts and staff turnover, not all schools have maintained their Thrive Licensed Practitioners over time. “Some schools lost their licenses or didn’t have the capacity to fully implement Thrive,” Katie explained. Part of the Hub’s remit is to assess current provision, support schools in revitalizing their Thrive work, and guide them through the Thrive Ambassador framework.
As Thrive Hub Co-Lead, Nicola works as a sole trader for the local authority, delivering Thrive sessions to children identified as at risk of exclusion through primary and secondary panels. “I work with families as well as children,” she says. “My 12-week Family Thrive courses help build emotional resilience at home, which amplifies the impact.
In addition to working with children and young people referred to her via panel, Nicola works with schools that opt into commissioning her services to improve their Thrive provision. The Hub aims to be flexible and supportive, never prescriptive. “We’re on a journey with each school, learning from them and validating their efforts,” says Katie. “It’s about helping them find their own way to make Thrive work for their pupils.”
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Staff at Hunters Hall Primary School receiving the Thrive School of Excellence Award in 2021.
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Barking and Dagenham Thrive Hub Co-Leads Nicola Gough (left) and Katie Parks (right).
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Staff at Rose Lane Primary School receiving their Thrive School of Excellence Award in 2023.
Top tips for implementing Thrive: Insights from Katie and Nicola
Embedding Thrive successfully in a school environment requires more than just training - it calls for leadership, flexibility, and a whole-community approach. Katie and Nicola share their most valuable insights on how schools can effectively adopt Thrive and create meaningful, lasting impact for children, staff, and families alike.
1. Strong leadership sets the tone
One of the most crucial factors in implementing Thrive is having strong, visible leadership. Whether it’s a headteacher championing the programme or a passionate Thrive Lead driving it forward, leadership must be fully committed and actively involved. Schools where leadership truly embodies Thrive principles tend to create environments where emotional wellbeing is deeply rooted in the school culture.
2. Let the Ambassador Award auditing tool guide you
Thrive’s Ambassador framework serves as a valuable roadmap for schools at all stages of their journey. More than just a checklist, it functions as a strategic action plan that helps schools embed Thrive in a way that reflects their unique context and student needs.
“Thrive looks different in every school” Katie explains. “The theory and principles are the same, but the implementation must be tailored. The framework helps you personalise your approach - just like you would with individual pupils.”
This adaptable structure supports schools in identifying their gaps and planning targeted improvements to work towards becoming a Thrive School of Excellence.
3. Engage parents and carers through Family Thrive
Family engagement is a cornerstone of effective Thrive practice. Katie and Nicola emphasise the power of Family Thrive in connecting with parents and carers to build supportive, aligned home environments.
“Family Thrive is fantastic” says Nicola. “What my borough values most in my Alternative Provision is that I work with the whole family - not just the child.”
By involving families in the Thrive journey, schools can extend emotional support beyond the classroom and help create consistent, nurturing experiences for children at home.
4. Focus on what your school needs
While it’s important to have a plan, flexibility is key when implementing Thrive. Schools should start with a sense of direction but be open to adapting their approach as new needs arise.
Looking ahead: Growing the Thrive network in Barking and Dagenham
Katie and Nicola are passionate about continuing to grow the Thrive community of practice in Barking and Dagenham. They’re working in partnership with the Thrive team to establish local network meetings where Thrive Practitioners come together to share insights and support each other along the journey. Katie shared:
“The Borough’s commitment has been instrumental in enabling this work, and we’re excited about what the future holds.”
Beyond Barking and Dagenham, you may have seen Katie and Nicola speak recently at the Mental Health Conference in London. Their next speaking event will be at the World Inclusion Congress in Kazakhstan, where they will be sharing all things Thrive!
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