Thrive 'a real benefit' at Rhondda Cynon Taf primary

RCT primary school wins awards for its focus on pupils' mental wellbeing

Llanharan Primary School has been named as an Ambassador School with Excellence in the Environment, Leadership, Reparative and Relationship after going through a rigorous assessment process with Thrive.

This article was originally published on the InYourArea website on 27 March 2021 and is available to view online here.

A Rhondda Cynon Taf primary school has been named as a Thrive Ambassador School for supporting the wellbeing of their pupils and helping to prevent mental health issues arising in the future.

Llanharan Primary School has been named as an Ambassador School with Excellence in the Environment, Leadership, Reparative and Relationship after going through a rigorous assessment process with Thrive®, which trains teachers and other education professionals to support the emotional and social development of all children.

• The Environment award recognises schools which are making a positive impact on their pupils and on the wider community by having a focus on emotional wellbeing and creating an environment in which children's wellbeing thrives.
• The Reparative award recognises schools that have excelled in helping children who have gaps in their social and emotional development and have successfully met their needs.
• The Leadership award recognises schools which are having a positive impact on their pupils and the wider community by having a focus on emotional wellbeing and are leading on making this a key factor of children's learning and development.
• The Relationship award recognises schools which forge a strong connection between staff and pupils, creating a firm foundation for learning.

Headteacher Bethan Price said: "We were absolutely delighted to receive Ambassador School status. Thrive is something that we have seen a real benefit from. We didn't start this journey to try and get any kind of accreditation, we just wanted to make things better for the children, but to have been recognised in this way is something very special for all of our staff and pupils who have worked hard to get to this point."

Thrive's Ambassador Schools scheme has been launched as a way of recognising excellence in the way schools use Thrive to promote positive mental wellbeing. There are five areas in which a school can evidence how they support children's social and emotional development: Environment, Leadership, Right-time, Reparative and Relationship, with a special Ambassador School of Excellence Award for schools that achieve the highest standard across all five categories.

As well as submitting an in-depth application form, the school was visited by Thrive staff, before the coronavirus lockdown, to observe and assess the way that teachers and other staff implement the Thrive Approach® to help build the emotional resilience of children, so that they can better manage the ups and downs of life and be more open to learning.

Joey Bowers Thrive's Relationship Manager for Wales, said: "It has been wonderful to see the impact Thrive is having at Llanharan and to see the way the school works to promote the mental and emotional wellbeing of its pupils. To achieve success in four categories is a real achievement that everyone should feel very proud of."

Over to you

Reduced anxiety and behavioural incidents. Calmer classrooms filled with engaged leaners. Improved relationships with parents and carers. These are just some of the outcomes reported by settings embedding Thrive’s whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. Are you ready to join them? Click here to get started.