Thrive Pedagogy Podcast

In this episode, Thrive’s Strategic Lead and Trainer Kay Hamilton talks about how to improve mental wellbeing in your school quickly and effectively using existing resources and communication channels to avoid adding to the workload of classroom staff.

Listen to learn:

• How to identify opportunities to teach mental wellbeing skills and awareness
• Why focusing on improving children’s mental wellbeing will lead to improved outcomes including behaviour, attainment and attendance
• Questions you should ask yourself before embarking on mental health training
• The role of senior leaders – how to differentiate between strategy and implementation for effective outcomes

In this episode, we feature Thrive® Licensed Practitioner, education consultant and Ofsted inspector Sandra Teacher talking about her upcoming webinar about how to evaluate the impact of your mental wellbeing practice.  

Listen in to discover:

• Tips to change your school’s mindset around inspections
• Why schools need to put the same emphasis on wellbeing as they do on traditional, academic subjects
• The importance of communicating wellbeing practice across the school community – including governors, families and support staff
• Why context is key for an inspector
• Why student voice is one of the most effective ways to evidence impact

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From Stephen Fry and suicide prevention to time-management skills and outdated PHSE, teenagers Conor and Bridie shine a light on the impetus for creating their mental health platform, Spark UK, and the content void they are working to fill.

Listen in to discover:

• Why anger fuelled a desire to curate mental health resources for young people
• The unexpected challenges facing teenagers today
• The ongoing stigma surrounding mental health – and where they feel society is in terms of a shift
• How to navigate school Wi-Fi alongside GCSEs and an impromptu live interview on Sky News!
• The importance of instilling self-care acts from a young age
• What’s next for Spark UK as an authority on young people’s mental health

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Emotional Based School Avoidance is a term used to describe children and young people who experience challenges in attending school due to negative feelings such as anxiety. In this episode, Dom Sagar, Thrive’s Relationship Manager for the North and Central England, explains that this is usually associated with emotional and physical distress and a reluctance to attend school or absconding from lessons within the settings - leading to reduced attendance.   The BBC reported last year that there is a ‘tsunami’ of cases of EBSA, in many cases exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, with many parents and teachers struggling to support children.

Listen in to discover:

• The early signs of Emotional Based School Avoidance
• ‘In the moment’ strategies to tackle EBSA in your setting
• The neuroscience behind a student’s dysregulation
• How to support and steady your students for learning
• The importance of celebrating small wins on a daily basis
• Actionable insights to prevent school anxiety taking hold in the first place

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Prepare to be inspired by this simple yet effective initiative designed to help children understand their emotions and how they impact behaviour. The brainchild of Maple Cross School in Hertfordshire (where a high percentage of pupil premium children and behavioural needs are evident) Mapping my Emotions has contributed to a 50% reduction in all escalated incidents and an increased level of insight and empathy across the school community.

Listen in to discover:

• Why Mapping my Emotions was needed in the first place
• How this non-confrontational tool works to empower children to self-regulate and express themselves clearly
• The 3 Es at the heart of Maple Cross’s powerful approach
• The steps taken at launch to enhance the bond between teachers and pupils
• How the tool is adapted for Early Years, KS1 and KS2 students

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In this episode, we feature Thrive® trainer Sharon Gray and Licensed Practitioner Sam Strange in conversation about what it’s like to undertake Thrive training and the changes it brings personally and professionally. Sam, the Personalised Learning Centre Manager at Northfields School and Sports College, in Stockton-on-Tees, talks about her expectations of the course and how this compared to the reality. The conversation also highlights the genuine warmth between trainer and delegate – and features a very special song!

In this episode, we feature Rose Webb, Thrive’s South West Relationship Manager talking about self-care. Rose shares some quick and easy tips about how busy classroom staff can incorporate self-care into their working days. We also hear from Jo Phillips, a former doctor and Thrive Licensed Practitioner at Hammond Academy, in Hertfordshire, which is part of Aspire Academies Trust. Jo has co-authored a book called Mental Health and Wellbeing in Primary Education. Jo shares some of her insights into children’s mental health and why she believes a relational approach is key to supporting children and young people.

 

In this episode we talk to Mona Delahooke, a California-based licensed clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of experience caring for children and their families. She is the author of the book Beyond Behaviours: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children’s Behavioural Challenges. Mona is one of two keynote speakers who will be delivering webinars in the next couple of months for Thrive’s Forging New Connections conference series. We also hear from Christopher Harrison, Assistant Headteacher at Grove Road Community Primary School, in North Yorkshire, about why the school is taking a longer-term view of attainment, rather than focusing on short-term targets.

In this episode, we feature Kim Golding, who is a clinical psychologist, author and Dyadic Developmental Practice consultant and trainer. Kim is one of two keynote speakers who will be delivering webinars in the next couple of months for Thrive’s Forging New Connections series. We also hear about the playground buddy scheme at Perry Wood Primary and Nursery School, in Worcester, which features children trained to support their peers using the Vital Relational Functions.

In this episode, we feature Kay Hamilton, Thrive’s Central West Relationship Manager talking how about teachers and parents and carers can prepare for the full re-opening of schools. Kay shares some really useful insight into the range of emotions children may be feeling and she gives simple, practical tips on how trusted adults can help them to be ready to go back. We also hear from Paul Baker, Headteacher of Gulval School, in Penzance. Paul talks about leading the first Thrive School of Excellence in England, how his school came to have its own farm – and what it felt like to climb Snowdon with his pupils.

In this episode, Liz Parks interviews Rose Webb, Thrive’s South West Relationship Manager about Children’s Mental Health Week, which runs from February 1 to 7. The theme of the week is Express Yourself and Rose considers why self-expression is so important for mental health and gives practical tips for activities that parents and teachers can do with children. We also hear from two Licensed Practitioners talking about creating a really good Thrive room – and ways it may need to be adapted during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Episode 7 - In this episode Viv Trask-Hall talks to Liz Parks about discharge behaviours - the fight, flight and freeze responses. Viv explains the neuroscience that underlies these behaviours and also suggests some useful strategies for managing them. Also, we talk to three Thrive Licensed Practitioners about their Thrive rooms - how they created them and how they have adapted them during the Covid-19 pandemic.

To mark a year since the publication of the Timpson Review, in this latest episode of the Thrive Pedagogy podcast we’ll be discussing how much progress has been made in implementing the 30 recommendations that Mr. Timpson put forward and to explain why it is important to understand the emotional need that often lies behind ‘bad’ behaviour displayed by children who may be at risk of exclusion.

In this episode, Thrive's Head of Innovation in Education & Principal Trainer Viv Trask-Hall will be talking about the changes we have made to our courses to respond to government guidelines about social distancing and travel restrictions.

We have configured our courses to what we have termed a ‘Reblended’ model, adapting content and upskilling our amazing team of trainers to deliver more webinars and e-learning modules. This approach means that our training courses can go ahead to ensure continuity for our Thrive community and also to cater for the increased need to support children and young people through what are huge challenges to their mental and emotional health.

CLICK HERE to find out more about our courses.

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