Dovecote School, in Somerset, opened its doors in September 2022. In just two years, the school has been rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, and recognised as a Thrive School of Excellence for its commitment to young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Dovecote is an independent special school supporting just over 60 pupils aged from 5 to 18 years old. All pupils have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) and their social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH) have had a significant impact on their engagement with life and learning. Previous unsuccessful school placements have also been detrimental to pupils’ progress, with many having negative and even traumatic experiences of education.
After using Thrive in a previous setting and having seen the positive impact it had, the Dovecote team knew that embedding the Approach would be key in supporting pupils to become more open to learning.
Putting mental health first
Since it opened, Dovecote has put mental health at the heart of the school. As well as academic assessments such as GCSEs, the school offers functional skills qualifications to provide a pathway to a career. Its facilities include a farm, forest school and gardens that create a therapeutic environment for children and young people as well as opening up opportunities for developing skills in areas such as horticulture.
The school has a high ratio of staff to pupils and a team of experts including a speech and language therapist and an occupational therapist who work alongside teaching staff in the classroom, rather than making referrals to external agencies. There is also a strong focus on working with parents and carers so that children and young people have a consistent approach and common language at home and at school.
For some staff, embedding the Thrive Approach was a big culture shift. However, all colleagues received bespoke inductions which focused on the needs of each pupil and helped them to understand the significance of building positive, safe relationships. All staff are now trained in Thrive techniques that, together with guided therapeutic interventions, help students understand the context and meaning of behaviour, build better coping strategies and positive emotional control.
Dovecote has since trained six Thrive Licensed Practitioners that are equipped to meet the varying needs of each pupil on a one-to-one basis and support them to develop their regulation skills, build safe relationships, and better understand themselves and their peers.
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Becoming more open to learning
Using Thrive-Online, Thrive’s assessment, action-planning and progress-monitoring tool, staff are able to identify the specific social and emotional skills that each pupil needs support with. Tailored action plans made up of targeted strategies and activities enable staff to focus on specific areas and strengthen skills. Plus, Thrive-Online reports provide the data needed to show that pupils are progressing socially and emotionally, when academic progress may not be the first priority.
This progress has been extraordinary for some pupils. Many are now more resilient when it comes to coping with the ups and downs of peer relationships, they’re curious about learning and feel safe enough to try new things and take risks, giving them the confidence to work towards gaining qualifications.
Thrive School of Excellence
To recognise the extraordinary impact Dovecote is having on its pupils, and the wider community, the school has been named as a Thrive School of Excellence. The award is the highest level of achievement in Thrive’s Ambassador Schools scheme, which shines a light on settings showcasing outstanding mental health and wellbeing support.
Leah Roberts, Family, Inclusion and Wellbeing Coordinator at Dovecote, said: “It’s been an incredible journey for our school in the last two years. We continue to grow and as we see our first cohort of leavers moving on to the next stage of their lives this summer, we continue to welcome new young people to our thriving community. Gaining the Thrive School of Excellence award upholds our commitment to the mental health and wellbeing of our whole school community and is a wonderful way to end our second academic year.”
“Thrive is a transformative approach. When it’s embedded in everything you do, it makes teaching and learning an empowering process. It helps young people to feel heard, validated and safe. But it’s also more than that – it’s a way of life, it’s a way of being. It’s about being human and understanding ourselves and each other and bringing maximum authenticity and compassion to life”, she added.
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