Masefield Primary School: From attainment struggles, to top 3% in the country

With little understanding of Thrive and concerns it would generate additional work for teachers, introducing the Approach was met with some scepticism from staff. However, at Masefield, Thrive is anything but an add on. From re-written policies, to half-termly coffee mornings with families, Thrive is a thread that runs through the whole school, fully integrated into practice and the curriculum.

The school has two Thrive Licensed Practitioners and a Course Leader for Family Thrive, and all staff, including the leadership team, have been trained in Thrive theory and practice.

All pupils’ social and emotional development needs are reviewed half-termly using behaviour and skills surveys in Thrive-Online – Thrive’s assessment, action-planning and progress monitoring tool.

Following Thrive-Online assessments, ‘The Nest’ provides a dedicated space for Thrive support to be delivered one-to-one or in groups. Key Stages 1 and 2 have a Thrive enrichment programme and the school has introduced sessions for siblings that help to nurture positive relationships.

One pupil that Thrive has had a profound impact on is Arthur. Following a Thrive-Online assessment and work with a Thrive Licensed Practitioner, it was discovered that Arthur was struggling to manage his emotions. Regular outbursts and a lack of communication skills meant he didn’t have many friends and he often fought with his brother at home.

Arthur felt like an outsider. His attendance, attainment and progress were low, and his self-esteem was at rock bottom – he felt worthless and didn’t think he could achieve anything.

After identifying that Arthur was struggling, the team at Masefield could put a plan in place to support him. He had daily check-ins with a Thrive Licensed Practitioner and group sessions twice a week, one of which his brother attended too. These sessions proved life-changing for Arthur. Now a much happier boy who is able to engage with learning and his peers, Arthur’s attendance, attainment and progress have vastly improved thanks to Thrive support.

To add to their list of successes, Masefield has been recognised as a Thrive School of Excellence. The award recognises extraordinary schools that are making a positive impact on their pupils, and on the wider community, by prioritising emotional wellbeing.

Head of School, Andy Done, is delighted with the award and said: “We feel extremely proud to be given this award. It has made a positive difference to pupils at Masefield and given them tools to support them not just now, but for the rest of their lives. We ensure all pupils receive an excellent education delivered by experts and Thrive supports us to ensure pupils have the foundations to learn. Our journey has been exciting as we are the first in the area to receive this award – it has allowed us to explore that opportunities are endless and there is no set route to enabling all children to regulate their emotional state and being self-secure!”