"Ready to learn and achieve potential" at Dagenham's Hunters Hall

Hunters Hall Primary School, based in Dagenham, has been named as an Ambassador School with Excellence in the Environment after going through a rigorous assessment process by Thrive®, which trains teachers and other education professionals to support the emotional and social development of all children. The award recognises extraordinary 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 thrive.

“We were elated when we found out we were a Thrive Ambassador School. From day one, we have all worked really hard to embed the Thrive Approach® across the school and I’m so proud of everyone – all the teachers, the parents and the pupils – for what they have put into this. We think it’s really important for children to understand their own emotions so that they are ready to learn and achieve their highest potential,” said Nicola Gough, Learning Mentor and Family Thrive trainer at Hunters Hall Primary School.

Thrive’s Ambassador Schools scheme has been launched as a way of recognising excellence in member schools. There are five areas in which school can evidence how they use the Thrive Approach to promote children’s wellbeing and prevent mental health issues at a later date: 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.

“Hunters Hall has done a fantastic job in embedding the Thrive Approach across the whole school. All staff have a good understanding of the Thrive Approach and are able to play their part in bringing it into lessons across the school day. There have been some amazing success stories as a result and the school really deserves to be recognised in this way,” said Alistair Dewar, Thrive Relationship Manager - London.

Photo shows Hunters Hall Primary School’s Thrive team: L-R - Michael Kaitell, Jo Meyers, Lisa Cooper,  Tracy Cooney, Gwen Baker, Debbie Bevis, Nicola Gough, Mairead Ryan and, kneeling, Jenni Wade

Over to you

Are you leading the way in developing happy, emotionally-resilient children or young people? Are you feeling the impact of embedding the Thrive Approach throughout your setting? You too may be eligible for Thrive Ambassador School status. Click here to find out how to apply.