At Thrive, we deeply value and are fully committed to supporting the emotional and mental health, and wellbeing of everyone in our school communities. We recognise that children can only fully engage in learning when they feel psychologically and physically safe, happy, and present. Equally, our staff can only offer their best when they, too, feel safe, supported, and valued. To promote wellbeing across our schools, we offer a range of initiatives, including:

• A comprehensive Health and Wellbeing service with access to stress awareness sessions, physiotherapy, counselling, weight management advice, nurse support, menopause support, mindfulness, GP consultations, cancer and chronic illness support, and nurse drop-in clinics
• A free discount saving scheme on food, entertainment, travel, and more
• A cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme
• A generous pension scheme
• Opportunities for staff development and career progression

We are continually evolving our mental health and wellbeing provision. We recently appointed a Head of Therapeutic Services to lead our strategic vision towards a trust wide approach to promoting mental health and wellbeing. Towards achieving this vision, we are implementing the following this year:

• Creating a networking group for Mental Health Leads (MHLs): This group will receive CPD, reflective supervision, and the opportunity to share best practices to support their role to develop a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing. This includes a bespoke package of training with Self Space to promote a holistic view of mental health.
• Facilitating collaborative conversations with each school: These conversations are not just about what we offer but how we offer it. Our goal is to shift away from piecemeal approaches toward a truly integrated, relational, trauma-informed, and compassionate practice that permeates every aspect of our work.
• Providing Compassionate Leadership training for Heads and Deputies: Partnering with the Compassionate Mind Foundation, this training will embed compassionate leadership principles and foster relational practices across the trust.
• Working with Professor Kathryn Riley: As a leading expert in cultivating belonging, Kathryn will work with individual schools, and trust wide, to educate, promote and facilitate a journey of belonging; a culture where everyone is accepted as their authentic selves. We know from research that a sense of belonging is a crucial factor in fostering positive mental health.
• Partnering with the Children’s Outcomes Research Consortium (CORC): We are collaborating with CORC to ensure that the voices of our staff, students, and families are heard. This will help us assess the effectiveness of our wellbeing initiatives and ensure they adapt to meet the evolving needs of our community.
• Developing a trust-wide Mental Health and Wellbeing policy: We will work closely with each school to create policies that reflect the values of compassion, inclusion, and trauma-informed practice.

We committed to walk the walk. Our aim is to build a trust-wide approach where it’s not just what we do, but how we do it that matters. Our strategic vision is underpinned by our core values of compassionate, relational and trauma-informed practice, and cultivating a sense of belonging. We will strive to embed these values into every policy, process, and practice that we do to enable our staff to show up as the best version of themselves.