With Thrive at the heart of his disadvantaged primary school, Tim Cook discusses the impact of Therapeutic Intervention on pupil wellbeing, exclusion rates, mental health and academic achievement.
As the principal of Liskeard Hillfort Primary School, Tim recognises the challenges he’s up against in his setting. With 56% of the children coming from the bottom 30% of deprivation and 16% from the bottom 10%, the Cornish school faces issues regarding levels of aspiration and academic achievement.
For many reasons, mental health is often a critical factor determining success rates and wellbeing amongst pupils. There are many triggers for this, such as the remote sea-side location, higher levels of domestic abuse, and financial hardship.
It was certain that Liskeard Hillfort had a long journey ahead when Tim arrived. However, the potential was apparent and there were plenty of measures that could be employed. Staff needed to be armed with the tools necessary to positively influence wellbeing and academic achievement.
As so, Therapeutic Intervention was introduced into the school to permit extra support to all pupils, irrespective of their background and needs level. Regardless of the variety and depths of their needs, Tim wanted to provide an appropriate support system for every child.
The Thrive Approach, alongside other interventions, were implemented in order to begin working in a more successful and targeted manner with individual pupils and the school community as a whole.
In a setting where exclusion rates were at 36 days in one year alone, how have children been affected by the bespoke action plans provided by Thrive and other supportive partners? Click here to find out how far Liskeard Hillford have come in a relatively short space of time.
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