Connected - The Thrive® Podcast

In this episode, Thrive’s Strategic Lead and Trainer Kay Hamilton talks about how to improve mental wellbeing in your school quickly and effectively using existing resources and communication channels to avoid adding to the workload of classroom staff.

Listen to learn:

• How to identify opportunities to teach mental wellbeing skills and awareness
• Why focusing on improving children’s mental wellbeing will lead to improved outcomes including behaviour, attainment and attendance
• Questions you should ask yourself before embarking on mental health training
• The role of senior leaders – how to differentiate between strategy and implementation for effective outcomes

Listen in to discover:

• Tips to change your school’s mindset around inspections
• Why schools need to put the same emphasis on wellbeing as they do on traditional, academic subjects
• The importance of communicating wellbeing practice across the school community – including governors, families and support staff
• Why context is key for an inspector
• Why student voice is one of the most effective ways to evidence impact

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From Stephen Fry and suicide prevention to time-management skills and outdated PHSE, teenagers Conor and Bridie shine a light on the impetus for creating their mental health platform, Spark UK, and the content void they are working to fill.

Listen in to discover:

• Why anger fuelled a desire to curate mental health resources for young people
• The unexpected challenges facing teenagers today
• The ongoing stigma surrounding mental health – and where they feel society is in terms of a shift
• How to navigate school Wi-Fi alongside GCSEs and an impromptu live interview on Sky News!
• The importance of instilling self-care acts from a young age
• What’s next for Spark UK as an authority on young people’s mental health

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Emotional Based School Avoidance is a term used to describe children and young people who experience challenges in attending school due to negative feelings such as anxiety. In this episode, Dom Sagar, Thrive’s Relationship Manager for the North and Central England, explains that this is usually associated with emotional and physical distress and a reluctance to attend school or absconding from lessons within the settings - leading to reduced attendance. The BBC reported last year that there is a ‘tsunami’ of cases of EBSA, in many cases exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, with many parents and teachers struggling to support children.

Listen in to discover:

• The early signs of Emotional Based School Avoidance
• ‘In the moment’ strategies to tackle EBSA in your setting
• The neuroscience behind a student’s dysregulation
• How to support and steady your students for learning
• The importance of celebrating small wins on a daily basis
• Actionable insights to prevent school anxiety taking hold in the first place

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