Thrive Approach ‘School of Excellence’

As national leaders, a school at the very heart of the community, we are committed to supporting the social and emotional development of all children and families. We are passionate about mental health and wellbeing and are proud to be the first school to receive Thrive Approach’s top honour ‘School of Excellence’.

“What is the best way to be happy?” “Be kind” said the horse. (Charlie Mackesy)
‘So well deserved Gulval School…relationships, creativity, belonging, unwavering unconditional care and compassion are at the heart of everything the Gulval team do. Well done!’ Rose Webb
Mrs Davies you are flippin aMazing and we are super proud of you! #Congratulations on becoming our @ThriveApproach Family Thrive Course Leader and for your amazing feedback ‘you are so engaging you smile and make us feel as if we were truly in the room’. Wow! (P Baker)
Thank you Mrs Davies for dropping down our home learning! Children are thrilled with their reading books, Amelie said “They know me SO well” (S Furse)
We are very grateful for everything you are doing and for keeping our children safe in such an uncertain time, I think the Shining Stars should go to all you guys! ( V Wills)
Mya is very settled and happy to do the most she can. She enjoys having the contact, brilliant job Gulval and great communication (L Parsons)
It’s a hard enough job without a global pandemic! Well done all your efforts are very much appreciated!! Go Team Gulval!! X (C Orwell)
Ivy said she loved playing hide and seek! It’s got to be good if it puts a smile on your face! (J.McLeod)
You guys are so helpful and thoughtful! You are doing an amazing job against such adversity. (C.Orwell)
Thank you for all you are doing, our children are so lucky to be a part of Gulval School. (L Wilmott)
My children have continued to have a fantastic time and have been completely unfazed by the changing world around them thanks to the stability of Gulval School. (S Gilbert)
Gulval School have been absolutely brilliant – Set up class Facebook page; Thrive support worker has phoned; live online Friday assembly and certificates. (V Brewster)
We are so proud of our Jack for the boy you guys have helped transform him into in only 6 months, we are so lucky to be a part of a truly fantastic school, everyone truly special. (A Phillips)

Mrs Elisa Taylor

Mrs Pip Davies

Mr Paul Baker

We are proud to have three fully licensed Thrive practitioners in our school, what a team!

Cornish Primary Named ‘School of Excellence’ – First in Country!

In February 2021, the nationally recognised and hugely respected Thrive Approach awarded their top honour; Gulval School became the first ‘School of Excellence’ in the country. An incredible honour and one that we are proud and humbled to accept. Congratulations!   Thrive Approach News Article

‘I am delighted to hear of your extraordinary commitment to embedding the Thrive Approach in your setting, having earned Thrive Ambassador School with Excellence in Leadership, Right-time, Reparative, Relationship and Environment and have therefore now been awarded the status of Thrive School of Excellence.’ Kate Middleton

‘So well deserved Gulval School…relationships, creativity, belonging, unwavering unconditional care and compassion are at the heart of everything the Gulval team do. Well done!’ Rose Webb

Why do we do what we do?

Through positive relationships, our priority is to care for every child in a safe and friendly environment. Enabling children to skip into school and grasp learning with enthusiasm and an infectious positivity. In order to help us achieve this we have fully embraced the Thrive Approach. The Education Endowment Foundation suggest that teaching staff who are trained to improve emotional wellbeing help children make substantial attainment progress.  EEF Social and Emotional Learning

Thrive Ambassador School with Excellence

We are absolutely over the moon and so proud to have been awarded Thrive Approach ‘Ambassador School with Excellence’ status in all five areas of Leadership, Reparative, Right-time, Relationship and Environment. This is a credit to the whole staff team and our dedication in supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our children and families. Our incredible journey continues with Thrive at the heart of all that we do.

Mr P Baker (Headteacher) June 2020

What do Thrive Approach say about this achievement?

Congratulations to everyone at Gulval! A secure and loving school community, with whole hearted and compassionate leadership. It is a joy to be alongside you on your journey.”

Rose Webb (Relationship Manager – South West) June 2020

Using our own experience, and the resources available through the Thrive Approach, we are able to effectively support all our children’s emotional, mental health and social wellbeing from the first day of school until transition to secondary. We are creative and we don’t mind taking risks for the benefit of our children; we are so proud of the individual and bespoke support available to our community.

You can read all about our Thrive offer here Thrive Charter

Above all, we love watching our children thrive, growing in confidence right in front of our very eyes as we encourage and teach them to face new challenges, become more independent and believe in their own abilities.

Our Thrive information leaflet has more detailed information, you can view it here Thrive Leaflet

What is Thrive Approach?

Children cannot always put their needs into words. However, the way children behave can tell us a lot about how they are feeling; think of behaviour as a form of communication. The Thrive Approach draws on the latest research from current neuroscience, recent attachment research, current studies of effective learning and current models of child development.

What makes Gulval School a Thrive school? 

At Gulval School we don’t consider Thrive to be an intervention for just a few children. We consider it to be a whole-school approach. Thrive is entwined in everything we do; Shining Star assemblies, standing on the summit of Snowdon, cleaning out our goats, collecting the eggs from our chickens, celebrating our diversity and our collective spirit and the positive relationships that we take such pride in forging.

We believe in a very simple philosophy, that if you’ve happy teachers who are delivering great lessons to the best of their ability, you’re more likely to have happy pupils with better outcomes. This is achieved through our strong focus on staff wellbeing, support and effective CPD. Staff Wellbeing

Want to know more about Thrive? Please speak to Mr Baker, Mrs Davies or Mrs Taylor who will be happy to help.

Check out these links, we think they could help you keep you and your family healthy.

Food a fact of life – Here are a range of resources and activities that are suitable for pupils to complete at home. For example where food comes from, cooking and healthy eating.

Feeding children on a budget – Here you will find some advice on how you can continue to feed school children on a budget.

Sleep support – We understand how difficult life can be when your child has a sleep issue. As a result the Children’s Sleep Charity has a range of free resources to support families to get a better night’s sleep.

I CAN’s Talking PointHere you can find information to help you understand and support children and young people’s speech, language and communication.

Children’s bowel and bladder – Expertly written guides to help with children’s bowel and bladder problems. The free resources are based on the latest clinical research and recommendations.