Early History
The original project team first came together in 1994 to develop positive ways of responding to the debate in society at large, and in education more particularly, about disruptive and anti social behaviours, disaffection, discipline and the development of moral and social responsibility. The multi-disciplinary team drew on their experience in education, social work, psychotherapy, family therapy, health and community development to address the rising number of exclusions from schools.
The team is called “Fronting The Challenge Projects Ltd”. (See About Us.)
What was the Challenge?
They saw the challenge facing educationalists as five-fold:
To respond to the needs of children and young people who behave in ways that interrupt their own or others' learning;
To ensure access to the curriculum for all children including those with emotional and behavioural difficulties;
To contribute towards the reduction in the number of children and young people being excluded from mainstream classrooms and schools;
To find ways to continue to focus on learning rather than mere control in the face of challenges and difficult circumstances;
To maintain a professional, informed, evidence-based approach to improving provision and teacher morale.
Thoughts and approach
The Fronting The Challenge team thinks that: Short-term expediencies that deal with behavioural problems do not solve the difficulties in the long term, either for the young person, the school or the community; Emotional health and wellbeing are directly connected to a child's emotional development which in turn affects their behaviour and their access to (and progress in) learning; Teachers and other adults need strategies to prevent behavioural problems and to meet young people's developmental needs as learners; The teacher/learner relationship and the curriculum can be used to prevent and respond to disruptive behaviour; This is both practical and possible in ordinary classrooms in mainstream schools.
The approach they developed:
Recognises the challenges currently faced by teachers and other adults in classrooms and other educational and/or care settings; Is based on first hand experience of supporting children's emotional and social development; Uses a therapeutic model to identify the underlying developmental needs of children; Demonstrates the connections between interruptions to healthy development and the behaviours that interrupt learning; Provides practical strategies that can be used within the learning relationship and in any learning context in order to provide access for all children and contribute to the raising of educational standards.
Development over time
The team worked with teachers, support staff, youth workers, health and community workers and education managers to further develop and improve the approach and materials. At this stage, in 1994 the team had devised an A2 sized wall chart, which depicted the six Building Blocks of experience, with needs, responses and activities. It enabled the teacher to identify the clustering of most acute need by matching descriptions of observable behaviours, general health and presentation.
This assessment aid helped teachers to better understand a child's needs and it identified the ways in which particular relationships and contexts could be improved. It included ways to make the learning environment more enabling and suggested differentiated strategies to support the young person to develop more control, choice and responsibility for their behaviour. It suggested differentiated ways to make the curriculum more accessible and defined the whole school factors that contribute to effective teaching, especially teaching for personal and social development and positive, learning-oriented behaviour.
A4 versions of the chart were provided to enable observation and assessment of individual children, which through the development of a common language, facilitated improved discussion and assessment of the child's behaviour and progress… and helped with target setting. These assessments informed children's Individual Education Plans (Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs IEPs) and Pastoral Support Plans (PSPs).
Reactions to the resources, early training and case supervision sessions were very positive. People were keen to have the ideas and interventions made more accessible - and the idea of a computer program was born. Martyn Henderson joined the project team and the first software program prototypes were developed. Subsequent trials further developed the approach. (See Early Pilots below.)
In 2001 FTC Projects Ltd. began to work with The Modbury Group to produce and distribute the software program that was called Enable.
The Enable Years 2001 – 2009
The Enable assessment programme was initially developed as a CD-Rom and in 2006 produced as an on-line programme. The Enable programme supported teachers with both the assessment of children’s social and emotional needs in the classroom and it provided them with strategies to then help them in order that the children could access learning.
Some schools, behavioural support units and Local Authorities requested training and supervision to support them with the implementation of the Enable approach. A training programme was then developed.
In response to growing interest in the program and the approach the Department of Health (DoH) funded South Brent Primary School in Devon to develop the Enable practice in order to become a Centre of Excellence for Emotional Health and Wellbeing. Under the guidance of Helen Nichols, Headteacher and Julia Bird for FTC the school developed its whole school approach which continues to be regularly disseminated in Open Days. Contact admin@south-brent-devon.sch.uk
In the North West Rotherham Excellence in Cities Action Zone (NWREiCAZ), Chris le Voguer initiated an Enable-informed strategy to address the improvement of standards across primary schools. This project was ably developed by Louise West. As a result a number of schools were commended by OFSTED for their excellent or outstanding provision for pupils. Contact louise.west@rotherham.gov.uk for more details.
2007-2009
In an initiative led by Suzie Franklin and Jane Inett for Education Learning and Standards, Torbay Unitary Authority trained staff across a number of schools in the ENABLE approach. Once again, the success of this project caught the attention of other Boroughs wishing to address issues of behaviour, wellbeing and standards.
Torbay has hosted a conference for the last two years (2008; 2009) to celebrate and disseminate its Enable practice where the key note speaker, author, psychotherapist and neuroscientist Margot Sunderland, has endorsed the Enable (now Thrive) approach as the best example of educational practice informed by current neuroscience and attachment research.
The Torbay Enable approach required each participating school to develop an 'Enable Room' where 1:1 and small group work could be provided. In 2008-09 Torbay Primary Schools contributed to the establishment of a central resource, The Pegasus Centre, where Enable-trained staff use the assessments to provide tailor-made programmes of interventions for children on a planned short term basis. For more details of Torbay's approach contact suzie.franklin@torbay.gov.uk
Many schools and support services have implemented the Enable approach to Assessment and Action Planning in different ways. Some Behaviour Support Services, for example, Oxfordshire, South Somerset and Gloucestershire use the Enable (now Thrive) assessments to inform their IEPs and PSPs. In Cornwall, Julie Harmieson leads an Enable-trained team to run a differentiated approach in a Nurture Group that serves a group of primary schools. Contact Julie for more information: jharmieson@brunel.cornwall.sch.uk
(See also our paper on ‘Developing a Group Room’ in Articles for more information about the purpose and use of these bases.)
In Norfolk, the Thetford Excellence Partnership (TEP) decided to introduce the Thrive (formerly Enable) Approach across the town's provision. The TEP commissioned the Thrive team to train a muti-disciplinary cross section of staff. Led by Chris Davies, a Primary Phase 'Ladder of Intervention' has been developed that uses Thrive (formerly Enable) assessments as the key to access to enhanced provision across the town. Contact the TEP at: chris.davies@thetfordexcellencepartnership.org.uk
An important aspect of the Enable approach was - and continues to be - to support teachers to work alongside parents with empathy and without judgement. Many parents have stated that these interventions by staff have helped them see issues at home more clearly and this has enabled them to have a greater understanding of their children’s emotional, social and developmental needs.
The Development of Thrive 2009
With regret our relationship with The Modbury Group ended in 2008. At that time we needed to redesign a new on-line program that took account of a wide range of feedback from users of the Enable programme. Also our work needed to reflect various Government initiatives and legislation in particular ‘Every Child Matters’ and the Common Assessment Framework.
The new programme needed a new name and after much discussion Thrive was agreed upon as this better reflected the aims and ethos of the approach.
The new Thrive programme is easier to use with an enhanced range of strategies including some activities that may be suggested to parents/carers to support their children at home. Simultaneously FTC developed a new and more comprehensive training programme.
2009-2011
A small scale piece of Action Research undertaken by one of the Educational Psychologists in Torbay found that the Thrive training contributed very positively to staff changes in attitude, confidence and competence to deal with the issues and behaviours presented by children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD). Early findings indicated a positive impact of staff morale.
Torbay's Children's Services decided to extend the successful practice in its primary schools into pre-school, day care and nursery settings with a newly developed Early Years Thrive pilot project. This was ably led by Anne Barnes and Sally Randell, two Thrive Associates Early Years Specialists. The initial success of the pilot is resulting in an extended project to run over the next three years throughout Torbay's Early Years provision.
In Devon, the Lead Officer for TaMHS, Julie Ford, developed an innovative project to address mental health, behaviour and wellbeing issues across 40 schools in 3 learning Communities in North Devon: Ilfracombe; Barnstaple and Braunton. The new Thrive program is a key strand in the TaMHS approach and staff drawn from schools, support services, Educational Psychology (EPS), Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), pupil referral units, nurseries and family centres are being trained to use the Thrive approach, Assessments and Action Plans to support Integrated Working, Workforce Development and the implementation of the Common Assessment Framework.
For the first time the approach is being developed in family settings with Child Professionals who work directly with parents and carers being trained in Family Thrive. The project which concentrates on children 5-13 is also reaching out to nurseries and day care settings as well as in secondary age settings.
Contact julie.ford@devon.gov.uk for more details.
More details about the Early Pilot Trials
The development of the program has taken fifteen years. In that time, the approach and supporting materials have been trialled by teachers, support staff, youth workers, health workers, SENCOs, specialist behaviour support staff, classroom assistants, Year Heads and pastoral staff, Headteachers, Deputy Headteachers, Special educational Needs (SEN) Inspectors/advisors; Officers i/c Social Inclusion, and staff working in PRUs and LEA support services in all phases.
The first trials took place in four London boroughs: Richmond, Newham, Croydon and Lambeth and in different contexts including schools, support centres, pupil referral units and youth centres. In addition some of the materials were used selectively in an Avon secondary school, a Dorset secondary school, a Croydon primary school and by The Kids' Company, an educational charity working with young people in severely challenging circumstances.
In 2001-2003 schools in the WRAPP Education Action Zone in Greenwich used aspects of the approach to inform curriculum development and school improvement.
ENABLE and the Green Paper: Excellence For All Children
Trials indicated that the approach and strategies advocated in the program made a significant contribution towards some of the tasks identified by the Green Paper:
Promoting the inclusion of children with SEN EBD in mainstream schools;
Supporting schools to work with parents of children with SEN EBD to be empowered to contribute to their child's development;
Suggesting preventative measures that are practical for use in mainstream schools and classrooms;
Providing an aid to assessment which identifies at an early stage the needs of the child whose behaviour interrupts learning;
Supporting teachers and learning support assistants to make early interventions;
Offering practical strategies, 1:1 responses, teaching strategies, curriculum approaches and learning activities to those most closely working with the children in a variety of settings;
Supporting school managers to set appropriate and challenging targets for improving pupil performance, which are relevant to children with SEN EBD.
Benefits indicated in the trials:
For children and young people:
A more secure sense of themselves;
Increased self-esteem and confidence to learn;
Increased emotional wellbeing;
The ability to recognise, name, think about and express feelings;
More, and more satisfying relationships;
Increased ability to motivate themselves and others;
Increased capacity to be creative and take the initiative;
A greater willingness to become involved;
A capacity to recognise and improve their skills and talents;
Increased moral and social responsibility;
Increased emotional capacity for learning;
More choice about their behaviours;
More strategies for dealing with difficulties and emotional ?discomfort;
More control of their behaviour;
More strategies for resolving conflict and 'sticking with' learning;
More resources as a learner;
More willingness to engage and increased capacity to contribute to their immediate community, the wider democratic society and the global community at large.
For teachers and other adults working in educational settings:
Increased confidence to deal with challenging behaviour;
Greater self awareness;
More insight as to their role in escalating or minimising conflict;
Increased ability to 'separate out the person from the behaviour';
Increase ability not to take behaviour personally;
Greater understanding and empathy;
Increased strategies for preventing or responding to the behaviours that interrupt learning;
Improved relationships with pupils, colleagues and parents;
The development of a common language, understanding and approach for example, involving parents, specialist agencies and support services.
For schools:
Improved provision for pupils with EBD;
Greater range of preventative measures regarding the behaviours that interrupt learning;
More coherent and consistently applied approach to positive behaviour management;
Improved progress in learning for identified pupils;
An improved system for the early identification of learning needs;
More coherent assessment procedures for SEN EBD;
Better match of interventions and provision to individual pupils' identified needs;
Increased range of provision for School Action and School Action Plus under the revised Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs staged assessment procedures;
A simplified recording and reporting mechanism which can lead to more consistently applied approaches between staff;
More, and more productive relationships with parents;
Pupils re-engaging with learning rather than moving towards disaffection;
Improved provision for Social Inclusion e.g. for pupils in those groups which are vulnerable and/or at risk of exclusion;
Improved attendance in those pupils at risk of truancy;
More collaborative staff willing to problem-solve difficulties with individual pupils and share successful strategies;
Improved relationships with pupils, colleagues and parents;
The development of a common language, understanding and approach for example, involving parents, specialist agencies and support services;
Reduced stress levels in staff;
Improved core emotional literacy programme within PSHE and Citizenship;
Reduced incidence of challenging and disruptive behaviour.
For parents:
Increased understanding of what is happening for their children;
A more active sense of partnership with the school and/or other service providers;
Improved relationships with children and/or school staff;
Reduced anxiety;
Increased sense of control: knowing there are things they can do which help;
More confidence to play an active and supportive role in their children’s development and education.
For LEA Support Services and other agencies:
A clear, accessible, workable framework within which to understand children's emotional development and their behaviours;
The development of a common language, understanding and approach across services and disciplines including with parents, other agencies and staff in schools;
Improved relationships with pupils, colleagues, staff in schools and parents;
Improved provision for pupils with EBD;
Greater range of preventative measures regarding the behaviours that interrupt learning;
Increased range of interventions and strategies regarding the behaviours that interrupt learning;
Greater capacity to meet national and LEA targets.
Note: Although trials have been extensive, research to evaluate the impact of the programme is only now being undertaken in any broad way. For more information contact Julie Ford, Devon TaMHS project on julie.ford@devon.gov.uk
The benefits described above are derived from the feedback from trial participants and the evaluations carried out subsequent to training and case supervision sessions.
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