Principle 1: Thriving Lives Toolkit for Schools Case Studies
Explore the case studies below from schools who have actively used the Thriving Lives Toolkit to improve support and outcomes for Service children, focusing on Principle 1: Our Approach is Clear.
Edith Moorhouse Primary School (3-11)
This case study describes the clarity, as well as the distributed leadership, of Edith Moorhouse Primary’s approach to supporting its large number of Armed Forces families. Additional support for Service children is informed by an evidence base and analysed rigorously for its impact.
St Mary & St John C.E. (3-11)
This case study demonstrates how a school with a relatively small Service children cohort can nevertheless have a clear strategy for using dedicated funding to support them pastorally so that they achieve well. It also evidences how the use of the Thriving Lives Toolkit to review school provision can lead to greater understanding of the evidence base and good practice, leading to the identification of next steps for further enhancement.
Gateway Primary (4-11)
This case study identifies and describes the impactful role that a dedicated member of staff, acting as a point of contact for military families, can have on a school with a significant population of mobile Service children. It also emphasises the importance of having well-informed senior leaders and governors, who have a clear strategy in place for overcoming barriers for their military families but who review this regularly, adjusting spending decisions and policies as required.
Hipswell Primary School (4-11)
This case study describes how the school’s approach to supporting military children is prioritised. The school was inspected in May 2023, with the following stated in the report:
‘Leaders are highly ambitious and acknowledge the fact that pupils may join or leave the school at different times due to the posting of parents. Pupils settle quickly when they join the school. Leaders ensure that there is strong support for pupils’ emotional well-being.’
Haverford West High VC School (11-18)
This case study highlights how the school used Principle 1 to self-evaluate its approach to supporting Armed Forces families, and what it has done to achieve Armed Forces Friendly Schools gold status award.
