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Dec 22, 20231 min read
Parent Survey - thank you
Before Christmas we asked you to take part in our annual parent survey. More than 1,000 of you took part. As you know we are a group of...
May 23, 20233 min read
Play therapy - building confidence across Thrive
I am posting this on behalf of Emma Newby, Chair of the Local Governing Body at Chiltern Primary School, and play therapist. NHS...
Mar 3, 20233 min read
I will be forever grateful
Working in a school is a deeply rewarding experience, but often the reward comes through determined and dogged hard work - and sometimes...
Feb 3, 20233 min read
How we have reduced school energy costs
On 5th September I shared Thrive’s financial position with staff. At the time the press was full of stories about the squeeze on school...
Feb 1, 20232 min read
School meals can be tasty, healthy, affordable and ethically sourced
We are delighted to announce that Thrive Cooperative Learning Trust has achieved the Food for Life Served Here Bronze Award from the Soil...
Dec 12, 20223 min read
Claire Wood - May the longtime sun shine upon you
Two weeks ago Claire Wood and I visited all 9 Thrive schools in a two-week period. Claire calls it her grand tour. For Claire, it was...
Sep 21, 20223 min read
School’s energy crisis update
In a few years' time, the school sector may look back and wonder why it took sky-rocketing gas and electricity bills to get it thinking...
Apr 21, 202211 min read
Rosenshine's Principles In Action - Distilled Further!
These ideas are very current in England’s thinking about common sense basic pedagogy. Lot’s of Trusts ar e referencing Rosenshine’s...
Mar 7, 20225 min read
Rebel Ideas - Matthew Syed
In Autumn 2021 I visited St Mary’s College (Hull) to understand how they planned a journey towards really great teaching - in essence, I...
Nov 24, 20212 min read
Passionate about Ofsted
Personally I don’t think Ofsted should be back to full inspections at the moment - we are in the process of recovering from the greatest...
Nov 3, 20216 min read
How can schools give learners a belief that they can thrive in life - a sense of personal agency?
A review of ‘Thrive: The purpose of schools in a changing world’ by Valerie Hannon and Amelia Peterson (2021 Cambridge University Press)...
Oct 27, 20214 min read
Is it the CEO's job to come up with the best ideas?
What follows is my best explanation of how we go about things at Thrive. The best bit for staff readers is probably the section on...
Oct 22, 20212 min read
The Big Ask, The Big Answer (the BIG challenge)
In April the incoming Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, set out to listen to England's children, on a huge scale. More than...
Oct 21, 20213 min read
Why did we change our name to Thrive?
Two short answers and one longer one. The first short answer is that it was becoming increasingly irritating hearing other MAT leaders,...
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