Thrive works as an extension of your school's support team, not a separate provider. Our tutors and mentors coordinate directly with your SENCO, attend reviews where needed, and deliver one-to-one provision for pupils with SEND, EBSA and SEMH needs that your in-house team cannot always reach.
Schools come to us when their internal provision is not enough. Sometimes that is a single pupil who has stopped engaging; sometimes it is a cohort question — pupil premium underachievement, KS4 catch-up, or specialist SEMH provision sitting outside what the school can deliver in-house. We work with both.
What schools commission us for
Most school engagements fall into one of five patterns:
- Targeted SEN intervention — 1:1 specialist tutoring for pupils with identified SEN, often aligned to EHCP outcomes or SEN Support plans
- Alternative provision — structured tutoring and mentoring for pupils unable to access full mainstream timetable, including those at risk of permanent exclusion
- Pupil premium support — academic intervention for disadvantaged pupils, particularly where SEN and disadvantage overlap
- Mentoring for vulnerable learners — relational support for pupils with SEMH presentations, attachment difficulties, or experience of care
- Bridging provision — for pupils transitioning between settings, returning from absence, or awaiting specialist placement
The common thread is specialist 1:1 work where group provision will not reach the pupil. Schools come to us when generalist support has been tried and has not been enough.
How delivery is structured
Delivery setting is decided pupil by pupil. Three options are available:
On school site. Often the right answer when the school is part of the solution and the pupil can access the building. A quiet room or learning support space is typically what is needed.
In the home or community. The right answer when the school environment itself is a barrier — common in EBSA, post-exclusion and EHCP-out-of-school contexts.
Online. Available UK-wide. Suitable for pupils where physical presence is impractical or where the specialist match is rare enough that the right tutor is not local.
We agree the setting at the point of placement and review it openly if circumstances change.
Working with the school team
The SENCO is usually the first point of contact, sometimes alongside a Designated Safeguarding Lead, Head of Year or Inclusion Lead. We work to the school's existing structures rather than imposing parallel ones — attending review meetings where useful, providing written updates that fit the school's annual review and pupil progress cycles, and being available for ad-hoc conversations when something changes.
We are not a parallel school. The tutor's job is to deliver a specific piece of work for a specific pupil; the relationship with parents, broader curriculum and pastoral systems stays with the school. Where we identify something the school team should know about, we share it through the agreed channel.
Reporting and accountability
Every school placement comes with structured written progress reports — typically half-termly, sometimes monthly depending on the contract. Reports cover what the young person has worked on, how they are responding, progress against any EHCP targets or agreed outcomes, and recommendations for next steps. The format is designed to be usable at annual review, in pupil progress meetings, or in commissioning records.
Where IXL is being used to track structured learning, the underlying data is available alongside the narrative report — useful for evidencing engagement, time on task and topic progression.
Contracting and invoicing
Schools can commission Thrive directly or through their local authority framework where one is in place. For direct commissioning, fees are agreed in writing before commencement and invoiced monthly in arrears. There are no hidden charges. Service agreements cover scope, safeguarding, data protection, and termination terms; we work to school finance team requirements on PO numbers, supplier registration and standard procurement documentation.