Wellbeing Practise
Our practice: the daily check in and what follows
Thrive is not a poster in the corridor. It is a set of things our staff do every day, in the same way, so students know what to expect. It starts with the practice that shapes everything else at the start of the day.
The daily check in
Every day begins with a check in and ends with a wrap up: a short, structured moment where a young person connects with a trusted adult and says how they are travelling.
Students are not required to speak. Many use the check in tree, placing a leaf or symbol on a board to show where they are at. Others use colours or emojis, drawn from universal design for learning principles so more students can take part in a way that works for them. It is offered as part of coming into the room, and it is normal to pass.
Two things come of it. Students learn to notice and name what they are feeling, which is the first step to doing something about it. And staff get an early, honest read on who is struggling, so support can be offered before the day goes wrong.
Regulate, relate, reason
The check in is the first step in a sequence we use all day, drawn from Dr Bruce Perry's neurosequential model. Regulate first, helping a student settle, alone or with a calm adult alongside them. Relate second, through the everyday listening, validation and consistency that build trust. Reason third, once the first two are in place, which is where thinking, problem solving and academic learning happen.
Grounded, centred and present
Throughout the day, staff use short activities, usually around three minutes, to help students settle. Grounded activities work on the body and the survival brain, centred activities on the emotions, and present activities bring attention back to thinking and the task at hand. Adolescence is a period of significant brain development, and it is normal for a young person to be operating from feeling rather than reasoning. These activities are how we help them move.
A common language
Every adult in the building uses the same words. Regulate, relate, reason. Window of tolerance. Grounded, centred, present. Students learn the language too, so a young person can tell a teacher they are outside their window and be understood straight away. Shared language keeps practice consistent across a whole school, rather than dependent on who is on that day.
Collaborative problem solving
When something is not working, we sit down with the young person and work it out together. Collaborative problem solving treats a difficulty as a skill not yet built rather than a rule broken. Rather than imposing an expectation, we listen, understand the concern and find a solution together, and where regulation or the relationship needs protecting first, we set the concern aside for now. That reflects the difference between power with and power over.
Connection before correction
When something goes wrong, we address the relationship and emotional safety first, then the behaviour. Staff ease demands so a student has space to settle, and use restorative approaches to repair harm rather than punish. Behaviour such as aggression or refusal is read as a stress response or an unmet need, not a deliberate choice. The young person is valued regardless of the behaviour, and the two are kept separate.
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