Launch of the Thriving Lives Toolkit for Schools

The Service Children’s Progression Alliance, has worked with partners across the UK to develop a self-reflection tool for schools to consider their support for children in Armed Forces families. Underpinned by rigorous research and thoroughly tested in school, the Thriving Lives Toolkit provides schools with a framework of 7 principles through which to reflect on their practice and suite of resources developed in collaboration with a range of partners across the UK.

The toolkit will be launched at an online event on 20th October, where the audience of policymakers, researchers, charities and school, college and university practitioners will hear from the researchers and from schools and other stakeholders involved in the pilot. There will also be a policy panel and an opportunity to learn more about the context for Service children’s lives and to hear from partnerships working directly with Service children.

The new Toolkit will be available here.

The Toolkit will be developed further this year with additional research before being rolled out to Scottish schools. RCET’s Education Manager Moira Leslie will be instrumental as part of the Project Delivery Group in overseeing the research and development of the Toolkit in Scotland.

Kath Lawrence, SCiP Alliance Head of Operations, said “Children and young people in Armed Forces families have unique strengths and challenges. Discontinuity in learning, relationships and opportunities due to the complex and highly individual interplay of school transition and separation from parents can affect Service children’s achievement, progression and wellbeing. This toolkit will help teachers to reflect on their approach to supporting Service children and give them the tools to plan and deliver effective support. The SCiP Alliance’s network of Hubs will be organising a series of training conferences to further support schools in engaging with the Toolkit.”

For more information about the future roll-out of the Toolkit in Scotland please contact Moira Leslie, SCiP Scotland Hub Chair on [email protected].