Sohar International School in Oman is an all-through school with students from 3 years old to 16 years old. Over the last year they have been using the Skills Builder Framework to build their students’ essential skills.

How do they use the Skills Builder Framework?

At the start of the school year, Sohar International School built an extra hour into the weekly timetable for students to focus exclusively on the eight essential skills. Teachers used the Skills Builder Framework to help pitch the projects at the right level for their students so that they were being stretched in the skills. Students were able to really build their Teamwork skills during these projects and even included their family and the local community.

Why do they use the Framework?

Sohar International School identified that an injection of entrepreneurial skills and spirit were required to shift students’ mind-set from a dependence and expectation of government jobs being available after graduation, to one of innovation, exploration and start-ups. The Framework ensures the necessary skills are developed in the Sohar students so that they are better prepared to ultimately contribute positively to the local economy and industry.

What's been the impact of using the Framework?

Using the Framework has not only benefitted the children, due to the explicit success criteria around what good looks like for each skill, but also the teachers. Teachers use the language from the Framework to signpost the skills in other lessons and to explicitly praise students they see displaying the skills.

‍

“After analysing our children from lesson one to lesson ten, I saw rapid growth in the children's confidence, leadership capabilities and decision making.” - Divan Koch, Director of Enterprise

“..not only did the children benefit from group based work, but our teachers were equipped to perform better." - Divan Koch, Director of Enterprise

"Skills Builder has developed our staff’s teaching style and enriched our teachers to be more effective in their other subjects.” - Divan Koch, Director of Enterprise