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Mo Mowlam Academy?is a Special Academy for students aged 5-16 with Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties. All of our students have an EHCP. We are a team of dedicated professionals who feel passionate about improving life chances for young people, enabling them to be successful and fulfil their potential. We strive to deliver a personalised curriculum which supports and challenges young people to be the best they can. We work with families and teams around the family to identify targets and deliver a bespoke package of therapeutic support and targeted interventions to prepare students for the next phase in education, training or employment. We aim to motivate and inspire young people so they aim high. The school joined the Skills Builder Accelerator programme in September 2023 as it was seen as an effective tool to support students in their emotional development alongside the Thrive programme that is already established within school. It was also seen as a useful tool in supporting the Career related activities within school, including 1:1 guidance sessions.
Overall impact
The Skills Builder framework has allowed the students to become more aware of the essential skills and they are beginning to recognise when they can use them and how they make things easier. During the Tees Valley SEND Enterprise Challenge, one of the students identified that they were able to solve the problem easier when they worked together as a team.
Keep it simple
The eight essential skills posters are displayed in all secondary form rooms to support staff in familiarising our students with the language. Students completing the Duke of Edinburgh programme are also given the opportunity to link the Essential Skills to the Duke of Edinburgh objectives. One skill is taught explicitly each half term during PSHE lessons. Careers cards are used by the Careers Advisor to explicitly link the essential skills to the workplace.
Start early, keep going
Skills Builder has been implemented from Years 7 to 11 and the students and staff have spent the year getting familiar with the Essential Skills and feeling confident using the vocabulary. Specific skills are taught discreetly to individual groups during Tutor Time and PSHE as teachers feel necessary. The Careers Advisor has implemented the Essential Skills into careers activities and includes asking students about the 8 essential skills during 1:1 sessions.
Measure it
During the staff training, secondary staff were introduced to the Benchmark tool and some teachers have assessed their form groups against the essential skills and used this information to inform lessons. The essential skills also link closely with the Thrive assessments that are carried out termly for all students in Secondary so progress can be clearly measured.
Focus tightly
The school Careers Advisor uses Skills Builder during careers sessions and uses the time to discuss with the student to understand the importance of the Essential Skills in the workplace and identify which skill they need to work on the most. The Careers Advisor plans skills sessions using resources like the careers cards and the framework to ask skill-step specific questions and focus on target skill steps with each learner.
Keep practising
Staff who lead Duke of Edinburgh and Outdoor Education constantly reinforce essential skills, especially Teamwork and Staying Positive. School Enrichment activities provide staff with an informal opportunity to reinforce the use of the essential skills that the students are practising. e.g. during Equestrian studies students are praised for working together to clean out the stables efficiently.
Bring it to life
During the SEND Enterprise challenge run by Tees Valley Careers, there was a clear focus on Teamwork and Problem Solving. The students involved were able to identify when they were working well as a team and recognised that when they worked together they were better at solving the problem set. Staff reinforce the importance of Listening to each other and Teamwork in order to keep everyone safe while outdoors. e.g. giving clear directions when navigating independently and making sure that the group stays in sight of each other throughout.
What's next
The essential skills will continue to be taught during PSHE and used by the Careers Advisor to support career related activities in school The Careers Advisor will continue to assess students on the essential skills during 1:1 and group careers sessions.
