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At Nancealverne school we are committed to and passionate about the learning and progress of our pupils. Staff and governors have high aspirations for our children and young people through a broad and varied curriculum; we offer a highly structured, differentiated and personalised learning programme. We provide a specialist, high quality and relevant education for young people aged 3-19 who have moderate to complex learning difficulties. This focuses on individual, personal and academic achievement-setting high expectations for all. As a school we are also committed to celebrating all achievements and providing a wide range of rich, meaningful and varied opportunities- preparing our pupils well for adulthood and life beyond school. We aim to foster a love of learning, regardless of need, developing independence through inclusive and accessible learning. Nancealverne school is part of the Special Partnership Trust, an ambitious and inspiring collaboration of specialist provision in Cornwall, with a focus on excellence in learning for everyone. We are committed to ensure that every child, irrespective of need or location, gets the best learning opportunities possible. We believe in providing challenge and support in equal measure to our pupils, nurturing the talents and skills of all learners. We have been awarded Gold Skills Builder status and are passionate about continuing to embed and develop our students' skills for school and beyond. Skills Builder is the perfect resource for us as a Special School as the Universal Framework links well to our principles and values.
Overall impact
The impact of the Accelerator Programme has been vast. Teachers and students really engage and respond to Skills Builder challenges. A particular highlight for the school community has been our recent 'Garden Party Challenge', which is an adapted version of the chocolate challenge day resources from Skills Builder. This allowed the pupils to develop new understanding of all of the key skills. All children from the Early Years to Post-16 provision took part over the course of a week, either to design and make a tasty picnic snack to sell, or to produce a fun game to charge for turns of at the garden party. They launched their new snacks and games with the aim of raising profits for their class, allowing them to make a collective decision where the money could be invested e.g. charity, school trips or parties. Each stand had a sales team, adverts and unique packaging and logos, making the stand unique for our school. The challenge was differentiated to meet the needs of all of the pupils, giving each pupil the opportunity to be innovative and experience the challenge of developing a new business. Pupils had the opportunity to visit local ice cream shops and suppliers to undertake market research, strategise their marketing plans and collaborate with their peers to create a party snack which was unique to their classroom. Our sensory learners explored a variety of new textures and tastes, and explored different garden games offering them an insight into the process of developing a product, whilst meeting their daily needs and aligning with the curriculum. The enthusiasm from the pupils and staff was infectious and it was clear that the pupils learned a tremendous amount of new skills and thrived when facing a challenge.
Keep it simple
We have built upon our Gold Award status. We have regular training and updates for teachers and support staff. The language of essential skills is used across all areas of the school, from Early Years to Post-16 provision. Assemblies, events, newsletters, whole school events, staff meetings and parent meetings regularly reference the skills. There is a large Skills Builder display in a central, prominent location in the school. Individual classrooms also have visual reminders. Curriculum planning has embedded skills. The skills are a priority on our School Improvement Plan (SIP), included in our policies, on our website, in our planning and marking documents, and there is an introduction to Skills Builder as part of our new staff induction and transition packs for new learners and their families.
Start early, keep going
All year groups and classes from ages 2-19 have planned opportunities for the learning and practising of their essential skills. Project days are a whole school event and parental involvement is encouraged through monthly focus skills being promoted in our newsletters and on our big screens in reception.
Measure it
All teachers regularly use formative assessment to prioritise and inform essential skills. We have added the essential skills to our marking grids and our planning documentation. We have also added it to our whole school assessment system 'Evidence for Learning', so there is a balanced understanding of skills development which highlights progress and informs next steps.
Focus tightly
The teaching of essential skills forms part of our planning and is included as part of our lesson objectives. Curriculum planning documents, with focus on PSHE, allows dedicated time for explicit teaching of skills. Use of the Skills Builder Hub to support teachers has been uitlised by our Skills Builder Lead to help to support delivery and promotion of the skills and project days.
Keep practising
Using and reinforcing skills regularly through core curriculum, and bespoke curriculum enrichment opportunities. This cross-curricular approach provides opportunities to practise the essential skills. By embedding essential skills into everyday activities and maintaining a supportive, inclusive environment, we ensure that skill practice is consistent and meaningful, empowering our students to thrive both in and out of school.
Bring it to life
Provision is made for all students to apply and develop their skills. This includes project based learning, off- timetable days, employer encounters, workplace visits and enterprise challenges.
What's next
We aim to integrate a variety of extra-curricular clubs into our school offer which will directly align with developing the key skills. This will allow children to collaborate with peers outside of their classroom and learn from each other whilst giving our team of school club volunteers the chance to offer exciting experiences that are directly linked to the skills and their progression. We also aim to retain our Skills Builder Gold Award and continue to provide training and development for new staff to maintain high standards.
