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The world into which our young people will emerge will present them with many challenges - and so, through high standards of presentation, behaviour and respect and development of essential skills we are dedicated to helping them develop into well-rounded individuals in all aspects of their lives from understanding the importance of work experience and enrichment through to UCAS applications. We began our Skills Builder journey by achieving a Silver award followed by a Gold, we now hope to achieve Flagship status.
Overall impact
We were recently contacted by another academy in the area who had read our case study on the Skills Builder website, a visit was arranged and the agenda for the day included an introduction from our Deputy Head followed by learning walks taking place in science and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) lessons across KS3 and KS5 and a discussion with some sixth form students about their experience of Skills Builder. Moving forward our Language Leaders will be building skills with our feeder primary schools identifying this through the use of icons and year 5 and 6 transition activities will be based around essential skills.
Keep it simple
The essential skills are embedded within teaching and learning policies and curriculum plans across the academy and are referenced in the academy prospectus, student planners, curriculum ladders on the academy website and within our mapping documents for extra-curricular and enrichment activities. The language of essential skills is used extensively across all areas of academy life and among all members of its community including our alternative provision. Assemblies, staff meetings, parent meetings and other events regularly reference the skills. Examples of this include a parent champion meeting and sixth form assembly to launch UCAS and work experience and through the use of social media. We share individual achievement in skills as part of our reporting cycles. We reward effort and achievement in relation to essential skills recording house points on SIMS as part of our student reward program.
Start early, keep going
Strategic planning and policy development and regular staff CPD ensure the language of essential skills has been a focus since September 2022 and forms part of our 5 year plan. This document in conjunction with the curriculum ladders on the website and other documents such as tutor time plans show that all groups and classes have regular and planned opportunities for learning and practising essential skills.
Measure it
Teachers and tutors regularly use formative assessment in teaching and learning and are able to identify which essential skills students need to develop, providing the opportunity for this to take place on a regular basis according to need and curriculum or scheme of work links. Whilst some staff members use the Hub to do this, some also record in a tracking document in student exercise books or in their own records. Feedback is provided to students in relation to skills when engaging in activities such as debate, presentations and group work. Our sixth form students also deliver 'tutor takeover' sessions where they are provided with information and next steps to improve their public speaking. Teaching staff and tutors also use self assessment with their students for individual skills and use this as an opportunity to discuss strengths and areas for development with individuals and small groups.
Focus tightly
Teachers continue to receive guidance and regular training to enable them to feel equipped to build skills directly and have access to the tools and resources required to do this. These have been downloaded onto a shared drive to enable staff to easily find what they are looking for without the need to log into the Hub. Best practice is shared in whole staff CPD sessions and within department meetings and co-planning sessions. Dedicated time is planned into the tutor time sessions rota for all year groups and is available to teach essential skills throughout the academic year. Curriculum maps show that departments dedicate time to the teaching and development of skills, pitching teaching at an appropriate level.
Keep practising
The academy expectation is that the language of essential skills is used across the whole school including extra curricular opportunities, with common shared standards. Visual cues and reminders will remain and teachers will be encouraged to make reference to those skills in other parts of their teaching for example, when preparing for our annual arts performance, during debate club and society meetings. The essential skills will remain present in student planners for them to refer to and the expanded steps will be displayed in classrooms where possible for referring to specific steps. Book scrutinies and learning walks provide feedback to teaching staff and build in the expectation that essential skills should be interwoven and reinforced in lessons whenever possible.
Bring it to life
The Academy makes provision for all students to have experiences to apply essential skills including the premium resources we have access to such as the work experience modules. We have previously engaged in a virtual trip and challenge days. All year groups are involved in a minimum of weekly reading sessions with their tutor to practise listening skills. We have a challenge day currently running for year 7 over a two week period in tutor time and work experience planned for our year 12 students during the last week of the summer term. We also use employer encounters particularly with year 7 an example of which is a visit from Anglian Water. Year 7 students participate in an interdisciplinary project every term which spans a period of 2-3 weeks and Skills Builder is embedded within this. Year 10 students are currently in the process of reflecting upon their work experience placement with a particular focus on essential skills seen in the workplace.
What's next
Continue to build on engagement with the wider community through the use of both staff and student ambassadors for example geography and the #wewillcare project. Use learning walks to celebrate successes of skill development in the classroom and as a way to identify further areas for support. Ensure skills are considered when reviewing SoW. With a change of staffing to our Young Peoples Centre this also provided an ideal opportunity for skills to be the focus here with a view to raising aspirations.
