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Having been a long time advocate of the teaching and learning of the essential skills, it made complete sense to make explicit the opportunities to develop these with our Education and Childcare students in the first instance at Solihull College and University Centre.
Overall impact
The Accelerator has provided staff and students on our Education and Childcare courses with a good introduction to the importance of and transferability of the essential skills. It is recognised these skills are the skills which make learning, relationships and work placements more successful. Highlights have included students self reflections on their own skill development with individuals reporting, for example, greater confidence when sharing ideas in their own lessons or when communicating to colleagues and parents out on placement, when asking for help from their tutors and also when sharing story books with early years children out on work placements in nurseries and schools. Students have also noted their teamwork skills have improved and they recognise strategies they can use to stay positive and problem solve when facing a challenge or a set back. Some students have adopted the mantra of 'aiming high' noting it has been used in assignment feedback to challenge them to expand their answers and demonstrate the greater depth of their learning and knowledge. Our board games exhibition as a culmination of our Number Games project was another highlight. Students were keen to share the creative maths based games they had designed and made for 2 - 5 year old children in line with the early years foundation stage curriculum requirements. A further highlight has been the willingness of the staff team to incorporate more explicit skills based teaching and learning opportunities into their planning and lesson delivery and the championing of the essential skills by our Head of School, who is keen, as we all are, to meet the needs of our local employer partners whilst providing our students with the skills they need for success and to enhance their well being.
Keep it simple
Throughout the year we have ensured all students on our Level 1-3 Education and Childcare courses, and some of our adult learners, have an increased awareness and understanding of the importance of developing their own essential skills, along with those of the children they were working with when out on placements. This has been achieved by the creation of a scheme of work and lesson resources for staff to deliver weekly 1 hour skills focussed sessions for Level 1-3 students, culminating in a project based learning challenge and exhibition at the end of the academic year. The icons of the skills have begun to be included into curriculum schemes of work and lesson resources e.g. presentation slides and handouts. Staff have engaged in training sessions. Posters showing the essential skills are displayed in our teaching spaces and displays promoting the importance of the skills are prominent within our areas and have featured on newsletters out to students and their families.
Start early, keep going
Our Level 1, 2 and 3 students have been introduced to the essential skills throughout the academic year in focussed skills lessons, with their teachers adapting activities to meet the needs of their particular groups of students. These skills have been further developed, used and applied in some of their other curriculum lessons and whilst out on placement in nurseries and schools. Students appreciate the skills they themselves are developing are the skills they will be supporting the children they work with in their early years settings.
Measure it
Individual and groups reflections of the skills used are encouraged in lesson plenaries. Some groups of students have reflected on their essential skills using Benchmark at various points in the year. This information has supported some in applications to further study, apprenticeships and employment and has certainly increased self-confidence, as reported anecdotally e.g.in termly checkpoint meetings with personal tutors. Recognition of skill development has been highlighted with some teachers awarding 'celebrations' on the college wide system for particular skills and certificates have been introduced during the summer term for students to add to their personal achievement portfolios.
Focus tightly
A scheme of work and lesson resources have been introduced, providing a starting point for staff teaching focussed skills sessions. All staff have Skills Builder Hub accounts and access to a shared drive with other skills building related resources for use when planning, preparing and delivering curriculum lessons. Teachers are more consistently incorporating direct instruction around the skills into their lesson delivery. This is an area for continued growth for us moving into 2024-25.
Keep practising
All teachers are endeavouring to include reference to the skills in their teaching, providing students with opportunities to use and apply their learning through a variety of tasks, activities and challenges. These are practiced in 'real life' when the students are out on placements in nurseries and schools throughout the year. Our placement assessors are also alert to the transferable skills we are seeking to develop in our students and are further supporting and providing feedback to the students on the eight skills and identifying 'Placement Superstars'. A project based learning approach was utilised as we adapted the Number Games project during the summer term - challenging students in small teams to create a board game suitable for children aged 2-5 years old in an early years setting which would support the requirements of the early years maths curriculum.
Bring it to life
We promote the essential skills are relevant to all of us, whatever age or stage of life we are at, when studying, at home and out in the workplace with links made to our taught curriculum and our personal and professional development programmes from the outset in our induction period and throughout the year. Students out on placement in early years settings and schools have opportunities to observe others using their essential skills in the workplace, to use and develop their own skills and also to support children with the early steps of learning the skills by planning, preparing and facilitating activities with children.
What's next
We have registered as an Accelerator+ partner 2024-25, with another member of our Education and Childcare team undertaking the Skills Leader Training, as we seek to disseminate knowledge and understanding of the Skills Builder programme wider amongst the staff. We are currently planning a programme of skills based activities for our students during the induction period in early September, which will incorporate the launch of our first project based learning experience of the year for students. Weekly focussed skill sessions will continue, with a new scheme of work in train for these sessions. This will be shared with staff ahead of the start of the academic year. All staff are on course to make skill development opportunities explicit within all courses curriculum schemes of work. The year ahead will be about consistency in our positive approach to the teaching and learning of the essential skills, ensuring they are embedded front and centre of our Education and Childcare courses.
