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St Felix is a welcoming Catholic school situated on the west side of Haverhill in Suffolk on a large open site. Our school community is very much a Christian family, grounded in Christ's teaching. We are proud to be part of the Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Multi Academy Trust and the Diocese of East Anglia. St Felix Primary School want to ensure that every child builds essential skills needed to succeed in life. Our aim is to embed these skills into our school to ensure every child leaves primary school being lifelong learners.
Overall impact
Since relaunching in January we have made huge progress with Skills Builder and have tried our best to implement it across the whole school. We are beginning to see a difference in the way children see them selves as leaners, especially in the summer term. Pupils are very engaged in the learning of the skills and teachers are becoming more confident as they become more familiar with using the Hub. By integrating the program into the PSHE curriculum, will enhance the teaching to the next level. The enthusiasm and passion from the PSHE lead has made me even more excited to watch Skills Builder come to life across the school and make a difference to the children we teach and inspire everyday.
Keep it simple
St Felix has a focus skill every half term. Most teachers plan a short session once a week to teach a step from the chosen skill. This is then the focus for that week by referring to it in other areas of the curriculum. Certificates from Nursery to Y6 are then awarded to one pupil per class, every Friday in our celebration assembly. Every class also has a poster featuring all eight skills and a separate poster to show the focus skill for that half term. A display in our school hall mirrors that of our classrooms. Children's names have been displayed on tokens along with photos of work which demonstrate these skills and is displayed for all pupils to see. Skills Builder is now included in the SEF, reinforcing the priority placed on the teaching of essential skills at St Felix. Visitors have mentioned the fact that Skills Builder is a strength of our school. Our next step is for teachers to refer to the skills and skill steps when discussing pupils progress in parents evening.
Start early, keep going
Each skill is chosen carefully to fit with the learning of each half term. We relaunched the program again in January 2022 with Staying Positive. We have then chosen Problem Solving around SATs/phonics test week and Teamwork near sport day and Y6 activity week. This has worked extremely well with ensuring teachers plan for and give opportunities for pupils to learn and practice the skills. Lessons in Nursery and Reception have been planned using the skill stories provided on the Hub. KS1 have planned some active sessions and KS2 have used PSHE sessions to integrate steps into the curriculum.
Measure it
At the beginning of each term teachers have been asked to baseline their pupils against the focus skill. Most teachers focus on a step a week. Most teachers then reassess their progress at the end of that term.
Focus tightly
Most teachers engage in focused and explicit teaching of essential skills. EYFS have timetabled the essential skills for every Friday, as have KS1. KS2 have Skills Builder timetabled within the PSHE lessons. We are working on ensuring that the essential skills and relevant steps are mapped against the PSHE curriculum. During discussions with pupils, it is clear that Skills Builder is having an impact on their learning. Asking the question 'What does Skills Builder mean to you?' revealed heart-warming responses. One child said "It means I know how to do better". Another child said "It helps me to learn how to be confident when I work with others".
Keep practising
Most teachers provide opportunities for their student to practice the essential skills in the wider curriculum. Staff use resources from the Hub and prompts in the classroom to support this. Posters are also displayed and referred to in the ELSA group sessions and extra-curricular clubs. Sport Coaches have also been asked to refer to the display board in the hall to focus on the skill of the term.
Bring it to life
We have been working hard to bring the skills to life at St Felix. We started in KS1 when celebrating Hindu day. We planned the activities and then carefully linked the skills to each part of the day. Children had opportunities to practice Listening, Problem Solving, Creativity and Teamwork skills. In the summer term KS1 have also completed the Trash to Treasure project. This was planned over three days to fully learn and engage in the skills. UKS2 have just recently completed an activities week where skills were added to the timetable. Across each key stage we also gave pupils the opportunity to be awarded a certificate for five of the skills within sports day. These were for Aiming High, Teamwork, Listening, Staying Positive and Leadership. Forty children were awarded with a certificate and a medal for demonstrating excellent skills.
What's next
Our next steps are to ensure that we embed the program fully into the PSHE curriculum. We are in the process of linking the objectives to the skills in the next academic year. For us, assessment is the key to ensure all teachers are teaching the skills confidently and consistently. We are working towards all teachers to base line their pupils, deliver sessions and assess half-termly to monitor progress across the school.
