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The Russett School is a Special Academy based in the village of Weaverham in Cheshire. Our Academy is part of The Russett Learning Trust and offers specialist education for pupils aged 2 - 19 years with severe learning difficulties and/or complex learning needs and autism. We value working together with all of our families to offer advice and support to achieve shared outcomes. We are strong in our belief that all children and young people deserve only the very best. "Promoting Outstanding Achievement for All" is our vision. We believe that we need to prepare our children and young people for the next stage of education and transition into adulthood and to promote skills of independence for a happy and fulfilled future. We are excited to work with Skills Builder to further develop essential skills such as communication, teamworking, creativity and problem solving with enjoyment and motivation for learning being firmly at the heart of what we do.
Overall impact
Skills Builder has brought a completely new language and has encouraged a consistent approach to those transferable skills needed to be successful in the pupils' careers and their life within the wider community. The Careers Leader invited teaching staff to comment of how well they thought Essential Skills was going in the school and what was working well for their classes. The feedback from staff has been really positive and staff are excited to continue to further develop these skills during the next academic year. Work Experience has been a perfect example and this is demonstrated when pupils are able to identify which of the Essential Skills they have used in their Work Placements and then shared their experience through doing a formal presentation to their Peers, Senior Management and other staff after competing their placements. Our Executive Head Teacher commented on how impressed she had been when pupils clearly and confidently are able to discuss the importance of the 'Essential Skills'.
Keep it simple
We have embedded Essential Skills within our teaching and learning policies as part of 'Horizons', our Careers Programme. Essential Skills are constantly referred to in classroom activities and tasks across all classes in the school throughout the curriculum and during circle time to familiarize both our staff and our pupils with the language. We have the Essential Skills Posters displayed in classrooms which provide visual reminders to staff and pupils. Staff celebrate when pupils have completed tasks towards the Essential Skills in circle time, completing the skills builder passports as well as nominating those pupils who have done particularly well for a Head Teacher's Award. We have recently revised our Induction Programme for all new staff which includes being introduced to 'Essential Skills' to ensure that all new staff have an understanding of the link between Essential Skills and Career Education and the importance of teaching these skills are from an early age.
Start early, keep going
Pupils from year 1 upwards have started using the Skills Builder Projects to get our younger pupils familiar with the language of Essential Skills. The teachers and pupils have been enjoying using the resources and activities on The Hub which they adapted if necessary to our bespoke curriculum. By using Skills Builder from an early age we believe the vocabulary will become familiar language across the whole school with both staff and pupils. This quote is from one of the lower school class teachers "The pupils are thoroughly enjoying exploring the concept of gardening through the Groovy Gardeners project. Amongst our favourite activities so far have been the scarecrow building, finding out what equipment gardeners use and designing and building flower beds for friends. We are working hard on our listening and teamwork skills although we do sometimes find it difficult not to interrupt! We are enjoying how adaptable the resources are and have found activities to suit everyone"
Measure it
We use 'Evisense' to capture visual and written evidence when individual pupils are learning and/or using Essential Skills both in and out of the classroom. Throughout the school we decided to focus on the communication, creativity and problem solving skills however other skills, such as teamwork and leadership, have been taught through the projects and through work experience. Teachers have been recording achievements in their lesson evaluations, Evisense and the Skills Builder Passports. The number of activities being taught as well as the pupils who are developing Essential Skills are measurable. By the time the pupils are in KS5 they will each have their own record of the steps mastered with their Skills Builder Passports. An upper school teacher quoted "I like to use Skills Builder in lessons as a starter activity to set the tone and teaching focus for the activity. Then, at the end of the session, in the plenary the pupils can each measure the progress they have made".
Focus tightly
Essential Skills are being taught across the curriculum as well as being part of 'Horizons' our Careers and Work Experience Programme. It has been included in our School Quality Improvement Plan and forms part of our Appraisal system with some staff having targets set around embedding Essential Skills into the curriculum subjects. The main Essential Skills we have been developing this year have been Communication, Creativity and Problem Solving but the other skills have been taught when any opportunities arise such as Teamwork and Leadership in Forest School, Catering and PE activities. We are planning to amend our lesson planning documents to reflect some changes we are planning for the next academic year. This will include using more of a 'thematic' approach to teach the curriculum subjects with schemes of work referencing Essential Skills in the wider curriculum, including visits within the community.
Keep practising
Class Teachers and Subject Leads are using the Skills Builder Hub to access lessons/activities (including projects) that are the most appropriate for the pupils in their class and sharing good practice within their teams. Teachers are including Essential Skills in their lesson planning documents and evidencing using 'Evisense'. Speaking and Listening is continually being taught and reinforced during circle time on a daily basis in all classes up to KS4. Essential Skills have been embedded into our KS5 formal curriculum and now form an important part of the 'Employability Skills' course.
Bring it to life
Year 9 upwards pupils will also take part in our Internal and External Work Experience programme which is supported by our Job Coach. The pupils will be able to identify what Essential Skills are needed to carry out the job and therefore understand why it is important to be taught them in school. Following a Work Experience Placement, pupils are expected to do a presentation, attended by Senior Management Team, to their peers about their Work Experience. The Job Coach said 'it is particularly rewarding when a pupil can recognise the Essential Skill that they have been using in their placement and demonstrate putting that skill into practice'
What's next
Include a section on Essential Skills on our website which can signpost parents to Homezone. Have a Careers/Essential Skills section in fortnightly newsletters to parents highlighting any achievements and events. Include in the Agenda for the weekly Teachers Meetings to share training, what is working well and any good practice with other staff. Careers/Essential Skills Leader to identify appropriate projects that will support the half termly 'themes' from September however will encourage class teachers to adapt these projects as they wish Signpost all staff the the training modules on the Skills Builder Hub Put up more Essential Skills display boards around school (including case studies) as visual prompts. Incorporate Essential Skills into planning documents and evaluation records Allow more CPD and training time for teachers.
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