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Thomasson Memorial is a day school for deaf children age 4-16 and a nursery for hearing and deaf children age 2-4. It provides a caring, secure and supportive environment in which all children are respected and encouraged to develop their full potential. The Thomasson aims: We aim to provide all pupils with the highest quality of education and support according to their needs. To give all pupils every opportunity to succeed by developing their full potential. To provide a challenging, exciting and fun curriculum will be enlivened by an innovative approach to learning and teaching alongside supportive pastoral care. To help in the development of a responsible, well-adjusted person who is able to take their place in society. To use a full spectrum of spoken and/or sign communication to accommodate individual needs as a means of enriching understanding and expression. To provide a stimulating, happy and caring environment which encourages a positive attitude to work, self-discipline and respect for others. We have a vision of achievement and success for all. Skills Builder fits perfectly with our vision and allows us to help our pupils develop the skills needed for life after Thomasson.
Overall impact
The Skills Builder programme has provided a tool which can be used by all staff to support pupils as they develop their skills and prepare for life after Thomasson. Skills Builder skills are highlighted all day every day. This has been the greatest impact of the programme. Pupils are able to talk about each of the skills and how they use them day to day. The programme has also provided a common language that is used by all staff. Staff CPD has also been developed through the training with our Education Associate and use of the Skills Builder resources.
Keep it simple
Each classroom has a Skills Builder display. We also have a display in the main secondary corridor. Skills Builder has also been embedded into our curriculum. Staff use the Skills Builder icons on their classroom/pupil resources; this includes identifying in pupils? work where a skill has been achieved by pupils with the use of skills stickers. All staff have received training from our Education Associate. Skills Builder is included in our weekly staff meeting calendar. At this meeting staff will share resources and ideas. Any updates will be shared by the Skills Builder Lead. The continued development of our Skills Builder programme is included in our school development plan. It has been added to our careers policy and Skills Builder has a dedicated area of the school website. When observing/coaching staff, Skills Builder is a key element of lessons that is ?looked? for. All staff use the Skills Builder skills language rather than any similar/interchangeable terms. We also have Skills Builder Weekly assemblies where Skills Builder certificates are issued to celebrate achievements, as well as whole school celebration assemblies.
Start early, keep going
KS3 pupils have a dedicated Skills Builder lesson. KS4 pupils have 2 of the daily Form Time activities per week dedicated to Skills Builder. There are also opportunities to develop skills through educational visits and extra-curricular activities. We started the Skills Builder programme by focusing on one skill per half-term with opportunities to develop the other skills through the projects. Now, staff have embedded the skills into their curriculum and have the flexibility to focus on any number of skills, as appropriate. All pupils are baselined using the Skills Builder Hub. Pupils are reassessed every half term to look at progress made and to inform future planning and learning. The awareness of skills and the building of skills is also used within opportunities of work experience and work placement opportunities for students in KS4.
Measure it
As a small school we have been able to log individual pupils, as opposed to groups, on the Skills Builder Hub. Staff baseline pupils and record a final skill step level at the end of each skill focus/topic/project. This is updated each half-term. Staff use a 'Skills Builder' on a page to assess pupils day to day. Staff may focus on a single skill, several or all skills, depending on their scheme of work. Development of skills through the Skills Builder programme are discussed with parents during each pupil annual review and as part of their Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP).
Focus tightly
All KS3 pupils receive a weekly Skills Builder lesson, whilst KS4 dedicate some time in form time each week to building their essential skills. Pupils have also taken part in projects, for example, using the Trash to Treasure project, pupils were tasked with developing a healthy and sustainable drink. Pupils had to cost, market and produce their drink which they called Trime.
Keep practising
Pupils have the opportunity to practise their skills on a daily basis either through the Skills Builder lesson, Form Time activities or their timetabled lessons where the skills have been embedded. Visual prompts are used in every classroom through the use of Skills Builder posters and icons on learning slides with the associated BSL sign included. All staff have a set of icons which they can attach to the board in curriculum lessons. Many staff also reference essential skills in their lesson planning. Stickers are used in exercise books to reward the use of essential skills in the wider curriculum. Projects are encouraged as is the link with extra-curricular e.g. through the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. KS4 pupils focus tightly on the Skills Builder skills during their work experience placement and this is recorded in their reflection log/diary.
Bring it to life
Where possible, the Skills Builder programme is brought to life with real-life challenges and projects. For example, KS3 pupils worked on a 'Grow £5' project. One group of pupils devised to pool their money so that they could offer an 'afternoon tea in a box' service to staff. This project allowed them to develop all 8 skills whilst also developing their core subject skills. Secondary pupils are responsible for running events for primary pupils and their parents e.g. Easter Bingo, Summer BBQ. Through the planning, organising and deliver of these events, pupils reflect on their individual skill development. Pupils have all participated in at least one of the Skills Builder Careers Insights sessions. In addition, the skills are brought to life through: Work experience; Work placements at KS4; Educational Visits; National Careers Week; Duke of Edinburgh; Extra-curricular clubs which are part of the Thomasson daily timetable. Pupils have also joined the Skills Builder Careers Insights sessions, and enjoyed applying their skills in different Skills Builder projects.
What's next
Primary colleagues have received training from our Education Associate. The next steps are to start the delivery of the Skills Builder programme with primary pupils and to fully embed the skills into the primary curriculum. Assessment will also be a focus with the use of a Skills Builder spreadsheet to assess pupil skills rather than the Hub. Time will be given to staff to complete this each term. We need to further develop our focus with parents. This will include weekly tweets and information on our website including a link to the Homezone.
