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Clerkenwell Parochial Primary School is located in Islington. It is an inclusive, thriving community with a Christian foundation and a rich history. Children’s achievements are celebrated, the uniqueness of each child is valued and everyone is encouraged to live life in all its fullness. Clerkenwell Primary has fully embraced the Skills Builder programme this year to support children with skills they need throughout their life.
Overall impact
I believe implementing the essential skills in Clerkenwell has been very beneficial for all members of staff and the students, as we are all able to think about how we are using the skills within curriculum. It also has developed children's recognition that the staff are using them as well and that the skills are needed throughout their life.
Keep it simple
At Clerkenwell the essential skills have been displayed in the teacher's classrooms. Both teachers and children have felt this to be very helpful as they are consistently able to refer back to the skills in all areas of learning.
Skills have also been incorporated into the children's learning intentions. The skills vary depending on what the children are learning. The children are able to self assess whether they have used the skills on their skills sheet they have been given. On the skills sheet, the children are given so many steps depending on the teacher's assessments and their age. Children are also given the opportunity to think about which step they are on/ achieved on their skills chart. Stars are handed out to the children depending on where they think they are on the steps.
In Friday's celebration assembly, whoever has worked really hard on their skills gets a star and mention from the headteacher. Another child gets celebrated for making the most progress in terms of steps.
Start early, keep going
Clerkenwell has embedded the essential skills from Year 1 to Year 6. There are opportunities in every lesson for children to refer to one or more of the skills. All children have been introduced to the language and the younger years with reading and understanding the meaning of the steps that they are achieving. All the children are able to independently discuss and decide which step they are on and with support discuss the next step and their targets to achieve the given skill.
Measure it
At the beginning of the year and in the second term teachers used the hub to assess where the children were. Teachers were mainly using the learning intentions and skills sheet to recognise the children's individual need to assess and review each individual child and how they understood the essential skills. Teacher's were then able to review the intentions and the skills sheet to support the children in the following lesson.
Focus tightly
Clerkenwell has created a skills sheet with the icon and the steps that have been given to all the children. Depending on the skill focus within the lesson, the children are able to refer to it on their sheets. Each week, children listen to short clip from the Hub which focuses on one of the skills. This has supported all the children with using the correct language when discussing the skills. It has also, helped them understand how they can move on to the next steps within the skills.
Keep practising
The essential skills are embedded across all areas of the curriculum in learning intentions at Clerkenwell. The music teacher who comes in weekly also uses the skills, which encourages the children to consistently think about their skills. By creating opportunities consistently throughout the curriculum encourages the children to always think about their skills.
Bring it to life
Clerkenwell offers children many opportunities to work with theatre companies and create project-based work. This year the children have had opportunities of having Religious Education Christmas and Easter Prayer Days, as well as having a science week. The children have been encouraged to use the skills throughout their learning. Not only that, children have had the opportunity to work with The Little Angel theatre to create a film on the school's vision 'Aqua Viva'. At the end of each day, the children would come together and discuss what skill they have used and how they have used that skills. They then further discussed how they could achieve and work on the next step within the skill. Also the children at Clerkenwell have a weekly session with Peoplescape Theatre focusing on The Thames Project. At the end of the session, all the year groups share and discuss how they have used the 8 skills.
What's next
We school are working together with Skills Builder to continue to integrate essential skills education into the curriculum at all levels, so everyone who comes through the school is equipped with the essential skills to succeed beyond the school gates.
