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West Hatch is an 11-18 school in Chigwell, Essex. This was our first year working with the Skills Builder Partnership. Prior to this we did not have a clear strategy or approach to embedding skills and many of our students struggles to articulate and understand the skills they possessed and ways in which they could develop these. Our decision to get involved with the Skills Builder Accelerator was due to the simplicity of the Universal Framework, ease and flexibility of resources/lessons and the opportunity to have a single set of skills, which were clearly defined and could be embedded within the vernacular of the school.
Overall impact
Although, due to lockdown, the Accelerator programme has not had the full impacted we had hoped, it has certain provided us with a foundation for our skills curriculum. It has provided us with a clear vocabulary and understanding of skills, plus a focus on 8 key skills everyone needs.
Keep it simple
We have put up a number of posters around the school, which highlight the Skills Builder Framework and 8 main skills. We have also added a sticker to whiteboards which lists the 8 skills, for all students to see and referred to throughout lessons. We ensure that all staff use consistent language regarding skills and have an understanding of the Universal Framework, and how this relates to skills and the steps that students and staff can take to develop them.
Start early, keep going
Our focus on skills starts in Year 7. During the Year 7 Aspirations Day, all students will discuss the 8 key skills and how these link to potential careers and future opportunities. These discussions continue throughout their time at West Hatch, as they focus on all the skills and learn ways in which they can further develop them.
Measure it
Due to the lockdown we've been limited in the ways that we can monitor and track the development of student skills. Initially we had planned this to be through discussions and peer assessment. However, despite the setbacks, we have utilised the Skills Builder Benchmark, which allowed students to individually and independently assess their own skills and see how they can further develop these overtime. We also use discussions within the classrooms and Form Time to focus on which steps individuals are at and how they can progress to the next level.
Focus tightly
Discussions about skills have occurred during Form Time; however, due to the lockdown we have been limited with the amount of time we have had with student. This has impacted on our ability to focus tightly, for a period of time each week, on skills and skills building - much of this has been done independently, with checks made by the Skills Leader. Going forward we are looking to introduce a set time within the curriculum, where Year 7 and 8 students will have time to focus, develop and learn about the skilled in greater depth (this will be for an hour a week).
Keep practising
We offer various opportunities for students to develop their skills, through a range of extracurricular activities. We ensure that consistent language is used across lessons and extracurricular clubs, regarding the skills. We have also introduced stickers, for the whiteboards in the classrooms, which list the 8 key skills. This provides a subtle reminder for both students and staff; prompting them to think about how they are developing skills throughout the lesson. We have also introduced mention of the skills in our curriculum outlines for each subject - these will be published next year.
Bring it to life
As well as using extra-curricular activities to allow students to bring the skills to life, they also remain a focus throughout our careers programme. During Careers Interviews we discuss possible jobs and future careers, focusing on how certain skills would be relevant or useful. Our Careers Leader also encourages students to identify their strengths and weaknesses with regards to skills. The 8 skills are also embedded within our Year 10 CV workshops and mock interview practice. Students are encouraged to consider the skills that they have developed and ways they could mention these during interview or include them on their CV.
What's next
Considering our plans were impacted by lockdown, hopefully next year we will be able to build on the foundations introduced so far. We will have more time to discuss and embed these skills, throughout all subjects, whilst having easier access to students and providing them additional ways to build their skills.
