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We are a one-form-entry school in the heart of East London, close to the City. We serve a diverse and ambitious community and are committed to equipping our children with the essential skills they need for the future, alongside strong academic foundations. We have partnered with Skills Builder for several years and have seen the clear impact it has had on our pupils. In today’s world, life skills such as teamwork, listening, leadership and oracy are more important than ever yet they are too often left to chance. We believe these skills must be taught explicitly, consistently, and progressively across the curriculum. The Skills Builder framework has enabled us to do just that. It provides a common language and structure for building essential skills, which we have embedded throughout school life. Oracy has long been a focus for us, and the programme has strengthened our ability to develop confident communicators across all year groups.
Through our partnership with a local law firm, children have had the chance to put these skills into practice in real-life contexts, from presenting ideas to working as part of a team in professional settings. These opportunities help children understand the relevance and value of what they are learning.
Our continued involvement with the Skills Builder Accelerator reflects our commitment to preparing pupils not just for the next stage of education, but for the world beyond – with the confidence, communication and collaboration skills they need to thrive.
Overall impact
The Skills Builder Accelerator programme has had a significant and lasting impact across our whole school community.
For pupils, it has built a shared language and understanding of the essential skills they need to succeed – not only in school but in life. We’ve seen a clear increase in confidence, especially in speaking and listening, teamwork, and problem-solving. Children are better able to reflect on how they’ve used these skills and can transfer them across subjects, projects, and real-world experiences.
For teachers, the framework has provided clarity and structure. It’s helped staff embed essential skills into the curriculum, use consistent language, and plan purposeful opportunities to teach and revisit these skills throughout the year. Staff now include them in subject action plans and class routines, making them a natural part of teaching and learning.
Parents and the wider community have also become more engaged through themed events, enterprise challenges, and assemblies. Our partnerships – such as with a local law firm and Grow Your Own Playground – have brought the skills to life in exciting and meaningful ways.
A particular highlight has been the growth in pupil voice and leadership. From shaping our behaviour policy to leading charity events, children are using essential skills to influence and improve their school and community.
Keep it simple
We have a strong, whole-school focus on speaking and listening throughout the year, as well as a spotlight on one of the other essential skills each half term. These are introduced in assemblies and supported by explicitly taught sessions in every class. We revisit the focus skill mid-way through the term to maintain momentum and ensure pupils continue to reflect on their progress.
To build awareness and consistency, we use the shared language of the Skills Builder Universal Framework in lessons, assemblies and across displays in school. Teachers reference the skills when planning and reflecting with pupils, and each half term a weekly certificate is awarded to recognise effort and improvement linked to that skill.
Staff development is also key: we hold regular staff meetings and INSET sessions to ensure confidence in delivering the framework. Subject leaders include Skills Builder in their action plans to help embed the essential skills across the curriculum.
Start early, keep going
We build essential skills from the very start of a child’s journey at Christ Church, with all pupils from Reception to Year 6 taking part in regular lessons focused on the Skills Builder framework. The shared language is used consistently across year groups, helping children develop a clear understanding of each skill as they grow.
Certificates linked to the focus skill of the half term are awarded weekly in Years 1 to 6, and parents are invited to attend these assemblies to celebrate their child’s progress. We also involve families through themed events like Creativity Week, where the importance of each skill is highlighted, and through regular updates in our school newsletter.
In parent meetings, we use Skills Builder language – especially around ‘Staying Positive’ and ‘Aiming High’ – to support discussions about learning behaviours and resilience. These values are now also embedded in our new behaviour policy, which is shared with families in welcome meetings each autumn.
By embedding the essential skills into lessons, behaviour, celebrations and home–school communication, we ensure that all pupils, at every stage, have opportunities to build, practise and apply these skills in meaningful ways.
Measure it
We use the Skills Builder Hub to assess pupil progress against the eight essential skills, with class teachers tracking development at key points in the year. This helps us understand where children are in their skill journey and plan appropriate next steps.
These assessments are supported by class-based reflection – through discussion, peer feedback and celebration of the focus skill each half term. Teachers use the shared language of the Skills Builder Framework to help pupils recognise and articulate how they are improving.
Weekly certificates are also linked to real examples of progress, reinforcing the message that essential skills are valued and worth developing.
These insights have helped us begin to map progression across year groups, identify strengths and gaps, and adapt our teaching accordingly. They have also supported staff development and helped teachers build confidence in integrating essential skills into everyday learning.
We recognise that this remains an area for development, and a key focus for the year ahead will be to build greater consistency in how we measure and respond to skill development across the school – ensuring that every pupil’s progress is captured and celebrated meaningfully.
Focus tightly
We use the Skills Builder lessons and resources at key points in the year to provide direct instruction around each essential skill – particularly when launching a new skill focus and again when reviewing progress. These sessions are timetabled across all classes and help ensure that children understand what the skill is, why it matters, and how to develop it.
Alongside whole-class teaching, we also use the Skills Builder resources in targeted interventions. Our weekly Holistic Group, which supports children with SEND, has found particular success using the framework to build confidence and oracy. Lessons have been tailored to focus on speaking, listening, and teamwork – allowing pupils to practise in a supported environment.
A highlight of this work was a South Asian heritage event linked to our partnership with a local law firm. The Holistic Group created artwork, prepared food, and then presented their findings to invited guests. Their skills in teamwork, speaking and aiming high were clearly visible – and supported by specific lessons leading up to the event.
These structured opportunities allow pupils to build their essential skills in meaningful, practical ways – boosting confidence, communication and independence.
Keep practising
Our pupils are given regular opportunities to practise their essential skills through a wide range of curriculum, enrichment, and pupil voice activities.
Within the curriculum, projects like Creativity Week give children the chance to apply Problem Solving, Creativity and Teamwork, with parents joining for an open afternoon to celebrate and contribute. Assemblies and class lessons increasingly include time for pupils to reflect on the skills they’ve used.
Pupil leadership roles are a key part of our approach. School Council, Young Minds (mental health ambassadors), and Faith Ambassadors (RE leads) all use the Speaking and Listening frameworks to plan events, share feedback, and influence school life. These teams played an active role in shaping our new behaviour policy and regularly use Teamwork and Problem Solving to drive initiatives.
Older pupils also support younger ones through our reading buddy system, developing Leadership and Listening.
Trips and charity events deepen this further: residentials build Staying Positive and Leadership, while each class fundraises for a chosen charity – from cupcake sales to sponsored sports events – encouraging Creativity, Aiming High, and Teamwork.
We continue to improve how children reflect on these skills and build structured opportunities into both curriculum planning and whole-school celebrations.
Bring it to life
We help pupils see the relevance of essential skills by providing regular opportunities to apply them in real-life contexts. Events like our summer and Christmas fairs include enterprise-style challenges, where pupils design, make and sell products – building their Creativity, Teamwork, and Speaking skills. For example, Year 4 recently created and sold cards, badges, and cups, managing everything from production to pricing.
We’ve also taken part in the Grow Your Own Playground initiative, where pupils ran pop-up stalls selling homegrown produce to parents and the community – a valuable opportunity to develop Problem Solving, Leadership, and Listening.
Skills Builder is woven into wider projects too. Next half term, pupils will take part in a whole-school community clean-up project, helping to improve the street outside our newly relocated entrance. This will involve planning, coordinating, and working with local stakeholders – using a wide range of essential skills with purpose.
Our themed weeks, such as Creativity Week, further embed these experiences, showing children how the skills they’re building can be used beyond the classroom – in their homes, communities, and future workplaces.
What's next
Building on the strong foundations we’ve developed through the Skills Builder Accelerator, our next steps focus on deepening consistency and extending opportunities across the school.
We plan to continue embedding assessment more effectively, using Skills Builder tracking tools to inform planning and support tailored teaching of essential skills. This will help us better understand progression and ensure that all pupils are being challenged and supported appropriately.
We are also planning more themed weeks across the year to spotlight specific essential skills, giving pupils further opportunities to practise and apply them in engaging, real-life contexts. These will be supported by cross-curricular links and parental involvement.
One exciting upcoming project is a pupil-led initiative to clean and improve the street outside our new school entrance. This will involve planning, teamwork, leadership, and communication – helping pupils see how they can use their skills to make a differ
