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Dairy Meadow Primary School is located in Southall, a vibrant suburb in West London affectionately known as “Little India” for its lively streets filled with Indian and South Asian shops, restaurants, and cultural landmarks. At Dairy Meadow, we are committed to supporting children in developing the essential skills they need at every stage of life, helping them grow into confident, capable individuals. Through our investment in the Skills Builder Framework, we ensure that these skills are not only taught but embedded as a core part of our pupils' learning and development. With over 90% of our children having English as an additional language, Skills Builder provides a universal language for our learners to communicate through. Combine this with 14% of our children on the SEN register, Skills Builder provides a hands-on, collaborative learning process that allows all our learners to thrive.
Through embedding Skills Builder across our curriculum, we firmly believe that children who master these essential skills can make the most of their time in school and thrive in life beyond the classroom. By focusing on key areas such as Teamwork, Planning, and Adapting, we aim to give every child the courage to believe in themselves and their potential. As one of our favourite quotes says, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” This message is one I wholeheartedly encourage and strive to promote throughout our school environment.
Ultimately, we want every child at Dairy Meadow to carry these essential skills with them—not just during their time with us, but throughout their journey beyond the school gate. Skills Builder is a vital cog in our careers curriculum.
Overall impact
Skills Builder has played a vital role in helping our children at Dairy Meadow Primary School understand the world of work through the development of essential skills. By embedding the Skills Builder Framework into our curriculum, we ensure that pupils are not only building their skills but also enhancing their cultural capital. This is further supported through enriching experiences such as educational trips and exploratory learning opportunities.
One particular highlight was the opportunity to showcase our wonderful school to international visitors who came specifically to see Skills Builder in action. Essential disciplinary skills are truly at the heart of everything we do. They are regularly referenced during lessons, actively used by support staff, and embedded into our shared language across the school. This approach even extends to the home, where children engage in regular home learning projects that reflect the skills focus.
Our pupils also benefit from attending virtual Skills Builder Career events, which help prepare them for primary career days and external competitions. They confidently apply skills such as Speaking, Adapting, and Teamwork—especially when delivering presentations, where they recognise the value these skills bring.
Achieving flagship status has been a significant milestone for our school. It not only reflects our strong commitment to the programme but also highlights the excellent provision we offer to support our children’s development and future success. At Dairy Meadow we subscribe to the view that children need to “See what they want to be” – by linking Skills Builder with future employment, as well as a structured careers programme, children can see how their classroom learning can really shape their future regardless of: gender, background, colour or religion.
Keep it simple
At Dairy Meadow Primary School, the essential skills are fully embedded within our teaching and learning policies, as well as across our curriculum plans. This has resulted in the consistent and extensive use of the language of essential skills across all areas of school life and by all members of our community. Our policies are closely linked to these skills, and we dedicate three Project Weeks each year specifically focused on developing them.
We extend the use of essential skills beyond the classroom. Our SMSAs (School Meals Supervisory Assistants) are trained to use the shared language of essential skills when supporting children during playtime, helping to reinforce these behaviours in every part of the school day. Additionally, we brief all external providers who run after-school or lunchtime clubs to ensure they are aware of the Skills Builder approach and integrate it into their work with our pupils.
Skills Builder is timetabled in three dedicated blocks throughout the year, including Challenge Days and termly home learning projects from Reception to Year 6. We proudly celebrate pupils’ learning and achievements in these areas during our weekly praise assemblies, where children receive certificates recognising their efforts in home learning, Skills Builder Weeks, and Challenge Days. This is also shared with parents, governors and the wider school community through the website and Governor Hub.
Essential Skill logos are displayed in every classroom to maintain visibility and reinforcement. Certificates are awarded each half term to highlight progress and effort. Our weekly assembly themes often reflect specific essential skills, helping to embed their importance in our school culture. Parents are kept informed of their children’s skills development through curriculum letters and a central display board at the front of the school, which showcases the essential skills, current home learning, and project highlights.
Start early, keep going
At Dairy Meadow Primary School, all year groups—from Nursery through to Year 6—have regular, planned opportunities to learn and practise essential skills. Every class takes part in three dedicated Project Weeks each year, ensuring a consistent and focused approach to skills development across the school. Children are actively encouraged to use the language of essential skills throughout their daily learning, whether in core or non-core subjects, as well as during social times such as playtime and lunchtime.
This shared language is consistently reinforced across the school environment. It is evident in adult-pupil conversations, integrated into lesson slides through skill logos, and displayed prominently in classrooms and shared spaces, creating a culture where essential skills are understood, valued, and applied every day.
Like all areas of the curriculum, children are aware that Skills Builder is a cumulative project and not a one off. Learners are able to refer back to previous projects and make links to support their learning.
Measure it
All teachers at Dairy Meadow Primary School regularly use formative assessment to prioritise and inform the teaching of essential skills. Assessment is updated at the end of each Project Week and tracked through the Skills Builder Hub. This data is reviewed termly by our Skills Builder Champion, Prabhjot Uppal, who monitors progress and identifies areas for development across the school.
Teachers also have access to a wide range of short lessons on the Hub, which they can use to target specific skill areas based on classroom needs—for example, focusing on Listening or Speaking in preparation for oracy and presentation activities. Children also take part in the same formative assessment processes that are embedded in other subjects. Skills Builder Champion also collates pupil voice to gauge effectiveness of project and learning. The Hub report provides a clear overview of how each class is engaging with the Skills Builder programme. It allows for the identification of classes that are effectively embedding the framework, as well as those that may benefit from additional support. Teachers are encouraged to make use of the short lessons to address the specific needs of their pupils and ensure consistent, focused skill development across the curriculum.
Focus tightly
At Dairy Meadow Primary School, teachers engage in focused and explicit teaching of essential skills. This is clearly reflected in class timetables and planning, where dedicated time is allocated to skill development, with lessons pitched appropriately to meet the needs of all learners. Skills are formally taught through three Project Weeks each year, and many teachers also make use of short lesson prompt cards—particularly for Oracy—focusing on skills like Listening and Speaking. These prompt cards are often placed in front of pupils to guide their learning and encourage active reflection.
We understand that for essential skills to have a lasting impact, they must be developed consistently and purposefully. That’s why the Skills Builder Framework is not only a feature during Project Weeks but is also embedded throughout our daily teaching. The eight essential skills are prominently displayed in every classroom and referred to regularly to raise awareness and deepen pupils’ understanding. Lesson slides also include the relevant skill icons, helping pupils to independently recognise and apply the skills in different contexts.
Beyond the classroom, essential skills are woven into school life. During playtimes, staff on duty use the shared language of the Skills Builder Framework to help children navigate social situations and resolve any issues that may arise.
To ensure successful implementation, teachers are given a dedicated INSET day three times a year to prepare for Skills Builder Week. During these sessions, they plan project-based lessons, arrange enrichment opportunities such as trips or virtual guest speakers, and make use of crib sheets to guide their planning. A key aim is to ensure that each child has something meaningful to share with their parents at the end of the project, showcasing their learning and progress in developing essential skills.
Keep practising
Teachers at Dairy Meadow Primary School provide regular and meaningful opportunities for pupils to practise essential skills across the wider curriculum. These skills are intentionally woven through different subject areas, ensuring they are not taught in isolation but embedded within everyday learning experiences. The school’s written curriculum explicitly references opportunities to develop and apply essential skills across all subjects.
Teachers consistently incorporate skill icons into lesson plans and communications with parents, including curriculum letters. The language of essential skills is actively used during curriculum lessons and is also linked to extra-curricular activities, helping to reinforce a consistent, school-wide approach. External providers running additional classes or clubs are also briefed on the Skills Builder Framework to ensure a shared language is used both inside and outside the classroom.
To further strengthen this approach, home learning projects have been developed using the Skills Builder challenges. These projects are tailored to each key stage and are completed over the course of the academic year, supporting the continued development of essential skills beyond the school environment. A range of after school clubs and other enrichment opportunities have run to support and build on the Skills Builder programme. An architecture club has run in Year 6 in conjunction with Pitzhanger Manor. Year 4 have been involved with Social Enterprise and Year 3 with We Can Cook. Year 1 are about to embark on a Big Toddle – all of this has been structured through the Skills Builder programme.
Bring it to life
Dairy Meadow Primary School is committed to providing all pupils with meaningful opportunities to apply and develop their essential skills through a wide range of experiences. These include project-based learning, off-timetable days, employer encounters, workplace visits, and enterprise challenges. Many pupils also extend their learning beyond the classroom by engaging in home learning projects designed around the Skills Builder Framework.
Recently, our Key Stage 2 pupils had the opportunity to see the real-world application of essential skills during a careers event titled Local Heroes. The purpose of this day was to inspire children by introducing them to successful individuals who reflect the diversity of our community—demonstrating that success is possible regardless of race or gender. Our guests included professionals from Amazon, Sky TV, Gunnersbury Park Museum, and the UK Border Force. The event was a resounding success, leaving children with a sense of pride, high aspirations, and the confidence to dream big. Our careers curriculum sees us working closely with local universities – recently our Year 2 and 3 children had a workshop from Kings all about women in ophthalmology. We work closely with the charities: Primary Futures, Beaver Trust, Apples and Snakes, Eastside and the Chandran Foundation to best support our learners in connecting what is completed in the classroom with enhanced life chances. Locally, our work with the Southall Community Alliance builds on all the core Skills Builder tenets.
In another memorable experience, a Key Stage 2 class took part in a We Can Cook workshop, where they demonstrated creativity and Aiming High by following a chef’s instructions to prepare a dish. These types of activities allow our pupils to connect essential skills to real-life contexts—not only in school, but also in their homes and the wider world.
What's next
Moving forward, we remain committed to maintaining a consistent and focused approach to the development of essential skills for all children across the school. Building on the success of our home learning projects, we aim to strengthen the partnership between essential skills development and parental involvement. Additionally, we plan to collaborate more closely with other local schools to share best practices and continue expanding the range of meaningful, real-world experiences we offer to the children at Dairy Meadow Primary School.
