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Firwood High School is a specialist SEND school in Bolton that supports children and young people with a wide range of additional needs. Our focus is on helping pupils develop the knowledge, confidence, independence, and life skills they need to succeed both in school and beyond.
We became involved with the Skills Builder Accelerator because it provides a clear, structured framework for developing essential skills such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, creativity, staying positive, listening, and leadership. These skills are particularly important for our pupils as they prepare for further education, employment, and independent living.
The Accelerator has helped us embed essential skills consistently across the curriculum, giving staff a shared language and approach while enabling pupils to recognise and celebrate their progress. It aligns closely with our commitment to preparing every young person for adulthood and supporting them to achieve their full potential.
Overall impact
The Accelerator programme has had a positive impact on teachers, students, and the wider school community by providing a clear structure for developing essential skills across the curriculum. One of the biggest benefits has been increasing staff awareness of the Skills Builder Universal Framework and giving teachers a shared language and consistent approach to teaching essential skills.
An important outcome has been identifying which essential skills are more challenging for both teachers to teach and students to develop. This has enabled us to reflect on our curriculum and recognise where additional support, modelling, and differentiated resources are needed. In particular, we found that some skills are best taught through practical, hands-on experiences rather than more traditional classroom activities, especially for our learners with SEND.
This insight has informed the development of our medium-term plans and highlighted the importance of using engaging, sensory-rich activities that allow students to experience and practise the skills in meaningful contexts. As a result, we are continuing to adapt our resources to ensure all learners can access the Skills Builder curriculum successfully.
Keep it simple
We have worked to build awareness of the Skills Builder essential skills across the sixth form. The eight essential skills are prominently displayed in classrooms and around the school, providing a constant visual reminder for pupils and staff and helping to reinforce the shared language of the Universal Framework. Across the curriculum, every lesson presentation includes the essential skills, with the specific skills being utilised in that lesson clearly highlighted at the start.
To engage parents and carers, we use ClassDojo to share daily updates about learning. These posts clearly identify which essential skill pupils have been developing, alongside examples of the activities they have taken part in. This helps families understand the purpose behind the learning and gives them opportunities to recognise and encourage these skills at home.
We also place a strong emphasis on recognising and celebrating students' achievements. At the end of every half term, we hold a celebration assembly where certificates are presented to students who have demonstrated the essential skill that has been the focus of that half term. We have also created a Skills Builder learning journey display in the Sixth Form area. The display showcases photographs of students participating in Skills Builder activities throughout the year.
Start early, keep going
We have ensured that all learners have regular opportunities to develop the essential skills by embedding the Skills Builder approach across our Sixth Form curriculum. The Universal Framework is integrated into teaching and learning, enabling students of all abilities to build and apply the eight essential skills in meaningful, real-life contexts.
Skills Builder resources are shared with all teaching staff across Key Stages 3 and 4, giving teachers easy access to a bank of activities that can be incorporated into lessons whenever appropriate. This flexibility allows the essential skills to be embedded across a wide range of subjects and learning experiences, ensuring pupils encounter them regularly throughout their education.
Measure it
As the Skills Builder Lead, I have developed a year-long medium-term plan based on the Skills Builder Universal Framework. Each half term focuses on one essential skill (e.g. Leadership, Planning, Speaking and Listening, Aiming High, Adapting, and Creativity). Students access three focused Skills Builder sessions each week, with differentiated lesson plans and resources designed to meet the needs of our learners with SEND.
The Skills Builder Universal Framework is used to inform Preparing for Adulthood targets within individual learning plans, ensuring skill development is personalised and linked to students’ next steps.
We use our Evidence for Learning platform to record, monitor and celebrate pupils' progress in developing the essential skills. Staff capture evidence from lessons and wider school activities, allowing us to build a clear picture of how pupils are demonstrating the eight essential skills over time.
To strengthen this process, the Skills Builder Universal Framework (up to Step 1) is being integrated into Evidence for Learning. This allows staff to tag the specific essential skill and framework step being developed during each lesson, making progress easier to track and monitor consistently across the curriculum.
Focus tightly
Students receive regular, dedicated opportunities to develop their essential skills through three 30-minute direct teaching sessions each week. These sessions explicitly focus on one or more of the eight essential skills, giving pupils the opportunity to understand, practise and reflect on each skill in a structured and supportive environment.
To ensure consistency across classes, teachers use shared Skills Builder PowerPoint presentations that are accessible to all staff. Each session includes differentiated activities, enabling teachers to adapt learning to meet the individual needs and abilities of their pupils while maintaining a clear focus on the relevant steps within the Universal Framework.
We also place a strong emphasis on practical, hands-on learning. A range of resources and activities are readily available in classrooms, allowing pupils to develop their essential skills through engaging, real-life tasks, collaborative work and problem-solving activities.
Keep practising
Whole-school events such as FirFest, seasonal celebrations (e.g. Halloween and Christmas) and Sports Day also give students opportunities to demonstrate their skills in different contexts. We also held a Skills Builder Challenge Day, where students designed and made cards that will be sold in the Sixth Form bistro, giving them a purposeful, real-world application of their skills. In addition,
Bring it to life
Students have regular opportunities to practise and apply their essential skills across the curriculum and wider school experiences, where they are naturally embedded into learning activities. In Sixth Form, students develop their skills through running the sixth form bistro, as well as weekly health and wellbeing and option sessions. These provide real-life contexts to practise communication, teamwork, problem solving and independence skills. Some students access work experience placements, where they can apply and further develop their essential skills in the workplace.
What's next
Moving forward, I plan to continue developing the Skills Builder curriculum by creating a wider range of adaptable and engaging resources, particularly for our sensory learners. This will include more hands-on, multi-sensory activities, visual supports, communication-friendly resources, and practical learning experiences that enable all students to access and demonstrate the essential skills in ways that meet their individual needs.
I also plan to continue refining the medium-term plans and lesson resources based on staff feedback and student progress, ensuring that activities remain meaningful, inclusive, and closely linked to Preparation for Adulthood outcomes. By expanding our bank of differentiated resources and sharing best practice with colleagues, we aim to further embed the Skills Builder Universal Framework across the Sixth Form
