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Hazel Court caters for 77 pupils across its Further Education (FE) and secondary departments, supported by a dedicated team of 9 staff members. Aiming to achieve Gold Award status, the leadership team set out to establish consistent, good practice across every lesson and roll out a robust, well-established plan. Following an initial launch across the FE 6th Form department, the setting expanded the Skills Builder Universal Framework 2.0 to secondary pupils, spanning from Year 7 through to Year 14. The initiative sought to ensure that all learners, including those with complex needs, developed essential skills to support their personal progression and post-college outcomes.
Overall impact
Embedding the framework elevated the profile of essential skills across the entire setting, creating a shared culture between staff, pupils, governors, and families. Teachers consistently referenced the essential skills icons as lesson starters or plenaries, making skill development a regular aspect of classroom teaching. Through community-based learning, enterprise projects, and structured work experience, pupils developed their communication, confidence, and real-world independence. The consistent focus on essential skills also strengthened links between individual learning outcomes and preparation for life beyond school.
Keep it simple
Visual cues were established across all learning areas, with display boards, careers displays, and framework icons featured in every classroom. Staff consistently incorporated essential skills vocabulary and icons into lesson slides, curriculum displays, and verbal interactions. Pupil effort was recognised during a weekly Friday afternoon student-run café, where a "Student of the Week" was awarded a generic certificate featuring the skills icons for demonstrating key behaviours. The setting actively engaged broader stakeholders by sharing the framework during parent introduction sessions, college parents' evenings, whole-school ClassDojo updates, and trustee meetings.
Start early, keep going
The programme was initially implemented across all three phases of the FE 6th Form. Following a planned rollout during the spring and Easter terms, the setting extended provision into the secondary phase, ensuring continuous, age-appropriate skill development for learners from Year 7 up to Year 14. Every year group and class received regular, planned opportunities to learn and build their essential skills throughout the week.
Measure it
Staff adapted assessment methods to meet the diverse needs of their cohort. Formal learners engaged in self-assessment using the expanded framework to reflect on their essential skills and identify areas for development linked to their Individual Learning Outcomes (ILOs). Medium-term plans explicitly illustrated framework connections, while teachers used hard-copy tracking, ClassDojo, Tapestry, and the Skills Builder Hub to record baselines and updated assessments. For pupils with more complex needs, staff-led assessments, learning walks, and lesson observations were utilised to track progress against individual targets.
Focus tightly
Dedicated time was protected on class timetables to deliver explicit skill instruction tailored to pupil pathways. Formal learning groups engaged in weekly, 40-minute standalone Skills Builder lessons utilising short lesson resources from the Hub. Semi-formal groups explored skills during 40-minute weekly PSHE sessions and circle time discussions, while pre-formal learners accessed sensory-based skill reflection activities and challenge sheets. Dedicated assembly sessions and story-based activities were also delivered to reinforce specific skill steps
Keep practising
The essential skills were mapped across medium-term plans and woven through all curriculum areas. Pre-formal learners used Widgit symbols alongside visual icons to recognise skills in daily tasks. Staff and pupils consistently referenced essential skills during lessons, self-reflections, and Speaking and Listening exam preparation. Skills were embedded into focus groups like the Student Council, as well as community-based curriculum activities such as travel training and shopping trips. Early steps were also taken to map individual ILOs to essential skills for pupils attending residential trips.
Bring it to life
Real-world application was embedded through internal and external work experience (WEX) opportunities, including placements in local charity shops and hotels for formal phase learners. The school embedded a community-based curriculum where pupils practised real-world scenarios, alongside enterprise challenges aimed at raising funds for school projects in a sustainable way. Pupils demonstrated their skills during student focus groups, student council activities, and external visits. Visiting speakers, support services, trustees, and external hosts were provided with visitor resources and language guides, while a whole-school "Eco Day" Challenge Day was delivered in July to allow pupils to apply their skills in practical contexts.
What's next
Looking ahead to the next academic year, the setting plans to complete the full rollout of the Skills Builder programme across both main sites starting in September. Staff aim to transition more formal learners onto the online Hub to record progress, while continuing to refine staff-led assessment tools for pupils with complex needs. Additionally, leaders plan to further expand internal and external work experience placements, develop additional environmental drop-down days, and deepen the integration of essential skills within residential trip planning and individual ILOs.
