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At Laurel Park School (LPS) we are deeply committed to the personal development of our students. We understand that supporting well-rounded development goes beyond academic achievement; it requires providing meaningful opportunities to build character, skills, and a sense of purpose.
Our small school setting is a strength that enables us to know each student well. 42% of our students come from disadvantaged backgrounds and encounter challenges at home, such as caring responsibilities or limited parental availability due to work. These circumstances can restrict their access to enriching experiences and limit their ability to fully explore their talents and aspirations.
To address this, we have designed the LPS Aspire Programme, a unique in-school initiative that focuses on developing essential life skills not typically covered in the National Curriculum. Through this programme, students engage in learning about essential skills like Leadership, Teamwork, Creativity, and Problem Solving. The Aspire programme provides a safe and supportive environment where students can discover their potential, gain confidence, and develop a sense of agency.
We are proud to link the LPS Aspire programme with the Skills Builder Accelerator, ensuring a coherent and structured approach to skills development. This partnership allows us to deliver a framework that supports students in mastering eight essential skills needed for success in education, employment, and life. Together, these programmes empower our students to become proactive, responsible global citizens equipped to contribute positively to their communities and the wider world.
At LPS, we believe that every child deserves the chance to thrive. By removing barriers and embedding personal development into the school day, we are creating a future where all our students can aspire, achieve, and lead with purpose.
Overall impact
The Skills Builder Accelerator programme has had a significant and positive impact across our school community. The language of essential skills from the Universal Framework now underpins all aspects of school life, both inside and outside the classroom. This consistent and structured approach has helped students feel more confident about their future, as they now see the relevance of essential skills in their everyday learning and long-term goals. It has also contributed to a noticeable improvement in behaviour, as students understand how essential skills can help them achieve the core school values of Integrity, Determination, Excellence, and Ambition and reach their full potential. The increased opportunities to recognise and celebrate student achievement through skill-based awards have had a positive impact on motivation and engagement.
For teachers, the program has provided valuable insight into how to effectively support skill development, supported by the excellent resources available on the Skills Builder Hub. It has enabled us to refine and develop a wide range of activities that enhance student learning through a clear focus on skill development. Overall, the Accelerator programme has strengthened our whole-school approach to skills and character education and created a shared language and purpose that extends to our wider community.
Keep it simple
At our school, we have established a shared and consistent language of essential skills that is used by everyone; students, staff, and parents. This shared language is embedded across all aspects of school life, ensuring clarity and a common understanding. The essential skills are referred to regularly in all mainstream curriculum lessons and are explicitly taught through our LPS Aspire Programme.
The skills language is not confined to the classroom; it is a visible and valued part of our wider school culture. Each week, we celebrate and reinforce these skills during assemblies, include them in the weekly staff bulletin, and share them with families through our weekly newsletter.
To further celebrate the Skills, we have introduced dedicated awards recognising progress in each of the eight essential skills. By consistently using the same language in all contexts, we ensure that essential skills are understood, valued, and developed by everyone.
Start early, keep going
At our school, the development of essential skills begins as early as possible and continues consistently throughout a student’s journey. While the explicit teaching of skills is delivered through our LPS Aspire programme from Year 7 to Year 9, all year groups benefit from skill development embedded across the curriculum.
From the very start, in lessons across all subjects and key stages, students are supported to build and apply these essential skills in meaningful ways. Teachers use the shared language of skills in planning, instruction, and feedback, ensuring students are constantly engaging with them in a variety of contexts.
Measure it
At LPS we use a range of tools to measure students’ progress in essential skills. All students have a personal learning tracker at the front of their booklets or exercise books where they record and reflect on their development on each subject at the end of every lesson. During lessons, assessment takes place through "Check Your Understanding" tasks, where our LPS policy encourages the use of cold calling and mini whiteboards to check for whole-class understanding. Students then discuss their responses, promoting deeper reflection and peer learning.
For our LPS Aspire programme, we use the Skills Builder Hub and Benchmark resources to assess and track progress more formally. These approaches give us clear insight into student strengths and areas for growth, allowing us to tailor support effectively.
Focus tightly
The LPS Aspire Programme is offered biweekly as a double lesson. By integrating these activities into the school day, we aim to provide equal access and ensure that all students have the chance to engage in enriching experiences that complement their academic journey. It is based on 8 Essential Skills that are divided in 11 sequential steps, ranging from very basic to sophisticated - adult level proficiency. Each term a new skill will be taught starting from Listening, offered to Year 7 students. The LPS Programme has a structure that is clear, measurable and authoritative.
Keep practising
At LPS, we ensure students have regular opportunities to practise their essential skills beyond the classroom. In addition to the LPS Aspire and the integration of skills across the wider curriculum, we offer the LPS Extra programme, a broad selection of extra-curricular activities run by all departments.
Each department runs a weekly club or society after school, choosing topics that inspire a love of learning and are not tied to curriculum content, exams, or interventions. These activities are purposefully designed to link to and develop the 8 Essential Skills, giving students meaningful and enjoyable ways to apply them in different contexts.
Bring it to life
At LPS, we bring essential skills to life by connecting students with the world beyond the classroom. Employer engagement plays a key role, helping students understand the expectations of the workplace and the skills needed for their chosen careers. This is achieved through our annual careers fair, as well as virtual and in-person work experience opportunities that allow students to interact directly with employers. These experiences support students in developing communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills in real-life contexts. We also regularly welcome external speakers to inspire and inform students through engaging, real-world insights. Lastly, our “Trips for All” program further enriches students’ learning by offering cultural and educational experiences that complement classroom content and foster essential skills.
What's next
Going forward, we recognise that there is still important work to do in refining our provision and ensuring that every student sees the development of essential skills as a core part of their education. We will continue with the successful structures we have put in place this year, embedding them further so they become second nature to staff and students alike. New staff will be fully inducted and supported in delivering the Skills Builder Programme to maintain consistency across the school.
We also plan to make greater use of opportunities beyond the classroom to further embed the essential skills into our wider offer. A key next step is working with Skills Builder to develop a tailored curriculum for our Sixth Form, ensuring all students across all phases have regular, planned opportunities to develop and apply their skills. In addition, we will train next year’s Raising Standards Leads to actively monitor and support the development of essential skills within their year groups.
