In the Early Years, children explore these skills through story time, guided discussions, and play-based learning. Skills Builder language becomes embedded in everyday interactions and is used consistently by staff and pupils alike. Discreet Skills Builder lessons are delivered termly, providing dedicated time to explicitly teach, practise, and reflect on one essential skill. Language surrounding the key skills is used during behaviour restorative sessions. Key skills are encouraged in various pupil leadership roles such prefects providing further opportunities to practise and apply essential skills in meaningful contexts. Explicit links are made between essential skills and the world of work. Skills are regularly linked in professional plenaries, helping children to make clear connections between their own skill development and future aspirations. Employers and external visitors working with our pupils use skills builder language in their presentations. Medium-term plans identify the essential skills being focused on, along with the relevant steps from the Skills Builder framework. Teachers are intentional in planning meaningful opportunities to develop these skills across the wider curriculum. A whole school book swap encouraged pupils to explore how characters in different stories demonstrated essential skills. This created a valuable opportunity for discussion and reflection across all year groups.

To support progression, staff assess pupils’ understanding and application of the essential skills at both the start and end of each term using a range of formative assessment opportunities. This enables teachers to reflect on the impact of teaching and identify next steps for both individual pupils and whole classes. The assessment process helps ensure that skill development is responsive and targeted, rather than generic. The personal Development lead tracks data termly via the hub to identify key target areas or groups of children that may require further support. Focus skills are matched with whole school where possible to ensure meaningful links are made such as team work during the whole school Enterprise event and problem solving during the term that included Science and maths week. We are also committed to supporting all learners in developing these key skills, particularly those who may need additional help. Our Pupil Premium Lead works closely with class teachers to identify children who would benefit from further support in developing specific skills. Targeted interventions are then planned, often using small group work or bespoke resources such as accessible. Annual pupil and staff surveys help to prioritise and plan next steps across the school.

A strong emphasis on consistency and the visibility of the key skills is embedded in the school culture. Each term, a Skill of the Term is introduced through a dedicated whole-school assembly. Staff make effective use of the Skills Builder Hub resources. These materials provide structured, age- appropriate activities and guidance, helping teachers to confidently embed skills across the curriculum. Biannual CPD sessions ensure that staff are informed and up-to-date. Beyond the classroom, challenge events that centre around the current skill are designed to be inclusive and engaging. Families participate in fun challenges that promote the use and understanding of the key skills. Displays across the school further promote the current key skills with discussion points to initiate conversations among pupils and staff. Talk Cards are placed on lunch tables encourage informal dialogue about skills, helping pupils make connections between classroom learning and everyday interactions.

Staff actively look for opportunities to practise the key skills – even midday staff use the language around the skills to support pupils at unstructured parts of the day. Teaching staff identify on medium term plans, the subject areas across the curriculum where specific skills and skill steps can be embedded. These are then considered in the planning stages and implemented into lessons; icons are included on lesson presentations as reminders. In line with our careers curriculum, weekly ‘Professional Plenaries’ highlight how different careers may link to learning and the transferable skills that might benefit this career. SLT monitoring of books and lessons ensure that essential skills are prioritised; Skills Builder objectives are implemented onto the School development plan and key priorities are visited throughout the academic year.

Alongside our new ‘Financial Curriculum’, a whole school Enterprise event is planned for the summer term. A launch assembly introduces the pupils to the project and made links with key skills. A range of Employer Encounters are used through the year to support our Careers Related Curriculum and visitors use the key skills as part of their presentation. Children are encouraged to question professionals about their use of key skills such local firefighters when they visited Reception. The whole school participated in a Skills Builder Challenge Day: Crime Scene investigation where children became detectives solving the mystery of ‘whole stole the chocolate?’. The day provided everyone with an opportunity to pair their science skills with their essential skills. As an East Sussex Primary Careers Hub Lead School, we take an active role in promoting careers not only in our own school but with other local primaries as well.