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Thorn Grove is a one form entry primary school in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire. Two House Captains summarise the school “We feel encouraged to reach our full potential and push our limits beyond our own expectations. We receive a caring environment and diverse curriculum, which makes us all feel involved and fascinated in our variety of lessons. In our school, each one of us is recognised and appreciated for who we are. With our inspirational teachers, staff and strong foundations, we are prepared for the wider world.” One of our core aims is to equip pupils with a broad set of skills essential for thriving in the 21st century, and the Skills Builder Universal Framework has provided a clear and effective structure to support this development.
Overall impact
The impact of Skills Builder has been significant across the school. Teachers now have a consistent and purposeful language for learning, which they use to support pupils in recognising their strengths and identifying areas for development. The programme has helped our pupils become more self-aware and confident, and has raised their aspirations by identifying how essential skills are used in all walks of life.
The structured progression provided by the Skills Builder framework has allowed us to teach and apply these essential skills consistently across the curriculum. As a result, our pupils are not only learning these skills in isolation but are also seeing how they apply in real-world contexts and across different subjects.
Keep it simple
The essential skills are taught throughout the year and are mapped onto our long-term curriculum plans. Before teaching begins, teachers use the Skills Builder assessment tool to determine the appropriate starting step for their class. Weekly skills lessons are delivered using the Hub’s planning and resources, which ensures that all staff use the same language and approach when teaching each skill.
Each half term, we introduce the focus skill during a whole-school assembly, and parents are informed through newsletters. Additional information is available on the school website including activities for parents to try. The essential skills are also referenced in our curriculum intent statement, reinforcing their importance across all areas of learning.
A whole-school display is built up over the year to celebrate how children have developed their skills. Parents and children are encouraged to contribute by sending in photos of how the skills are being used outside of school. In classrooms, displays provide a visual reminder of the skills, with photos of children placed next to the skill they have demonstrated. During our weekly celebration assembly, one child from each class is awarded a certificate for showing a particular skill. In EYFS and Key Stage 1, children also receive stickers to help them clearly understand when they have demonstrated a skill.
Start early, keep going
Each phase participates in an assembly to launch the focus skill. Following this, children receive a weekly lesson focused on explicitly teaching that skill. The skills are then referenced and reinforced in other curriculum areas, helping pupils to see their relevance and importance in a variety of contexts. The skills are used by our play leaders and house captains so children see the skills being modelled throughout the school. External workshop and visitors are asked to refer to the skills during their visits.
Measure it
We use the Skills Builder Hub assessment tool to establish a baseline for each pupil and to track their progress over time. The development of essential skills is discussed at the governing board level, and governors include a focus on Skills Builder during their visits to the school.
Teachers and other adults regularly refer to the step posters and skill icons displayed around the school, encouraging children to reflect on their progress and set personal targets. Where appropriate, expanded statements from the framework are used to help set specific, meaningful targets for pupils.
Focus tightly
Our curriculum overview documents provide a clear structure for introduction of the essential skills. All staff use the Hub resources to ensure consistency in the language and approach. The assessment tool helps teachers to pitch lessons at the right level for their class, and the weekly explicit teaching of skills is reinforced during other lessons. For example, teamwork and problem solving are frequently referenced during Year 6 maths lessons, helping pupils understand how these skills support their academic learning.
Keep practising
The Skills Builder Hub resources are used consistently to support teaching and learning. Teachers regularly refer to the essential skills in all areas of the curriculum, and their use is celebrated through learning displays and classroom discussions. The essential skills are highlighted and rewarded during staff-run clubs and school competitions. Children are encouraged to share where skills have been applied outside of school.
Visitors to the school are asked to refer to the essential skills in their presentations and interactions with pupils. This helps children see how these skills are used in the wider world and understand their relevance beyond the classroom. Pupils are regularly praised and rewarded for demonstrating the skills through house points, weekly celebration assemblies, recognition boards and informal acknowledgements around the school.
Bring it to life
We actively encourage children to use the essential skills outside of school and to bring in photos or examples of how they have done so. Challenge days such as Operation Moonbase and Knex, career-focused activities and the year 6 residential visit help bring the skills to life. Visitors to the school are invited to talk about how they use these skills in their careers, giving pupils real-world context and inspiration.
Year 6 pupils have applied the skills in their transition projects, helping them prepare for the move to secondary school. Career challenge days have also provided opportunities for pupils to see how the skills are used in different professions and industries.
What's next
Looking ahead, we want to find ways to embed the essential skills more deeply into our curriculum. We are exploring links with Primary Futures to enhance our careers education and considering how we can build connections with the local business community to provide more opportunities for pupils to see the skills in action. The support we received from our Education Associate has been invaluable and have given us the confidence, knowledge and strong foundations to continue this journey.
