By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information.
Woodbury School is positive, friendly co-educational day school in Wolverhampton, supporting young people from year 3 to year 13. The school meets the needs of a diverse group of pupils with a range of complex learning needs including Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH). At Woodbury, we are dedicated to preparing our students for successful futures through our teaching of core subjects, comprehensive personal development and careers programme. We aim for all of our pupils to leave their learning experience with Woodbury with the skills they need to achieve their goals with the assistance of the SkillsBuilder Programme
Overall impact
Woodbury School is a small independent special school for pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH). Pupils start Woodbury School with a range of disrupted experiences and views of education. This means that the curriculum is bespoke to the individual needs of the pupil. The ages range from Year 3 to Year 13.
Small class sizes allow more focused intervention for SkillsBuilder and all lessons.
The school has a particular focus on the personal development of pupils to try and ready them for life after Woodbury. The whole school follows Woodbury’s 3 core values: Stay safe, be respectful and try your best. These link into the 8 areas of SkillsBuilder and are revisited and encouraged to be followed every day in school.
The implementation of the Skills Builder framework at Woodbury School has substantially enriched the educational experience for our pupils, effectively preparing them for life beyond the confines of formal education. By systematically fostering essential skills across the curriculum, the Skills Builder programme empowers our students to engage with their learning in a manner that is both meaningful and applicable to real-world contexts.
Keep it simple
The implementation of the Skills Builder programme at Woodbury School has significantly enhanced student development across various stages. Introduced via the primary phase, as well as in the nurture group and post-16 settings, the programme has fostered a comprehensive approach to skill acquisition. A whole school assembly was conducted to introduce the eight key areas of Skills Builder, with a focus on the importance of listening. All of the participating classes undertook a baseline assessment to identify areas of weakness and strengths. They then focused on these areas of weakness to develop. This structured approach has proven effective in enhancing students' overall competence, confidence and understanding of the soft skills promoted through the Skills Builder programme.
Each class focused on a different aspect of Skills builder each half term.
Start early, keep going
Having started it across primary, our nurture group and 16-18 pupils, we are now beginning to phase it into Key stages 3 and 4. This will mean the whole school is engaged in the programme. Moving forward, we are looking to devise a structured half-termly plan ensuring each of the 8 skills are covered at increasing depth as pupils progress through the school.
Measure it
On introduction of SkillsBuilder, each pupil was baselined by class teachers and TA’s on all 8 areas. This was then used to devise areas for developing and track pupil progress. After each skill is covered, the pupils are reassessed to measure the impact, reflect on and adapt our practice moving forward. This method allows a targeted, child-centered approach.
Focus tightly
After baseline assessment, class tutors were able to look at common areas of weakness and held sessions to work towards developing these areas. For example, in post 16, staying positive was a particular area requiring more development. Lessons were then planned and delivered to improve the resilience of the individuals within the group. This was also tied into the AQA Unit Award Scheme which has specific SkillsBuilder Modules available for assessment and working towards accreditation.
Keep practising
In addition to dedicated slots on the timetable, we are including areas of SkillsBuilder on medium term planning and throughout the curriculum. This varies from real-life scenarios in Maths related to Problem-Solving, reading plays in English for Speaking and Listening, pupils assisting to deliver whole-school assemblies and working in groups together to cook in food tech.
As part of the 14+ Pathway, our pupils have the opportunity to meet employers or guest speakers from a variety of industries. Furthermore, in Key stage 4 and 5 we offer access to alternative training providers, work experience – either on a regular basis or as a block placement - and opportunities to go to local careers fairs and events.
Bring it to life
In order to bring SkillsBuilder to life, Woodbury School recently took part in the Trash to Treasure challenge day. This allowed our pupils to work co-operatively through a variety of stages of planning and production of toys.
Woodbury School also offers wider life experiences such as running the school tuck shop and trips to forest school where they continually apply these employability skills.
In addition, during the delivery of careers and personal development lessons, pupils have worked with teachers to write their own 'career action plans' using the SkillsBuilder areas to create pathways to their futures.
What's next
As we move forward, our focus will be on several key developments aimed at enhancing and embedding SkillsBuilder delivery across the whole school. We will further our planning and resource development across all subjects by integrating Skills Builder, ensuring a cohesive approach to skill acquisition. Additionally, we will implement six challenge days each academic year to foster deeper learning experiences. Full integration of these initiatives into the Key Stage 3 and 4 curriculum and timetable is essential. To support these advancements, we will also prioritise further staff training, equipping our educators with the necessary tools and knowledge to succeed in this endeavour.
