Stories from Accelerator: East England

February 28, 2022

Applications for the Accelerator are now open. Find out more and apply here, and read on for some great stories from the programme...

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‍Our work in East England

Over the last few years, there’s been some brilliant progress happening in schools and colleges in the East of England, where we work with more than 30 Primaries, Secondaries, Special Schools, and Colleges.

High quality programmes that provide opportunities to boost students’ essential skills are recognised by Skills Builder Awards. Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards are given to those modelling best practice in essential skills education by embedding our six principles:

In 2021, 302 schools and colleges achieved an Award across the UK. 90 of these chose to submit a Case Study. You can explore the full Case Study Showcase here, but here are just a few highlights…

West Hatch High School is an 11-18 school in Chigwell, Essex. They have used tutor sessions to teach essential skills and are starting to widen their pupils' opportunities to practice their skills through other parts of the school day such as lessons, extra-curricular activities, and careers provision.

“Prior to Skills Builder we did not have a clear strategy or approach to embedding skills, and many of our students struggled to articulate and understand the skills they possessed. The programe has provided us with a foundation for our skills curriculum and clear vocabulary and understanding of skills.”

Buckden CofE Primary School is a village church primary school and a standalone academy in semi-rural Cambridgeshire. When they decided to re-write their curriculum a few years ago they felt strongly that their school curriculum needed to include skills.

“We feel that the Skills Builder Accelerator programme has given the teachers a structure and the resources to give the students the opportunity to both learn about and celebrate their skills. When we hold our community days, the children are able to explain the process they have gone through and the skills they need. Skills Builder Projects like the Community Cafe bring things to life and give the students a purpose.”

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About Accelerator

Skills Builder Accelerator is our flagship programme for schools and colleges. We work together with you to develop and implement a complete strategy for teaching essential skills in your institution, including training, support, tools, and resources, resulting in real impact for your students.

Interested? Find out more here, where you can download our prospectus. You can also check your eligibility to apply for a funded programme place here.

Programme places are limited and will be allocated in three rounds.