Stories from Accelerator: North London

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 North London

Over the last few years, there’s been some brilliant progress happening in schools and colleges in North London, where we work with around 50 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…

Clerkenwell Parochial Primary School is located in Islington. It is an inclusive, thriving community with a Christian foundation and a rich history. Children’s achievements are celebrated, the uniqueness of each child is valued and everyone is encouraged to live life in all its fullness.

‍“Clerkenwell Primary has fully embraced the Skills Builder programme this year to support children with skills they need throughout their life. I believe implementing the essential skills in Clerkenwell has been very beneficial for all members of staff and the students, as we are all able to think about how we are using the skills within curriculum. It also has developed children's recognition that the staff are using them as well and that the skills are needed throughout their life.”

Hall Mead Personalised Learning Centre are an Additional Resource Provision based in a mainstream secondary school: Hall Mead School. There are approximately 50 students educated in the Additional Resource Provision, all of whom have Education Health Care Plans with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Social, Emotional or Mental Health being the primary needs.

‍“The highlight has been the staff consistently using the language of the skills, the icons being embedded and the students taking this on board, highlighted by that tipping point where students preempted the question, 'What skills are you using today?'. Resources supplied by Skills Builder are used but it's the Universal Framework which provides us with a structure that staff can work with and design activities around for our students.”

Echelford Primary School is a three-form-entry school in Middlesex. We are part of a five school trust based in the local area. We value teaching children these essential skills and understand the importance they have in supporting children grow into lifelong learners.

“At Echelford we use the Skills Builder assessment tool built into the Hub. To develop our understanding of children's levels we add children's reflections of the skills they are developing into class PSHE journals. By using the essential skills across the curriculum in a variety of different lessons we are constantly exposing the children to the language surrounding the skills and therefore we have a solid understanding of where the children are at. One teacher shared, "Using the assessment tool once I have taught a skill allows me to think about what I need to work on next, whether it is the next step or another skill. Looking at the steps allows me to see what I need to do next and how to help them progress. As a newly qualified teacher, I find this really helpful."

City of London Academy Highgate Hill is a mixed KS3/KS4 inner city state school located in Islington. It is part of a Multi-Academy Trust committed to developing students skills. Following a NESTA report commissioned by COLAT it was identified that there was a genuine skills gap when it came to employer expectations.

“Our main focus for this academic year was to build awareness of the essential skills among our students, teachers and parents. To raise the profile of the essential skills we used a combination of teacher training, visual cues in classrooms, (including Skills Builder posters and adding the icons to lesson resources) and in lesson planning and communication with parents/students both through traditional means and through online platforms such as Google Classroom. We worked closely with a department to develop a case study that demonstrated outstanding practice and could be shared as an exemplar with the whole school.”

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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.