Skills Builder Global

This content was written by

DLF Public School

Context

DLF Public School, Ghaziabad is located in Delhi NCR. Our learners range from primary to grade 11. Apart from academics, DLF Public School is also building essential skills in the students which will enable them to succeed in life. In pursuance of this, the school has implemented the Skill Builder Framework, which works to equip the students with core skills that will help in all aspects of life.

Overall impact

The Global Accelerator Program has significantly reinforced the competencies the school aims to nurture and we have achieved remarkable milestones, of which I am immensely proud. As part of the Global Accelerator+ program, we can unlock premium resources and global opportunities for our students. This means we're not just talking about future skills—we're delivering them with cutting-edge tools and strategies. No longer are skills like Creativity, Teamwork, or Problem-Solving just abstract ideas—they're now measurable and integrated into the curriculum in a clear, structured way. With the support of Skills Builder we're taking our teaching game to the next level, preparing our students for whatever life throws at them, both in school and beyond. Parents totally love this! In our first year, we ran the Global Accelerator with 13 pilot classes across grades 6 to 12. Observing tangible benefits in concentration, active listening and enhanced interactive competencies, we expanded the program to include the entire junior, middle and senior wings and some primary learners in grades 1-3 from January 2024. This has now blossomed into a thriving community of almost 1229 students and 52 educators who have been exposed to the benefits of the Skill Builder Program.

Keep it simple

We have visual skill posters across the school premises including classrooms, corridors, staff rooms, and resource areas, to create a constant visual recall. This helped establish a shared vocabulary of skills and made it easier for teachers to integrate them naturally into lessons. We also strategically placed the 8 Core Skills logo at prominent school locations. We have a section in our student award list which focuses on essential skills and we share impact in our newsletter with key statistics. To further build clarity and confidence, in-school training sessions were conducted by the Principal and Skill Leaders. These sessions were designed with interactive activities for teachers, such as identifying strong evidence of skill use, engaging with non-negotiables (essential practices all teachers must implement), and working with mandatory activities linked to the skill framework. We shared example lessons and good practice in staff meetings. These presentations highlighted successful strategies, from differentiated planning to effective use of hub resources, reinforcing a culture of continuous improvement and focused implementation. Recognizing the need for extra hands-on training from Skills Builder, the team organized workshops for teachers eager to embrace the Skills Builder platform fully. These sessions equipped educators with the necessary tools and knowledge to effectively empower their students. Positive motivation was a key component during these huddles; Ms. Victoria Smith made sure of that. What is remarkable was that these sessions weren’t generic, they were custom made, personalised and tailored according to the needs and demands of DLF teachers. This really was ecstatic. Perhaps most significantly, we focused on "Teaching the Step"—teachers explicitly taught each skill step, embedded it into their lesson plans, and reinforced it regularly across all subjects and age groups (5 to 18). This repeated, consistent practice helped make skill language second nature for students. We have also created a set of Non-Negotiables, a comprehensive guide for teachers outlining essential skill-teaching strategies, assessment practices, and the use of tools like student passports and exit slips. We also launched a Reward Mechanism to acknowledge teachers who exemplified optimal skill implementation. Teachers were evaluated using specific parameters—Sharing Best Practices, Optimal Usage of the Hub, Strong Skill-Step and Academic Connect, and Active Participation in Extrapolatory Activities. We celebrated a range of teachers, giving gift vouchers to reward their commitment. Finally we updated written policies and to reinforce a shared commitment at home, we conducted targeted parent induction reaching over 950 parents. These included, a dedicated Skill Builder session with hands-on activities and the Kudos Annual Day that proudly shared our Skills Builder Silver Award with parents of the Primary and Pre-Primary wings, reinforcing our collective achievement. This helped families understand their role in reinforcing essential skills from an early stage.

Start early, keep going

This year the programme was implemented from Grade 1 to Grade 12, encompassing all age groups and school wings. This allowed for age-appropriate skill-building that progressed in complexity as students matured. Ms. Victoria provided differentiated teacher training, tailored to the developmental stage of students. Teachers received guidance and non-negotiables for embedding skills appropriately across age groups. By starting early and sustaining momentum, our approach ensured a steady, age-sensitive progression that made skill development a consistent and visible part of every learner’s journey.

Measure it

Our assessments are closely aligned with skill objectives, ensuring that students not only gain knowledge but also demonstrate skill proficiency. Teachers collect evidence through reflection journals, skill passports, listening tasks, and speaking rubrics. These assessments helped identify individual learning needs, allowing teachers to scaffold instruction accordingly. Learners across Grades 1 to 12 engaged in structured reflection through diverse tools and activities tailored to their developmental stage. Skill Passports and Reflection Sheets were used extensively across grade levels, encouraging students to self-assess and track their skill development. These documents included prompts like “How did I collaborate today?” or “When did I show creativity in solving a problem?” which helped make metacognition a daily habit. Reflection sheets were often completed after key projects, classroom activities, or during exit tasks, providing insight into both the student’s experience and their understanding of the skill step. In addition to written reflections, videos and images of student discussions or presentations were collected as evidence of skill application—particularly in areas such as communication, creativity, and leadership. This multimedia approach made reflection more accessible and authentic. To ensure skills were not just taught but assessed meaningfully, we embedded Listening and Speaking skills into our Periodic Assessments. Listening comprehension was measured through marked worksheets completed in notebooks, while Speaking skills were assessed using rubrics during presentations. These assessments were graded not only for content accuracy but also for the demonstration of essential skills like active listening, clarity, expression, and collaboration. Teachers provided feedback aligned with skill steps, enabling continuous growth. It also provides teachers with real-time, actionable insights to refine instruction and celebrate progress. We have used the Benchmarking tool with older grades, thereby empowering students to self-assess and address areas for improvement independently.

Focus tightly

We began by embedding the 8 core essential skills across all subjects and year groups, spreading them evenly over the academic session. Learning from the training, we integrated more challenge days into our programme, where students combined and apply the skills they've learned in innovative ways- e.g. Entrepreneurial challenge. We included printed group assessment sheets for the focus skills. This integration was documented in our comprehensive Program of Study (POS)—a whole-term planning document shared with teachers, students, management, and parents. The POS clearly outlines not just the academic topics to be covered, but also the specific skills to be developed in each unit, ensuring alignment and clarity of focus. Differentiation was central to our approach. For younger learners (Grades 1–5), skill integration was kept playful, visual, and experiential, with teachers modelling the skill steps and linking them to real-life classroom behaviour through collaborative games and storytelling. By senior school (Grades 9–12), skill use became more independent and self-directed, closely linked to subject-specific tasks, career readiness, complex projects, debates, real-world applications and leadership opportunities. were taught. Teachers used short lessons available on the Skills Builder Hub to target specific skill steps at the right level of challenge, allowing for flexibility and personalization. We also empowered the wider school community. A student-led orientation for parents was organized, where learners explained the purpose of skill-building and demonstrated how skills are used in class. This event reinforced the language of skills and showcased differentiated learning in action.

Keep practising

Essential skills were explicitly embedded in subject lesson plans. Teachers referenced specific skill steps while designing learning objectives and activities, making skill development a natural and recurring part of classroom instruction across subjects. For example, Problem-Solving was integrated into Math investigations, Speaking and Listening into English debates, Teamwork in Science experiments, and Creativity in Art and Social Science projects. We reinforced this through subject-specific activities and assessments that encouraged skill application. In every subject, students were given opportunities to use and reflect on essential skills—whether through group tasks, peer feedback, or project-based learning. This ensured that practice was not isolated, but consistent and relevant to each discipline. To deepen understanding, we also conducted bespoke workshops tailored to key skills. These were run by subject teachers and Skill Leaders and focused on applying skills in real-world contexts—These sessions were instrumental in helping students see how skills transfer beyond academics and into everyday life. By weaving essential skills throughout subjects, offering repeated opportunities to apply them, and supporting practice through targeted subject specific sessions.

Bring it to life

One of the most impactful events was the Global Skill Exchange with Healing Primary Academy, England, where students from Grades 4 to 11 engaged in a powerful cultural and skill-sharing session via Zoom. During this exchange, students shared reflections on skill-building and cultural insights. A highlight was when one of our students offered a vivid depiction of Kashmiri culture, which sparked admiration and thoughtful questions from their English peers. In turn, a student from Healing Primary shared quirky insights about Grimsby’s fish market. This session was a live demonstration of real-world communication, navigating cultural, linguistic, and geographical differences while practicing empathy, curiosity, teamwork and adaptability. Our educators also brought skills to life through action research. For example, Ms. Gargi conducted research on how group work impacts student engagement and attainment of learning outcomes, as part of a Zamit Capacity Building Programme. Her findings not only shaped her classroom practice but were shared with colleagues to foster skill-focused pedagogy across departments. Additionally, professional interaction played a key role. During the Kudos function, students interacted with leading thinkers like Mr. Rajendra Pal (media and education) and Mr. Premchand Palety (research and surveys). Their guidance on ethical communication, informed decision-making, and intellectual rigor deeply resonated with students and highlighted the real-world value of essential skills. To connect learning with entrepreneurial mindsets, we organized a Social Media Campaign and Entrepreneurial Challenge for Classes XI–XII. Students created, marketed, and sold products—managing customer queues, pricing, billing, and negotiations. These activities taught them real-time problem-solving, financial literacy, persuasive communication, and resilience—skills critical for future readiness.

What's next

We are working on a dynamic visual display strategy to ensure that essential skills remain a part of daily student life. This includes launching a dedicated Wall Magazine, where students will post real-life applications of skills, reflections, and artwork that connects to the eight core skills. We are also planning a moving display board to showcase ongoing skill-based projects, best practices, and milestones achieved by students and staff. To strengthen home-school connections, we will release a special E-letter in August, featuring student voices, parent feedback, and highlights from our skill-building journey. This newsletter will also serve as a platform to celebrate classroom innovations and skill-aligned achievements. Furthermore, we are introducing a Skills Builder component in the student Almanac. This will allow students to track their skill development during Science, English and Hindi Skill Months and beyond, aligning personal growth with subject-based learning. It also offers teachers and parents a year-long window into the child’s evolving skillset. Looking ahead, we are committed to expanding our networking efforts, sharing success stories, challenges, and innovative practices with other schools and educators. Through collaborative platforms, webinars, and global partnerships, we aim to continue refining our approach and stay at the forefront of skills-based education. Our focus remains clear: to empower every student not just with knowledge, but with the confidence and capability to apply essential skills in real-world contexts—today, and in the future.

India