As a school we are still proud that all year groups from EYFS up to year six practice all the eight essential skills. Each new focus skill is introduced fortnightly by the class teacher. During the bi-weekly skills builder sessions, children are introduced to the skill and time is spent discussing and understanding the skill. The children then explore the skill further by linking it to real life contexts. Many opportunities are provided for the children to implement the essential skill. The school's emphasis on oracy proficiency has also raised the children's ability to articulate their understanding of the skills. Parents were introduced to the skills builder challenges this year and use it to reinforce pupil's learning of the essential Skills. Each week, a skills builder challenge is sent home as part of homework along with reflective questions supporting the parents/carers in taking part in the essential skill activities with their children.

The Skills Builder Hub has been used by all the teachers to assess the children against the framework. Teachers are asked to update their progress every term which coincides with the schools assessment week. The hub tool has been useful as it has allowed the staff to assess, plan and tailor sessions to meet the class needs. This has ensured that children make the maximum progress. As a school, we have a timetable to ensure that we have a consistent approach when focusing on the skills. We started the year with 2 sessions per week however in Spring, we went back to 1 session weekly. The two week focus on the skills allows the staff time to assess the progress the children are making with the skill and provides children with the opportunity to apply their knowledge. Revisiting key knowledge is a vital way for children to learn. The time table ensures that children are revisiting the skills throughout the year therefore as a result of this children deepen their understanding and master the skill.

Each class across the school has bi-weekly skills builder focused lessons in which children are taught using the planned hub resources. Children lower down school make use of the skills builder stories as they are appropriate for their age. Children complete a range of activities that develop their knowledge of each skill. During this time, they have time to reflect on this skill and celebrate their peers for using the skill. Providing children with a range of opportunities has allowed them to become inquisitive when linking skills to the real world. When employees have attended our school, children have independently created questions that link to the essential skills.

For all the children, Skills Builder skills are explicitly taught during skills builder time. It is also linked during assemblies and sent home as challenges. In addition to this time, all the children in KS1 and KS2 are exposed to skills builder in the following subjects; Personal social Health Education (PSHE), Design Technology and Geography. For children in EYFS, skills builders essential skills are weaved into the provision and focus areas. Children that have attended writing therapy, music sessions with Rock Steady, In the autumn term, P.E with Aces linked their sessions to the essential skills however due to staff turbulence, this did not remain as consistent as we'd hoped through to the summer term. Lately, teachers have started also linking the essential skills to our school trips, providing children with another opportunity to understand how the essential skills are used in everyday life.

Our project based learning alongside the employee sessions have provided the experiences for our children to apply the essential skills and make links to the world outside the classroom. The Skills Builder projects were selected so the children build relationships with the local community. One of the aims was to enable children to understand their locality as well as broaden their horizons. New experiences such as school trips and visitors provide the opportunity for children to reflect on their use of essential skills throughout the day.