Located in Solihull, Windy Arbor Primary School have been working with Skills Builder since 2017 to ensure the development of essential skills is central to their curriculum offer. Focused on ensuring children from the early years to year 6 have multiple opportunities to work creatively and collaboratively as they learn and develop transferable essential skills. This year, children will take part in lesson time projects and a whole school challenge day. There will also be opportunities to visit local workplaces to bring their learning to life.

Mercia Asset Management is one of the leading investment businesses in UK technology, specialising in the commercialisation of pioneering businesses across exciting growth sectors in which deep expertise is held.

From the moment they arrived, students were putting their essential skills into action. First of all by gathering as much information as they could about their hosts and the volunteers who were joining them for the day, and then further as they explored the workplace through a tour. Then, in teams, the students were set their Staying Positive challenge: to take on the role of Investment Bankers and help their clients make the most of their money. They began by researching their clients and the three companies they could invest in. Then, they made investment decisions and showed great resilience as they found out how their portfolio had done over time. They reflected on the decisions they had made and how they could keep going to try to make the biggest return for their clients. The day ended with a chance to share their achievements with a panel of volunteers. They reflected on how they had applied Staying Positive throughout the challenge and looked ahead to how they could apply this skill again in the future.