At St. John's C. of E. Primary School, Abram, we want every child to develop the skills, confidence and resilience they need to thrive, belong and succeed.

As part of our QUEST Personal Development offer, we use the Skills Builder framework to explicitly develop eight essential skills that support children both in their learning and in life beyond school.

Our Eight Essential Skills

Through our curriculum and wider school experiences, children develop:

• Listening – understanding and responding to others.
• Speaking – communicating ideas clearly and confidently.
• Problem Solving – finding solutions and overcoming challenges.
• Creativity – developing ideas and thinking in new ways.
• Adapting – responding positively to change and learning from experiences.
• Planning – organising ourselves and working towards goals.
• Leadership – taking responsibility and helping others to succeed.
• Teamwork – working collaboratively and valuing the contributions of others.

Skills Builder Across School Life

Skills Builder is embedded across our curriculum rather than taught as a standalone subject. Teachers explicitly identify and develop the skills children need within their learning, helping pupils understand what each skill looks like, why it matters and how they can apply it in different situations.

Children also have opportunities to practise these skills through:

• curriculum learning and classroom activities;
• enrichment and extra-curricular clubs;

• pupil leadership opportunities;

• educational visits and wider experiences;

• community projects;

• employer and career encounters.

We use a progressive approach so that children revisit, practise and build their skills as they move through school.

Skills for Life Beyond School

Developing essential skills is a key part of our QUEST Early Years to Employment vision. We want children to understand that these skills are valuable not only in school, but also in their future education, employment and everyday lives.

Through our careers and employer engagement programme, children are given opportunities to see these skills in action and understand how they are used in different jobs and industries.

Our Skill of the Week approach provides a regular opportunity for children to focus on an essential skill, explore what it means and consider how they can demonstrate it in their own lives. Career spotlights and challenges help children make meaningful connections between the skills they are developing now and their future pathways.

Building Confident, Resilient Individuals

Skills Builder supports our wider commitment to developing confident, resilient and responsible individuals.

We want our children to leave St. John's C. of E. Primary School, Abram able to communicate effectively, work with others, solve problems, respond positively to challenges and take responsibility for their learning and actions.

These are skills for school, life and the world of work — helping every child to take their next steps with confidence.