We are using Skills Builder across the school with the aim of embedding essential skills across the curriculum. We are proud to announce we have now been awarded the Bronze and the Silver Award, showing we are committed to embedding the essential skills across the curriculum at Milton Hall Primary School. We are working towards the Gold Award this academic year.

The Skills Builder Partnership believe that all children should thrive both in the classroom and beyond it. 

Children need to be skilled in communication, creative problem solving, self-management and collaboration. These skills are essential for success; and to truly equip children for the future, we must start building these skills from Primary age. The eight essential skills listed by Skills Builder are:

Our goal for Skills Builder is that children develop, apply and transfer the essential skills, in any given context, by:

- practising and building the skills so that they have a high level of competency;

- having opportunities to make links with further education and the world of work; and

- valuing the essential skills across the school's curriculum.

 “We focus on building essential skills to enable lifelong success so that one day, all students are equipped with the skills, experiences and aspirations to succeed.” Skills Builder

Pupils had great fun during our Operation Moonbase Challenge Day as part of our whole school Skills Builder Programme. Pupils used the 8 essential skills throughout the day.

Over the course of the challenge, our pupils applied their knowledge linked to all eight essential skills as they considered: What makes a successful society? They planned how they would build a new society on a distant moon called Utopia, including selecting who will be the first citizens and why, creating an animal that would help people and building a 3D model of the new city.

The day was a huge success.
Pupils presented their ideas, models and gave reasons as to why their team should become the new ambassadors for the new planet, Utopia. 
 

Pupils took part in a Crime Scene Challenge Day as part of our whole school Skills Builder Programme. Pupils used the 8 essential skills to find out who stole Miss Riley’s chocolate.
The children were able to visit the crime scene and gather and analyse clues to decide which of the Fairy tale character suspects committed the fictional crime.
PC Spiers, from Donaldson class, supervised the crime scene until his Police Officer colleagues arrived at the school. The day was a huge success and Little Red Riding Hood has apologised to Miss Riley and reimbursed her for the stolen chocolate.
Here is what some of the children had to say about it:
“It was fun for the children to experience what it is like to be a Police Officer”- Zara – Year 3
“It was fun to explore the crime scene and investigate who stole the chocolate. Red Riding Hood was the culprit”- Alex- Year 3
“We liked watching the videos of the Police cameras to see if Jack, Hansel, Little Red Riding Hood or Goldilocks took Miss Riley’s chocolate”- Ethan and Frankie- Year 1
“I liked that we had to investigate to find out who the criminal was. It was like a scavenger hunt”- Sophie-Year 5
“We liked working as a team to look at the evidence, we looked at fingerprints and also met some Police Officers”- Paula, Arbi and James- Year 5