The ongoing curriculum and assessment review provides a fantastic opportunity for the government to transform outcomes for disadvantaged students.
By integrating essential skills – such as speaking, teamwork, and problem-solving – into curriculum, assessment and qualification reform, the government can ensure all students reap the personal and economic benefits of higher levels of essential skills.
Essential skills are those highly transferable skills that predict higher earnings, job satisfaction, and wellbeing. They drive social mobility and enable acquisition and application of other skills. Despite this, individuals from less advantaged backgrounds often have fewer opportunities to develop these skills in education.
But how can schools and colleges deliver these outcomes for learners by building essential skills effectively? Skills Builder’s analysis of 15 years of insights and data from thousands of education institutions reveal three curriculum features that educators say every school and college would benefit from. The review of the national curriculum is a brilliant opportunity to support schools and colleges to deliver this widely used approach to building essential skills.
- Set clear milestones for essential skills development
To ensure that all learners leave education with the skill levels they need, the national curriculum should set clear, age-related expectations for essential skills. These should refer to progressive skill steps, rather than vague and unreliable descriptors like ‘good communication’. Our Universal Framework for essential skills is the leading way to do this, breaking each of the eight skills into 16 teachable, measurable steps.
To teach these skills effectively, it is important to develop them over the course of every learner’s education, rather than only towards the end when careers become a bigger focus. As with other skills, disparities in essential skills emerge early in life, setting a trajectory of widening inequality. To eliminate the gap, we need to set high standards for all learners from early years upwards.
Age-related expectations also allow teachers to focus tightly on the specific steps that will boost learners at every point throughout their education. Ultimately, this ensures that they leave school equipped with a complete education that prepares them for work and life.
- Maximise opportunities for learners to practise those essential skills through the curriculum
Dedicated time for lessons on essential skills is important but must be supported by teaching essential skills through the wider curriculum. Schools and colleges that have achieved Skills Builder’s excellence standards identify opportunities across subjects to teach, practice, and reinforce essential skills.
For example, a history lesson can focus on developing speaking skills by teaching learners to consider tone when delivering a presentation. A science project can support learners to explore complex problems in a structured way. So much of this is happening implicitly in classrooms already, the opportunity we have is to leverage and augment it with rigour.
Flexibility is key. This approach enables schools and colleges to identify which essential skills to focus on for a particular year group and consider where there are opportunities to teach those skill steps across the curriculum. This connected, cumulative approach reinforces learners’ experience of education and development.
- Encourage regular assessment of essential skills
Consistent formative and summative assessment are critical to tracking learners’ progress. Both teacher-led and student-led assessment can foster reflection and encourage learners to build on their abilities.
Proven methods for assessing essential skills include classroom observations, scenario-based tasks, and digital learner profiles. Digital profiles allow students to record and showcase examples of essential skills development, providing a comprehensive record over their time in education.
Regular assessments highlight areas for improvement and also celebrate achievements, reinforcing students’ confidence and motivation. We can thereby ensure that essential skills are treated as a core component of education, not as an afterthought.
Delivering a complete education
The evidence shows that a quality education – one that drives life outcomes – consists of building a strong portfolio of both basic and essential skills. Without a gear-shift to ensure every child develops essential skills, barriers to social mobility will persist. By driving up standards in how essential skills are taught and assessed, government can empower the next generation to thrive.
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