The main thrust around helping students develop work and life skills is at secondary school level, but primary schools are also becoming interested in skills-based approaches.
Schools exploring creative curriculum approaches often focus on skills. Many new GCSEs include functional skills. Functional skills are set to replace key skills in vocational qualifications by the end of September 2012 .
The move towards skills was a policy direction of the previous government however and may change as the Coalition Government form their policy.
The current skills agenda in schools includes:
- Early Years Foundation Stage: creativity and critical thinking, plus language for thinking
- Primary: Thinking Skills, SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning), Learning to learn
- Secondary: Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) framework, Functional skills, vocational GCSEs
- Diplomas: PLTS, functional skills and work-related learning
Websites:
- From Thinking Skills To Thinking Classrooms download.
- SEAL from Teachfind.
- Creativity from Creativity Portal.
- Teachers TV have interesting videos on creativity in primary schools and in secondary schools.
- RSA’s Opening Minds is a skills or competence based framework that enables teachers to design a curriculum for their own school.
- KS3 and 4 Personal Learning and Thinking Skills framework.
- Edexcel give details on functional skills.
- The Functional Skills Support Programme (FSSP) is designed to prepare practitioners, leaders and managers to deliver functional skills, mainly through Continuing Professional Development.
