Owston Park Primary AcademyLife Skills Builder
Skills that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.
Our Life Skills Builder leader is Miss Turker.
Miss Turker says:
"I am very excited to be the leader of Life Skills Builder! I am passionate about helping children grow into happy, confident and kind individuals. Through Life Skills Builder, we focus on the eight essential skills – listening, speaking, problem solving, creativity, staying positive, aiming high, leadership and teamwork, to prepare every child for life beyond the classroom, with kindness at the heart of all we do."
Our Children say:
Life Skills Builder at Owston Park
At Owston Park, we believe education is about developing well-rounded children who are equipped for life, not just for the classroom. Life Skills Builder is at the heart of this vision. Guided by our values of Kindness, Curiosity, Aspiration, Integrity and Community, we help children grow into confident individuals who are ready to take on life’s opportunities and challenges.
Through the Skills Builder Partnership, we provide a clear and progressive framework for developing the eight essential skills: listening, speaking, problem solving, creativity, staying positive, aiming high, leadership and teamwork. These skills are built upon year after year, ensuring that every child is supported to reach their full potential.
Life Skills Builder ensures children develop the confidence, resilience and ambition they need to thrive both academically and personally. At Owston Park, we are proud to place kindness and aspiration at the heart of this journey, ensuring no child is left behind.
What does this look like?
Life Skills Builder is woven into our curriculum from Year 1 to Year 6. Each half-term, children focus on one of the eight essential skills:
- Autumn 1: Listening & Speaking
- Autumn 2: Creativity
- Spring 1: Staying Positive & Aiming High
- Spring 2: Leadership
- Summer 1: Problem Solving
- Summer 2: Teamwork
Children revisit each skill every year, with activities that grow in challenge and depth as they move through school. For example, in younger year groups, pupils may practise road safety, teamwork games or simple cooking, while in older years they take on bigger projects such as fundraising, public speaking, community projects or preparing more complex meals.
We also link Life Skills Builder to wider school events such as Careers Week, Safer Internet Day, Comic Relief, Aspirations Week and Children’s Mental Health Week, giving children real-life opportunities to apply their skills in meaningful ways.
By the time children leave Owston Park, they will have built a strong foundation in these eight skills, preparing them to succeed academically, personally and socially.
Click here to download our Life Skills Builder Long-Term Plan
Parent Information
What is Skills Builder Partnership?
Skills Builder Partnership is a global movement of educators working together to ensure that every child develops the essential skills they need to succeed in life. The programme is built around the Skills Builder Universal Framework, which breaks down each skill into clear, teachable steps that children can build on year after year.
The framework identifies eight essential skills: listening, speaking, problem solving, creativity, staying positive, aiming high, leadership and teamwork.
In today’s world, these skills have never been more important. They help children to communicate effectively, manage themselves, think creatively, solve problems and work well with others – preparing them not just for school, but for life beyond the classroom.
Life Skills Builder in Action
Our Life Skills Builder lessons give children practical opportunities to develop the eight essential skills. Here are some snapshots of our pupils putting these skills into practice, both in lessons and through wider school events.
Whole school events:
For Careers Week, our children explored exciting jobs such as farmer, geologist and marine biologist. They discovered how the eight essential skills, from teamwork and problem solving to creativity and aiming high, are used every day in the world of work.
For Aspirations Week, we had a ‘Dress as Your Future Self Day’ – our children loved imagining their future careers and showing how big their aspirations can be! Even the staff joined in showing that aiming high is for everyone at Owston Park!
During Aspirations Week, we met over 17 inspiring visitors at our annual Careers Fair – from doctors and artists to the fire, police and air ambulance – and learned how the essential skills are used in every career.
As part of Aspirations Week, we also welcomed the Mayor of Doncaster, who delivered an inspiring assembly on local leadership and even brought along the ceremonial mace.
Listening and Speaking:
Creativity:
Staying Positive and Aiming High:
Leadership:
Problem Solving:
Teamwork: