8
Essential skills
16
Steps in every skill
3
Focus skill steps in each activity
4
Extra skill steps practised all week
A Level 3 Skills Builder partner
JCA is a Level 3 Skills Builder partner – a place for your young people to practise their essential skills in real situations, away from the classroom.
Our secondary school residentials use the Skills Builder Universal Framework: the same shared language for essential skills that students use in the classroom and will use in the workplace.
What that means for your group:
- Consistent Skills Builder language from every instructor
- Activities mapped to specific Universal Framework skill steps
- Skills developed and evidenced across the whole residential, not just in activities
- Structured reflection, with every student recording their own evidence
The eight essential skills
The Skills Builder Universal Framework groups eight essential skills into four areas. Every skill is broken down into 16 progressive steps, from the basics through to the most advanced.
Communication
Listening
Receiving, retaining and processing information or ideas.
Speaking
Sharing information and ideas clearly with others.
Creative problem solving
Problem Solving
Finding a solution to a complex situation or challenge.
Creativity
Using imagination to generate new ideas.
Self management
Adapting
Keeping going and adjusting when things change or go wrong.
Planning
Setting clear goals and working out how to reach them.
Collaboration
Leadership
Supporting, encouraging and developing others.
Teamwork
Working well with others towards a shared goal.
How skills are built into every activity
A simple structure that keeps the learning focused and easy to evidence.
1
Every activity is mapped
Each JCA activity is mapped to specific steps in the Skills Builder Universal Framework.
2
Three focus steps
The three most relevant skill steps in each activity become the focus for instructor feedback and student evidence.
3
More skills along the way
Students naturally show other skills in every session too – they just aren’t formally recorded.
How the programme works
Four simple steps, from arrival to back at school.
1
Set a baseline
Students receive their Essential Skills Passport and complete their Individual Student Essential Skills Checker before activities begin.
2
Recognise the skills
Instructors use Skills Builder language throughout, helping students spot and record examples of the skills they are using.
3
Reflect and record
Planned reflection sessions where instructors give feedback and students record their evidence in their passport.
4
Take it back to school
The passport returns to school as each student’s individual record, ready for follow-up reflection and tutor discussions.
Learning across the whole residential
Some of the most valuable learning happens outside the activity sessions. Essential skills are developed and evidenced across the whole stay, including:
- Shared living and daily routines
- Mealtimes and downtime
- Moving between activities
- Reflection sessions
- The Group Charter students agree on day one
This whole-residential approach is a key difference between JCA and other residential providers.
Four skill steps that run all week
Alongside the three focus steps in each activity, these four skill steps are embedded across the whole residential, with instructors checking in on them throughout the stay.
Listening, Step 7
Active listening
Safety briefings, group discussions, reviews and mealtimes.
“What did you hear from someone else that changed your decision?”
Adapting, Step 11
Practising resilience
New environments, setbacks, tiredness and challenge-by-choice activities.
“What helped you keep going when something didn’t go to plan?”
Planning, Step 10
Involving others
Group decisions, room routines and shared responsibilities.
“Who did you involve before deciding, and how did it help?”
Teamwork, Step 10
Being diplomatic
Negotiating roles, resolving disagreements and supporting quieter peers.
“How did you solve a disagreement without damaging the team?”
Evidencing Enrichment Benchmarks
The programme helps schools evidence their work towards the DfE Enrichment Framework benchmarks – not just record that students took part.
Evidence comes from:
- Structured reflection sessions throughout the stay
- Instructor feedback using Skills Builder language
- Each student’s completed Essential Skills Passport
The passport is student-owned evidence your school can use in enrichment, personal development and character education discussions. Every student’s evidence is individual to them.
Essential Skills PassportEvery student has their own
The Essential Skills Passport
Every student uses their own passport throughout the residential to reflect and record personal examples. It’s student-owned evidence your school can use in enrichment, personal development and character education discussions.
- 1
Essential Skills Checker
Each student’s baseline, completed before activities begin.
- 2
Personal skill examples
Moments students record themselves, in Skills Builder language.
- 3
Instructor feedback
Captured during planned reflection sessions.
- 4
Ready for school
Used for follow-up reflection and tutor discussions back at school.
For senior leaders
From participation to impact
The Skills Builder programme helps your school move beyond recording who took part, to demonstrating the impact of enrichment through structured reflection and individual pupil evidence.
Talk to our teamWith Skills Builder
- Individual evidence for every student
- A recognised, shared skills framework
- Skills evidenced across the whole stay
Frequently asked questions
Can we link this to our own curriculum or enrichment framework?
Yes. Tell us your learning aims when you enquire and we will shape the programme around them.
Do students get evidence of their progress?
They complete a baseline and end self assessment, record reflection points in a Skills Builder Passport and take part in a celebration before departure.
How is this different from a normal JCA residential?
It makes the skills explicit. Activities are mapped to specific steps, instructors use observation cues and assessment questions as they go, and students self assess at both ends of the week.
Is it suitable for all secondary pupils?
It is designed to be inclusive and adaptable, subject to group needs, activity suitability, site facilities and our standard pre visit process.
What is Skills Builder?
A framework and partnership supporting the teaching, learning and measurement of eight essential skills: Listening, Speaking, Problem Solving, Creativity, Adapting, Planning, Leadership and Teamwork.
Will every activity cover all eight skills?
No, and that is deliberate. Each activity focuses on three steps so the learning can be observed, discussed and evidenced rather than gestured at.
Our team is here to help
Ready to talk it through?
Tell us your year group, your dates and your learning aims, and we will build a quote around them.
Call 01273 647 200 or use the link below.
