Shape Your Skills is a whole-class personal development award that gives Year 6 pupils the independence, organisation, resilience and social confidence they need before that first day at secondary school ever arrives.
WHY THIS, WHY NOW
Every Year 6 teacher knows the ones you worry about. Not because they’re behind academically, but because you’re not sure they’re ready.
The child who still needs prompting to pack their bag.
The one who freezes when asked to work with someone new.
The pupil who’s clever, capable, and completely floored by the idea of navigating a corridor timetable on their own.
The quiet one who gets carried along by their friends and hasn’t yet found their own voice.
Transition days are brilliant for showing them the building. They can’t build the skills that make secondary school feel manageable.
Independence. Organisation. Resilience. Knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do. Speaking up in a room full of strangers. These are the things that decide how the first term feels, and they take longer than a July afternoon to develop.
Imagine your next Year 6 cohort spending their final year of primary weaving these skills into everyday learning, not in a bolt-on programme, but in the moments you already have.
Shape Your Skills is a pick-up-and-go resource. Structured, hands-on activities you dip into when it suits you – a starter, a Friday afternoon, an enrichment slot, a filler between topics. No sequence to follow. No lesson plans to write. No prep beyond opening the pack.
Over the year, those small moments add up to real capability in the skills Year 6 pupils need most:
Zero preparation. Zero extra planning. Zero new curriculum. Just ready-to-run activities that fit around the teaching you’re already doing and build the skills transition day can’t.
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Something shifts when children get proper time and space to practise these skills. Quieter voices become louder. Louder voices become quieter. Children who never volunteer start putting themselves forward. Children who take over start noticing who else has something to say. That confidence doesn’t stay in one activity. It carries into other lessons, into teamwork, and eventually into the move to secondary school. By the time your Year 6 pupils arrive at their transition day next summer, they won’t be relying on it to build their readiness. They’ll be walking in with it.
In practice, it looks like this:
1. Pupils take on practical challenges
Children work together on structured activities that develop skills like communication, teamwork and responsibility.
2. They reflect on what they’ve learned
Pupils think about what went well, what they contributed and how they are developing.
3. Their progress is recognised
Pupils build evidence of their development and achieve a recognised award.
An accredited, whole-class award designed specifically for primary schools — and especially powerful in Year 6.
Eight structured learning blocks introduce and develop important skills such as communication, teamwork, organisation, problem solving, confidence and leadership.
Each block builds pupils’ understanding through practical challenges and reflection
Clear, engaging presentations guide each learning block and activity, making sessions easy to run with minimal preparation.
The programme concludes with a final challenge where pupils bring together the skills they’ve developed and reflect on their journey.
A wide range of engaging, hands-on activities that allow pupils to practise and apply their skills in different ways.
These activities are flexible, so teachers can select the ones that best suit their class.
Six dedicated leadership challenges give pupils opportunities to take responsibility, work collaboratively and apply what they’ve learned in real situations.
Schools can run Shape Your Skills as a full programme, or weave individual activities into existing lessons, enrichment sessions or afternoon learning.
Layla, age 9, Woodmancote Primary
“At the start of the award my confidence wasn’t that good. Over time, my confidence grew and grew.”
Paul Adkin, Year 6 Teacher, Woodmancote Primary
“It’s very, very easy to deliver. The resources are very high quality. It’s easy to fit the award into the curriculum areas we teach.”
Gary Tucker, Head Teacher, Woodmancote Primary
“The Shape Your Skills Award enabled children to develop a set of skills that the normal taught curriculum doesn’t really cover.”
Complete the form below, and we’ll send you a sample lesson along with information about the Shape Your Skills Award.
Shape Your Skills is designed to fit flexibly into the rhythm of your school day.
Some schools run it as a regular weekly session, while others use activities during enrichment time, afternoon learning or as part of wider personal development opportunities.
The activities are practical, structured and easy to deliver, so teachers can choose what works best for their timetable and pupils.
No. Shape Your Skills is designed to **sit alongside programmes like Jigsaw**, not replace them.
While PSHE programmes focus on knowledge, discussion and understanding, Shape Your Skills focuses on **practical experiences** where pupils actively practise skills such as teamwork, communication, responsibility and organisation.
Many schools find the two complement each other very well.
Not at all.
Shape Your Skills is designed for **every pupil in the class**, not just the confident few.
The activities allow children to explore different strengths – whether that’s organising, communicating, supporting others, problem solving or creative thinking.
Every pupil develops something different.
Yes. Shape Your Skills is designed so that every pupil can take part and contribute in their own way.
The activities focus on practical experiences like teamwork, communication and problem solving, which means pupils can participate using different strengths and approaches.
Teachers also have flexibility to adapt activities to suit the needs of their class, whether that means adjusting the pace, choosing particular activities or supporting pupils in different ways.
Many schools find that the programme creates opportunities for pupils who don’t always shine in traditional classroom tasks to discover new strengths.
No training is required.
The programme includes clear guidance, structured activities and simple reflection tools that make it easy for teachers or teaching assistants to deliver.
Many schools find it quick to pick up and run.
Shape Your Skills is designed for **primary-aged pupils**, with activities that can be adapted depending on the age and needs of the class.
Schools often run the programme with upper Key Stage 2 pupils, but many also introduce elements earlier to begin developing these skills from a younger age.
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Includes year-long licence for your school, plus printed resources for 30 learners.
Additional printed resources available from £30.
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