At the very foundation of the CHI programme is a unique progress monitoring system that has been called the Employability Skills Framework (ESF). It was recognised that for meaningful progression to be made there needed to be a protocol available that made it possible to recognise, record, share and measure the development of each individual students. The ESF was created with this in mind.
In the ESF, some of the fundamental skills required for developing work applicable skills are identified and broken down into micro steps which allow them to be measured incrementally. This makes it possible for staff to acknowledge, record and make notes on a series of micro progressions within identified categories. By having a shared monitoring system staff are able to see where each student is at within each subsection and to then know which areas show strength and which need to be targeted for further support.
Both students and staff carry out daily evaluations of their progress so by having the ESF at the very heart of everything we do it allows for students to see their own development in a visual format. By making it very relatable and easy to understand it offers them the opportunity for daily discussion on what went well and perhaps what didn’t go so well, this helps staff and student alike to agree on targets and for them to see areas for further development.
In February 2020, we were shortlisted for the National Careers Development Institute CDI Awards, and were really pleased to win the best practice in a special school award for the development of the ESF.
If you would like further information on this assessment tool please contact: esf@linwood.bournemouth.sch.uk
