At Burlington House, Skills for Learning (SFL) is an integral strand of our specialist curriculum, delivered in small groups and tailored to pupils’ needs. SFL is designed not only to support academic progress, but also to build the lifelong skills and metacognitive habits that underpin confident, independent learning.
In SFL sessions, pupils develop tools for organising their work, managing time, planning revision, and monitoring their own understanding. These skills are embedded across the curriculum, helping students transfer effective strategies into subject lessons. At KS3 (learning skills), it is complemented through units on financial literacy, travel training, therapeutic integration and practical skills such as cycle awareness. At Key Stage 4, SFL (study skills) places particular emphasis on study skills, career planning, and preparation for examinations.
Crucially, SFL also links with our therapeutic provision: specialist staff contribute to sessions through social-communication coaching, small-group therapy and mentor-led reflection. In doing so, SFL becomes a bridge between academic support and pastoral care, helping pupils to strengthen resilience, self-awareness, and capacity for self-regulation.
Through SFL, our aim is that each student becomes more intentional about their learning, better able to ‘learn how to learn,’ and more confident in applying these skills across their studies and beyond.
