Explore core transferable skills for primary school pupils
Our collection of core transferable skills resources for children aged 7-11 are designed to support your teaching, helping you integrate these essential skills through flexible lessons and activities. These lessons encourage pupils to engage thoughtfully with challenges, build social and emotional skills, and develop habits that will benefit them throughout their education and beyond.
Teaching these skills from an early age is key in helping pupils develop the practical abilities and mindset needed to navigate new challenges, learning environments and the workplace when they eventually reach it – empowering them to thrive in an ever-evolving job market which continues to be reshaped due to societal, economic, and technological transformation.
What’s more, these skills play an increasingly critical role in contributing to overall economic growth for the UK. Find out how in our 2025 Workforce Ready report.
Understanding the core transferable skills
Show your students our short animation to help bring to life what the core transferable skills are, why they matter and how they’re fundamental to their development, in education and beyond.
Go to filmExplore the lessons
Each of our core transferable skills lessons has supporting presentation slides, an engaging practical activity, a written and BBC Bitesize film case study which showcase the skill in action. These lessons can be delivered flexibly as a standalone session to focus on one skill, or as part of a series in any order.
Adaptability
Show pupils the benefits of responding positively to change and unexpected circumstances.
Go to lessonAiming high (proactivity)
Empower pupils to be ambitious and develop proactivity. Through examples, teach them how to think about their goals and how they can put in their best effort to reach them.
Go to lessonCreativity
Creativity is more than being ‘artistic’, it is also around inventing new ideas. Help pupils to see how they’re already using it and how to develop it further.
Go to lessonLeadership
Via a group activity help pupils learn that a good leader is more than just telling others what to do – it’s also about encouraging others towards a shared goal.
Go to lessonListening and speaking (communication)
Teach pupils to communicate clearly using descriptions, body language, and eye contact.
Go to lessonProblem solving
Through a practical activity and case studies – teach pupils that problem solving is about breaking down a problem into parts and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Go to lessonStaying positive (resilience)
Using a fun role-play activity show pupils the value of not giving up when faced with a challenge and doing their best when things go wrong.
Go to lessonTeamwork
This important skill is critical at any stage of life, from education to work. That’s why each of our core transferable skills lessons include it in their activities.
Adaptability
Show pupils the benefits of responding positively to change and unexpected circumstances.
Go to lessonAiming high (proactivity)
Empower pupils to be ambitious and develop proactivity. Through examples, teach them how to think about their goals and how they can put in their best effort to reach them.
Go to lessonCreativity
Creativity is more than being ‘artistic’, it is also around inventing new ideas. Help pupils to see how they’re already using it and how to develop it further.
Go to lessonLeadership
Via a group activity help pupils learn that a good leader is more than just telling others what to do – it’s also about encouraging others towards a shared goal.
Go to lessonListening and speaking (communication)
Teach pupils to communicate clearly using descriptions, body language, and eye contact.
Go to lessonProblem solving
Through a practical activity and case studies – teach pupils that problem solving is about breaking down a problem into parts and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Go to lessonStaying positive (resilience)
Using a fun role-play activity show pupils the value of not giving up when faced with a challenge and doing their best when things go wrong.
Go to lessonTeamwork
This important skill is critical at any stage of life, from education to work. That’s why each of our core transferable skills lessons include it in their activities.
Why not celebrate those who have put extra effort into developing their core transferable skills in school? You can download our editable certificate from this page to recognise star pupils of the month. Add pupils names and retitle the certificate to align with class themes and topics.
While our skills tracker provides pupils with a place to keep track of the skills they have developed in these sessions and put a plan in place for how they can practise them further.
Skills Builder Universal Framework
Our resources can support the Skills Builder Universal Framework, a leading tool for measuring and building essential skills.
Go to Skills BuilderWhy are core transferable skills so important?
Thank you for liking
Help us to continue creating relevant content for you by leaving some additional feedback.