5Bs – Building strategies for independence

At Caterham Prep, we want children to become confident, reflective and increasingly independent learners. One of the key ways we support this is through our 5Bs approach to help-seeking and problem-solving. 
Rather than immediately relying on an adult whenever they become stuck, pupils are encouraged to pause, think carefully about their learning and consider which strategy might help them move forward independently. 
The 5Bs encourage children to consider a selection of support strategies and think about which might be the most effective in the situation: 

• Brain – Can I work this out myself by thinking carefully or trying another approach?
• Book – Is there something in my notes, resources or instructions that could help? 
• Buddy – Could a partner or classmate help me clarify my thinking? 
• Bot – Could RileyBot help explain, guide or prompt me? 
• Boss – If I am still stuck, it is time to seek help from the teacher? 

This helps children develop resilience, self-awareness and confidence in their own learning processes. Importantly, it also helps them understand that being “stuck” is not a failure, but a normal and valuable part of learning. 
 As part of this approach, pupils are also taught how to use AI tools responsibly and thoughtfully. RileyBot, our pupil-facing AI assistant, is designed to support children in getting themselves unstuck without simply giving them answers. Instead, it can help explain instructions, break problems into smaller steps, provide examples or encourage pupils to think again in a different way. 
 Alongside the 5Bs, pupils are regularly reminded of our RileyBot expectations: 

• Know how it works
• Be honest when you’re using it 
• Be responsible for what you produce 

  In practice, this means children might use RileyBot to: 

• clarify a task they have misunderstood 
• receive hints when working something out 
• generate questions to test their understanding 
• explore vocabulary or ideas
• break a larger challenge into manageable steps 

The goal is not to replace thinking, but to strengthen it. 
 

One of the most encouraging developments we have seen is children becoming increasingly reflective about which strategy is most appropriate in different situations. Sometimes the best answer is to persevere independently. Sometimes collaboration with a friend or group helps. Sometimes a carefully phrased question to RileyBot helps unlock understanding. Learning to make those decisions is an important skill. 
By explicitly teaching these habits and strategies, we are helping pupils develop the confidence and independence they will need not only in school, but far beyond it.