Acomb Primary School, York have been running the Archbishops’ Young Leaders Awards (AYLA) with their Year 5’s since 2014 and their Year 2’s since2019. In this time, over 550 pupils have become active citizens in their local community. We asked Sue Wragg and Angie Walker, AYLA teachers, to share their reflections on the Awards, how they have supported their pupils and helped build strong community links.

How does the Archbishops’ Young Leaders Award (AYLA) support your school vision or values as a community school?

Our values are resilience, aspiration, integrity and respect. The AYLA really allows us to encompass these values and teach the children about them through real life experiences. We teach Character Education throughout the year and the AYLA enables us to focus on those characteristics and values with the children on a day to day, week to week basis.

What do you see as the main benefits to your pupils taking part in the AYLA?

The main benefit is for them to see that there is something beyond themselves. To realise how their behaviour and actions can affect others for the better.

We have completed different action projects over the years, but this year the children decided to forge links with a local residential home in Acomb. It has been a joint project with the Y2 and Y5 pupils and they found it an amazing experience. We sang songs, made cards and the residents joined in singing, tapping their feet and smiling. You could see everyone had really enjoyed it and the children found it so special and they could see the impact they were having.

What are the benefits of the AYLA to you as a school?

There is so much to fit into the curriculum that using the AYLA is making quite a statement. But if you want to do something, you find the time to do it. There are many benefits to running the Awards and it links well to the PSHE and RSE curriculum. We know the impact on the pupils and school and it can improve pupil behaviour and their mindset.

How does the AYLA help support and benefit your community?

It’s so important to get out into the community and for our pupils to realise that there are people who need our help. Even though the children are young, they realise that they can do something to make a difference, however small that is. The children realise that they do have power, they do have a voice and what they do is absolutely worthwhile.

How did the children respond to the materials and stories in the AYLA?

They love the stories and range of interactive activities. The stories are great for discussion so whenever we read them we stop and discuss what’s happening, how the characters are feeling and children become really invested. There are numerous practical and memorable activities that they don’t forget as they progress through school, from frozen challenges in Y2 to Trust Walks and building cup pyramids in Y5.

What impact has the project had on parental engagement?

We have regular newsletters to parents, and one of them is always dedicated to the AYLA. It flags to parents that this is something we really celebrate at our school. Some of the challenges in both year groups are completed at home so parents get involved that way. We encourage photos from home of the children doing challenges which have included visits to food banks, litter picks, children washing up and reading to younger siblings. The children are encouraged to keep doing the challenges at home, even after they have completed the Award. We also involve parent helpers in the community action projects. Parents are always positive about the AYLA and the impact it has on their children.

It is often assumed that the Archbishops’ Young Leaders Award, due to the name, is only suitable for Church schools. How would you respond to that assumption?

We want the children to be part of the Acomb Primary school family and local community, and eventually the wider country and the wider world, and I think the AYLA really allows us to do that. It’s about each pupil’s individual character, their personality. It’s about what we want we want our children to be. We want them to be able to think of others, to know they can go out into their community and play an active role and I don’t think that necessarily needs to be linked to faith.

Hear more from Acomb Primary AYLA pupils and teachers in this video:

The AYLA is a fully resourced leadership and character education programme, delivered by teaching staff within the classroom, enabling pupils to flourish.

As part of the Awards, children engage in social action projects, empowering them to actively put into practice what they have learnt about leadership and character, develop their skills through serving others, become active citizens and transform their communities.

‍