Ripley St Thomas C of E High School in Lancaster have been running the Archbishops’ Young Leaders Award (AYLA) with their Year 7 cohort since 2014, with over 2,700 students becoming courageous advocates and taking an active role in their local communities.

Ian Russell, AYLA Co-ordinator and Teacher of RE, has been instrumental in ensuring the AYLA supports and enhances the curriculum at KS3.

We asked Ian to share his thoughts and reflections on the AYLA and how it has impacted and supported the students at Ripley St Thomas and the local communities in Lancaster and Morecombe.

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

The AYLA gives a practical focus to what the pupils learn in their RE lessons and helps to keep them focused throughout the year and building towards success at the end of Year 7. The carrot of the certificate, badge and awards ceremony is a huge advantage to teachers in maintaining momentum and focus throughout the year.

How have you implemented the AYLA within your curriculum?

We have been given an extra RE lesson in year 7 (4 lessons per fortnight instead of 3 lessons per fortnight in years 8 and 9). We delegate one of the voluntary projects to form tutors and use one of our drop-down PSHE days towards Easter to complete another 2 projects. We finish the year with an awards ceremony that is now an integral part of the school calendar.

How does the AYLA support the SIAMS Inspection framework with regards to:

a) The teaching of RE?

It allows us an additional opportunity to deliver resources that enable pupils to flourish as citizens and young Christian leaders, based on strong, theologically-rooted Christian principles.

b) Creating an active culture of justice and responsibility?

It increases pupils’ awareness of injustices in the world and what great Christian leaders from the past have done to overcome these with the help of united communities. The slogan “Be the change you want to see in the world” is central to every lesson and every volunteering project and becomes a mantra for all pupils for years to come.

With the resources focusing on Christianity, is the AYLA still relevant for pupils of different/no faiths?

Definitely. It is firmly Christian in its approach but the leadership characteristics and virtues are applicable to those of all faiths or none. The Christian leaders we have chosen to study are also people of integrity and action, which are key to all people.

How does the AYLA support the Ofsted Inspection framework with regard to supporting pupils’ personal development?

It delivers an extra strand to the PSHE programme and is evidence that we are trying to develop young leaders and not just young citizens.

How does the AYLA support your school vision or values?

In a word, perfectly. Our school vision combines the core Christian values of Faith, Hope, Love and Service – the AYLA could not support this vision any more if it tried!

How does the AYLA help support and benefit your community?

The local food bank receive a significant extra collection just before Easter, which will benefit those in Lancaster and Morecambe who are currently struggling to feed their families.  

The Easter cards we send to local residential homes bring much-needed messages of love and hope to those who may be feeling lonely being away from loved ones.  

Our work with a local charity for the blind and visually-impaired has a significant impact on our pupils. Their awareness of the daily struggles of people supported by this charity is considerably heightened through this focus.  

The litter-picking makes a huge difference every week to the school grounds and therefore to a sense of pride and well-being.

The final project is left up to the pupils themselves to plan either individually or in teams, enabling them to put their learning in the classroom to practical use. These projects invariably benefit their local communities in a variety of ways and we insist upon impact statements from those who have witnessed these final projects.

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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 courageous advocates and transform their communities. You can find out more here: abyyt.com

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