The Ivy House Award

Putting leadership and life skills
at the heart of education

The Ivy House Award brings the kind of personal and professional development usually reserved for the most senior execs, to students – at a time when it can make the biggest difference.

The Award develops leadership and life skills, giving students aged 15-18 the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to step up and take ownership of their future.

An award-winning programme developed by a team of leading executive coaches in partnership with forward-thinking head teachers, The Award gives schools the expert content, tools and support they need to deliver meaningful character education.

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Why The Award

Life-changing
knowledge
and skills

If we believe the purpose of education is to prepare pupils to thrive now and in the future, then we have to develop skills that will enable them to do that – skills that allow them to become extraordinary leaders, lead extraordinary lives and stay on track regardless of what life throws at them.

Having spent 20 years working with over 40% of the FTSE 100 CEOs, we couldn’t help but wonder why these life-changing skills were only given to those who had already reached the pinnacle of their careers. Why weren’t we giving them to young people at a time when it could change the whole course of their lives?

That’s why we designed The Award – to deliver the essential aspects of this incredible learning to students, at a time when it can make the biggest difference.

The Award is the first programme of its kind. It distils the essence of all our experience and learning and adapts it to this unique stage of life. It enable students gain clarity on who they are, what they want and equips them with the skills they need to make conscious informed choices about the direction they want their lives to take.

The results?

Learners develop the confidence and skills they need to step up and take ownership of their future, including:

How they show up at school and beyond
The relationships they build
The careers and paths they choose
Their self-confidence
The impact they make on the world

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of students said The Award has had a positive impact on their lives.

of students said The Award improved their confidence and wellbeing.

of students felt more in control of their behaviour.

of students said The Award improved their communication and relationships.

7 life-changing skills

The Ivy House Award is built around 7 transformational leadership and life skills; skills which are central to becoming an extraordinary leader and leading an extraordinary life. We call them the Ivy House 7 and they’re exactly what students taking The Award will develop.

Download our brochure to delve deeper into what students will learn under each of these skills.

DOWNLOAD A BROCHURE

How it works

A 2-part programme, The Award first supports students in discovering their unique character; who they are, what they want and how they can play to their strengths and then develops a core set of skills critical to success.

The Award can be run as a whole year, opt-in or extra-curricular activity. It can be facilitated face-to-face or virtually, meaning you can continue to support and develop your students no matter what.

Developing ownership, initiative, resilience, confidence and self-leadership, The Award bridges the gap between education and work, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to enable them to thrive, whatever their chosen path.

The Award delivers the very best personal learning with the flexibility of an online platform. It is made up of over 40 core videos, combined with a series of quizzes, psychometric tools, bespoke exercises and discussion topics.

Watch this video for a sneak peek of what to expect.

Hear students’ stories

Extraordinary outcomes

Whole person development

Bringing together the principles of character education and social and emotional learning, The Award equips students with the skills to understand themselves, set goals, manage their emotions, build healthy relationships make responsible decisions – and stay well.

Academic attainment

But it’s not just about social and emotional development; overwhelming research suggests that developing these critical life skills can be directly attributed to improved cognitive functioning and academic performance – correlating directly to how socially, academically and professionally skilled students will become now and in the future.

A brighter future

Getting straight As and a string of extra-curricular achievements isn’t enough to guarantee success. Students need skills that enable them to stand out in a globally competitive market; skills that employers are actively seeking and that ensure they are prepared for life beyond the classroom. The Award does exactly that.

Student wellbeing

The Award supports students in understanding
themselves – knowing who they are, what they
want and how to celebrate their unique character. It
teaches them how to manage and not be scared of their thoughts and feelings, and how to proactively take care of their wellbeing.

“Employers tell us that the most important skills in the workplace are the ability to think critically, to be emotionally intelligent and to communicate effectively. I think The Ivy House Award has the potential to impact all of these.”
Alex Patton, Head of Sixth Form, Brighton College

“The jump from school to the workplace is massive. If young people are greater equipped with resilience and confidence, and are clearer on the career they want and where they’re going, that would make a huge difference.”
Kate Humphries, HR Manager, M&S

“I think The Ivy House Award will give young people the confidence to go for opportunities they may not have sought before. It will help them to make an impact and be able to sell and promote themselves to employers.”
Jessica Bradley, HR, RBS

“I think the skills and mindset learned from Ivy House would be utterly life changing, for anyone that is lucky enough to be a part of The Award.”
Jo Naish, Teacher, Canford School

Fully-funded places

We’re on a mission to make these game-changing leadership and life skills available to any student who wants it – irrespective of their background, the school they go to or how much their parents earn.

That’s why we created Fair Chance Funding; to give schools in some of the most disadvantaged areas in Britain fully-funded places on The Ivy House Award and our Life Leader Programme.

If you would like to know more about accessing Fair Chance Funding, or know a school that would benefit, check out our web page for all the info.

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Leadership development for teachers

Game-changing leadership and life skills development for teachers looking to deepen their self-knowledge, broaden their skill set and develop character in their students.

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Free resources for everyone

Download free resources from The Award, hear teachers’ thoughts on challenges and success in education and find out what student’s have to say on what’s important to them.

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Brochure

Download the Award brochure

Understand more about how The Award could benefit your pupils.

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Get in touch

If you would like to find out more about The Award or request a demonstration, get in touch today.

The Ivy House Award