School Programme
Life-changing
knowledge and
skills for students
The Ivy House Award
The Ivy House Award brings the kind of personal and professional development usually reserved for the most senior execs, to students – for free.
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 headteachers, The Award gives schools the expert content, tools and support they need to deliver leadership development to their students
Who is it for
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 aged 15-18, at a time when it can make the biggest difference.
Get started
Here are a few resources you’ll need to run The Award. We recommend looking through the Facilitator Guide to familiarise yourself with how it all works, and then you can work through the sessions below.
Your facilitator guide
Find out everything you need to know about running The Award. You’ll find useful prompts as well as suggestions to help your students make the most of the learning.
The student journal
Students can keep track of their learning and complete quizzes and exercises in their own digital journal. You’ll see specific pages sign-posted through The Award content.
Completion certificate
Celebrate completing The Award with a personalisable certificate. It’s a great talking point for higher education or job applications, and shows a commitment to leadership.
Session 1: My life
Discover the tools that, when used,
will enable learners to create the life they really want.
1. Engage
Think about the following:
- What do you want out of your life?
- Have you spent much time thinking about this before?
- What have you done in the last 6 months to make it happen?
If you are working with a group, pair up and discuss. If not, don’t worry, capture your thinking on page 11 of your journal to reflect on later.
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass with Elke Edwards to help you reflect on the important questions about your life.
3. Exercise
Turn to your journal and complete the life wheel activities on pages 12-14.
- Where are you now?
- Where do you want to be?
- How are you going to get there?
4. Reflect
- Share what you have noticed about your life wheel scores NOW
- Share what you have realised about your life wheel scores for the FUTURE
- Share what ACTIONS you plan to take to get there
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned about your life.
6. Act
Take some time to consider what you have learnt about yourself in this session and capture your notes in your journal (page 17). Over the 20 sessions, this will build up to be a full picture of all of the things you have learnt about yourself on your journey.
7. Additional content
Ask a coach
My dream workplace
Different views
Visualise
Andy’s extraordinary life
Session 2: My element
Discover how to find your element – the point where strengths and passions meet.
1. Engage
Think of 3 super strengths – what are you really brilliant at?
If you’re in a classroom, meet others and share with each other.
If not, don’t worry, capture them on page 19 of your journal and talk to someone about them – your friends, your parents, a teacher, a family member.
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass to learn about core strength and how to start your journey to understanding what puts you in your element.
3. Exercise
Complete pages 20, 21 and 22 in your journal. This will tell you what you are passionate about, and what you think your strengths are. Then take the strength stacker exercise below. Once complete, record your answers on page 26.
4. Reflect
- What did you discover about your passions?
- When do you currently get to play to your super strengths?
- How do you feel when you are playing to those super strengths?
- What opportunities could you create to spend more time in your element?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned about your element.
6. Act
Take some time to consider what you have learned and capture your notes on page 29 of your journal.
7. Additional content
Elke Q&A: Real life
Elke Q&A: Passions
Elke Q&A: Strengths
Audio coaching: My element
Session 3: My learning
Understand the 5 habits of a courageous learner and how, when mastered, they support you to create the life you want and become the person you want to be.
1. Engage
Think about the following:
- What 2 things are you passionate about?
- What are 3 of your stand-out strengths?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass with Elke Edwards on how to be courageous learners.
3. Exercise
Having learnt about the five courageous learner habits, which ones do you do naturally and which ones do you need to work on if you choose to become a truly courageous learner?
Take this five-minute quiz to find out, and record your answers on page 34.
4. Reflect
Which are natural strengths and which do you need to work on?
- Have the courage to look at the raw facts.
- Self-coach not self-judge.
- Hold opinions lightly.
- Take action, fail forward.
- Can only change ourselves not others.
What actions do you want to take?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned in this session.
6. Act
Take some time to consider what you have learnt about yourself in this session and capture your notes on page 37 of your journal.
Session 4: My inner rhino
Discover the principles and tools of 100% ownership.
1. Engage
Take a couple of minutes to think about or share an example of when you consciously chose to stay above the line in the last week.
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass to learn about the ownership ladder.
3. Exercise
When you consider different aspects of your life, are you at the bottom rung of the ownership ladder? Or are you a rhino, taking action near the top?
Take our five-minute quiz to find out, and record your answers on pages 40-41.
4. Reflect
Reflection questions – capture your answers on page 42:
- How much ownership are you taking to be the creator of your extraordinary life in all of these areas?
- How does it feel when you are low down on the ladder?
- What more could you do to move up the ladder?
- What dffference would it make if you were channelling your Inner rhino?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned taking 100% ownership.
6. Act
Take some time to consider what you have learned and capture your notes on page 44 of your journal.
7. Additional content
Session 5: My behaviour
Discover the most important equation you will ever learn
1. Engage
- Since last week, what have you done differently, linked to ownership?
- What effect has it had?
- What else do you plan to do to take ownership for your life?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass with Elke Edwards on the choices we make and the results we get.
3. Exercise
Events happen. That’s life. You don’t get to choose them. You do get to choose your behaviour, and those choices determine the results you get. We’re going to describe five events. All you have to do is choose your typical behaviour.
This quiz should take you about 10 minutes. Record any notes on page 48 of your journal.
4. Reflect
Reflection questions:
- Now you know you always get to choose your behaviour; how do you feel about this?
- What behaviours do you habitually show up with?
- What makes you choose specific behaviours?
- What could be different if you chose different behaviours?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned in this session.
6. Act
Take some time to consider what you have learned about yourself in this session and capture your notes on page 51 of your journal.
7. Additional content
Ask the coach
Elke Q&A: My behaviour – workplace
Audio coaching: My behaviour
Session 6: My communication
Discover your communication preference and motivation preferences.
1. Engage
Spend five minutes discussing / thinking about the following:
- What types of people do you find it easy to connect with?
- What types of people do you find it hard to connect with?
- Why do you think that is?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass to learn about mastering good communication skills.
3. Exercise
To get on well in life the common thing we all need to be able to do well is to communicate. But what does ‘communicating well’ mean? People are so different. How can we communicate ‘well’ with all of them?
Complete the ‘My communication style’ questionnaire to find out. This should take about 15 minutes. Record your answers on page 64.
4. Reflect
Reflection questions:
- What differences do you notice between the four preference groups?
- What benefits do we get by understanding each other’s preferences?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned about your communication..
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 67 of your journal to finalise the session.
7. Additional content
Session 7: My brand
Understand the importance of personal brand, what yours is and how you can change it if you want to.
1. Engage
- What have you noticed this week about how different people communicate?
- Did you mange to adapt your behaviour at all?
- In what ways could you adapt further?
Write your answers on page 69.
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass with Elke Edwards to learn about your personal brand. After watching the video, go to pages 70 & 71 and complete the activities.
3. Exercise
Your brand is how others experience you. They experience you through your behaviour – what you say and what you do. During this quiz you are going to review your habitual behaviours and find out which ones positively impact your brand and which ones negatively impact your brand. Remember to be courageously honest. Take our five-minute brand quiz to find out what your current brand is, and how you might develop it in future.
4. Reflect
Reflection questions:
- Why do you think owning your brand right now is so important?
- Having done the activity and got conscious about your current brand, do you feel pleased or disappointed?
- Explain why
- What would you need to do differently to craft your future brand?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned in this session.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 75 of your journal to finalise the session.
7. Additional content
Ask the coach
Elke Q&A: My brand – workplace
Elke Q&A: People’s opinion
Session 8: My thinking
Discover how to master your mind to create your extraordinary life.
1. Engage
- Now you know E+B=R, what have you noticed over the last few weeks?
- Have you become more conscious of the behaviour you choose?
- What difference has it made?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass to start exploring your concious mind.
3. Exercise
Listen to the guided coaching session and answer the questions on page 81 of your journal.
4. Reflect
Reflection questions:
- What red drones or limiting thoughts have you personally been hanging out with?
- How has this affected your feelings?
- How has this affected your behaviour?
- What blue drones, or empowering thoughts are you choosing to hang out with in the future?
- How will this affect your feelings and behaviour?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned about your thinking.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 83 of your journal to finalise the session.
Session 9: My power
Learn the skill of managing your conscious mind to enable clarity of thought in the moment.
1. Engage
- What have you noticed this week about the thoughts you hang out with?
- Have you practised letting thinking just pass through?
- If yes, how did you find it?
- If no, why not? What happened?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass with Elke Edwards to learn about the power of thought.
3. Exercise
Listen to his guided coaching session – make sure you’re sitting comfortably!
4. Reflect
Reflection questions:
- How easy or difficult did you find that?
- What did you notice?
- How often did you have to go back to the beginning?
- What were you distracted by?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned in this session.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 89 your journal to finalise the session.
7. Additional content
Ask the coach
Elke Q&A: Thought spirals
Managing your mindset in challenging times
Session 10: My vision
Learn how to put skills into practice to develop your core strength and start to make the life you want a reality.
1. Engage
- If you could achieve one thing in your life, what would it be?
- What would make you most happy in your life?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass to explore how you can start living the life that’s right for you.
3. Exercise
This guided coaching session will support you to get clear on the vision for your life. Whilst you’re listening to it, make notes on each of the guided coaching questions in your journal (page 92-93).
4. Reflect
Share some of your vision.
- What did you find easy to visualise?
- What was more difficult?
- What did you feel excited by?
- What did you notice generally when doing this visualisation?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned about your vision.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 95 of your journal to finalise the session.
Session 11: My action
Learn how to bridge the knowing-doing gap and get on with making your dream life a reality.
1. Engage
- What is the most useful thing you have learned about yourself so far?
- How have you used the learning?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass with Elke Edwards to learn about the knowing-doing gap.
3. Exercise
Complete the My Action Quiz in your journal (page 102).
4. Reflect
Reflection questions:
- Considering your answers, what overall score would you give yourself as an action taker to date?
- How do you want to be in the future?
- What have you changed?
- What has stayed the same?
- What do you want to focus on next?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned in this session.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 106 of your journal to finalise the session.
7. Additional content
Ask the coach
Elke Q&A: Habits
Elke Q&A: My action – workplace
Elke Q&A: Sharing
Session 12: My confidence
Discover the difference between inner and situational confidence and learn the four key stages to develop that confidence.
1. Engage
- What action did you take this week?
- How did it go?
- What action are you planning next week?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass to learn the truth about confidence.
3. Exercise
Listen to the guided coaching session and answer the questions in your journal (pages 109 & 110). When you’re done, find a partner and share what you’ve learnt in the exercise.
4. Reflect
Share what you have learnt through the guided coaching exercise.
- Who has tried to make a change linked to confidence before?
- Why do you think your change did not stick?
- What makes the four-step process successful?
- What do you need to do personally to make sure the change you want to make sticks?
- Whose responsibility is it to make sure the change you want to make sticks?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned about confidence.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 113 of your journal to finalise the session.
7. Additional content
Ask the coach
Elke Q&A: My confidence – workplace
Elke Q&A: Feeling confident
Session 13: My impact
Reflect on, get conscious about and then plan to create the impact you want to have on the world.
1. Engage
- Last session you wrote down something in which you would like to gain more confidence. Have you had the opportunity to do so?
If not, what aspect of your confidence did you work on this week? - How did it go?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass with Elke Edwards to learn about your impact.
3. Exercise
Are you a drain or a radiator with your friends, family and new people?
Take our 10-minute quiz to find out. Record your answers on page 117 of your journal.
You are going to be presented with three different scenarios and a list of behaviours that could apply to each. Please select, from the list, any that describe the way you would typically behave. You may select as many behaviours from the list that you feel apply to you. Please be 100% honest in your selections.
4. Reflect
Reflect on whether you are a drain or a radiator with family, friends and strangers and share this with your partner. Then discuss:
- What does this impact result in for:
- Them? (your family, friends or strangers)
- You?
- What would you like to change as a result of this learning?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned in this session.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 120 of your journal to finalise the session.
Session 14: My relationships
Learn the super skill of relationships and how, when mastered, you can consciously create the relationships you want in your extraordinary life.
1. Engage
- When this week did you make a consious choice to change your energy?
- What impact did the change have on you and those around you?
- If you didn’t try – take a couple of minutes to explore why
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass to learn the influence our behaviour has on our relationships.
3. Exercise
Listen to the guided coaching session and jot down your answers to the three sections on page 125-126 of your journal: aspiration, behaviour, and communication.
4. Reflect
- In general, have you shared your aspirations about how you would like the relationship to be?
- What might happen if you did?
- In terms of behaviour, have you ever considered that YOU could choose to change, rather than waiting for them to?
- What might happen if you did?
- In terms of communication, how curious and kind have you been?
- What might happen if you were?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned about relationships.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 128 of your journal to finalise the session.
Session 15: My conversations
Learn how to be courageous, ditch the embarrassment and master the craft of truly effective conversations.
1. Engage
Think about a conversation you have had recently that did not go well.
- How did you behave?
- How did they behave?
- Why do you think it did not go well?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass with Elke Edwards to learn about how to have effective conversations.
3. Exercise
What is your typical behaviour during important conversations?
Take our 10-minute quiz to find out if you tend towards being typically aggressive, avoidant or effective. Record your results on page 132.
4. Reflect
- How do you typically respond during important conversations – Aggressor, Avoider or Effective?
- Do you notice yourself choosing aggressor or avoidant behaviours in certain situations or with certain people only?
- What is it about these situations or people that mean you respond in that way? How could you choose to respond differently?
- What result might that get?
- What conversation behaviours do you do well?
- What conversation behaviours do you want to develop?
- What one thing will you work on this week?
- When or with whom might you forget and slip into aggressor or avoider behaviours?
- What will you do instead?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned in this session.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 135 of your journal to finalise the session.
Session 16: My Tribe
Learn how to create the tribe you want… the tribe that will have a transformational effect on your success and happiness
1. Engage
Think about the conversations you have had since the last session:
- Have they been effective?
- In what way?
- If not – what got in your way?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass to learn about consciously choosing your tribe.
3. Exercise
A great tribe includes ‘like minds’, ‘truth sayers’ and ‘cheerleaders’ – ideally it does not include toxic people who bring you down. Take this 10-minute quiz. Once done, complete the reflection questions, jotting any notes in your journal. You can do this on your own, or in pairs. Record your answers on page 140.
4. Reflect
- What do you notice about your current tribe – the people you spend most of your time with?
- What is positive about it?
- Are there any elements you would like to change?
- How could you do this?
- What support do you need?
- What is the difference between your tribe and your network?
- What are the benefits of cultivating a wide network?
- How can you cultivate a wider network?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 143 of your journal to finalise the session.
Session 17: My wellness
Learn the three secrets to life long wellness that will carry you towards building the life you want.
1. Engage
What does wellness mean to you?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass with Elke Edwards to learn how proactive wellbeing underpins your experience of life.
3. Exercise
Check in with your personal wellness by taking our 10-minute quiz. Record your answers on page 147.
4. Reflect
- How do you you feel about your personal wellness right now?
- Do you currently feel motivated? Resilient? In control? Calm? Positive?
If you have answered no to any of the above, and you would like to answer yes, you may choose to make changes linked to your wellness infographic.
- What would you like to change?
- What difference might this make?
- What are you going to commit to this week?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned about wellbeing.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 150 your journal to finalise the session.
Session 18: My leadership
Take the lead in creating the life you truly want by combining the HOW of leadership with the WHAT.
1. Engage
Think of 3 qualities that you think are essential for good leadership
Think of 3 people you know, or are in the public eye, that you believe reflect these essential things
Think of 3 that don’t
Why is it important?
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass to learn about human leadership.
3. Exercise
Listen to the guided coaching session, then complete the questions in your journal on page 155. Record your answers on page 156.
4. Reflect
In the team you were thinking of during the guided coaching exercise:
- Which of the three areas (vision, plan environment) was led well?
- Which of the three areas could have been led better?
- When you are next in a leadership role what will you do differently?
- What opportunities do you think you will have over the next few months to take leadership roles?
- So, will you take these opportunities?
- When you are being led, as part of a team, will you choose to behave differently knowing what you know now about leadership?
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned about leadership.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 158 of your journal to finalise the session.
Session 19: My pitch
Learn the approach to building your powerful pitch, one of the most powerful tools to have if you want to create an extraordinary life.
1. Engage
Imagine you’re at a career’s fair – you’re in the queue to get a coffee and the man in front of you, in the expensive suit, turns to you and says ‘Hi, I’m Harry, the CEO of Netflix – who are you?’ Tell me about yourself, what’s your story’.
Spend a minute thinking about how you would respond.
2. Masterclass
Watch this masterclass with Elke Edwards to learn about crafting the story you use to introduce yourself to others.
3. Exercise
Grab your journal and go the the ‘My Pitch mind map’ on page 162. Listen to this guided coaching session, and jot any answers down on this page.
4. Reflect
Work on your pitch using the model – Connect, Identify, Focus, Ask.
Share your pitches in pairs. Get feedback and refine.
‘Pitchfest’ – up on your feet. Meet new partner. Share pitches. Then move on to meet someone new.
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned in this session.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 165 your journal to finalise the session.
Session 20: My choices
Understand how to make the choices that take you forward in the creation of your extraordinary life and make things happen.
1. Engage
- What 3 things have you really learned since engaging with The Award?
- What have you done with that learning?
- What do you still have to do?
2. Masterclass
In this final masterclass, learn about making choices that take you towards your dreams, not away from them.
3. Exercise
Listen to the guided coaching session, and write down the answers to Steve’s questions in your journal (page 168-169). There’s plenty of space on the notes pages, so be as detailed as you’d like.
4. Reflect
Share what you learned from your older self.
5. Summary
Watch this short video to help summarise what you have learned about relationships.
6. Act
You’re all done for this session. Remember to capture your reflections and actions on page 172 of your journal to finalise the session.
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
- How to pitch themselves at interview
The Future Leaders Project
We offer free careers resources to support students to make conscious, informed choices about their future and inspire them to step up and become the leaders of their lives.
Charity support
Ivy House supports The Global Fund for Children, a charity which partners with grassroots organisations worldwide to support vulnerable children and young people.
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