The School Library & Youth Achievement Awards

Stromness Academy Library has a long history of providing structured activities for pupils to do in their leisure time (eg. Pupil Librarian Training, special events such as Poetry readings / story telling and Role-playing Games Activities) and now they can use these activities to work towards recognised qualifications in a pilot project which allows pupils to work towards a YouthAchievement Award. With the support of the Community Learning Officer (OIC), and Deputy Head Teacher, Frances Sinclair, the School Librarian took on the role of ‘Award Group Worker’ to oversee the pupils undertaking the award.

The YAA has four levels and each level provides an award equivalent to SQA qualifications for which pupils have to carry out a number of peer assessed challenges of their choice, producing a portfolio of evidence which can include photos of the activity, logbooks, diaries, witness observations, plans, records of attendance, certificates, to name but a few.

Bronze – takes part in activities: Four 15-hour challenges 

Silver – helps to organise activities: Six 15-hour challenges 

Gold -  plans, organises and leads activities: Seven 15-hour challenges

Platinum – takes on a leadership role: 135 hours participation 

The pupils discuss ideas with their peers and Award Group Worker and set out their own challenges and create a set of targets to achieve to complete the challenge. These awards are pupil led and they need to show responsibility and have the motivation to carryout the challenges and produce the evidence they need with minimal input from the Award Group Worker who acts in a supporting role.

The onus is on the pupil to collect their own evidence which can include photos, witness statements, evidence of time spent (eg. Logbooks), peer observations, certificates, course programmes, diary note, to name but a few. This evidence is then collated into a portfolio which is internally moderated by the Community Learning Officer giving pupils a chance to improve the portfolio prior to it being sent off for external moderation.

A number of pupils who regularly use the library, and/or are on the Pupil Librarian Training Scheme or do Role Playing Games for after school or Friday afternoon activity ‘signed up’ for the awards in 2010/11. Pupils devised their own challenges but most are using library based activities as their starting point, such as, for instance, working towards a Pupil Librarian certificate, or learning

 to play / take part Dungeons & Dragons game or Warhammer. These activities are well established in the ethos of the library provide a good starting point for these awards as well as other opportunities offered by the school. Pupils can also use other activities, such as their Hoy Outdoor Education experience or clubs, societies or sporting activities they are involved in out with school.

Being an Award Group Worker, on paper looks to be quite a simple task as the participants are supposed to be entirely responsible for their own progress and learning, but reality does mean that one has to ‘push’ pupils to remember to produce their evidence on an ongoing basis as well as organising peer group meetings and advising on the final portfolio production. There was a lot of work involved but the satisfaction of seeing pupils gain a recognised qualification (in part for work done in the library as a Pupil Librarian) is worth it.

 Frances Sinclair is the School Librarian at Stromness Academy

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of the SLA(S) newsletter.