Students at Calne’s Kingsbury Green Academy are training to be the leaders of the future, thanks to a programme developed by the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy Trust.

Year 9 students at Kingsbury Green Academy who want to learn leadership skills are invited to apply for a place on the school’s Power of 10 programme, in which they learn to coach primary school pupils in sports such as netball, and help organise tournaments, festivals and fixtures.

Scott Ferguson, Head of Physical Education and Sports Science said that the most promising students are normally selected to join the programme, which includes hosting all the local primary schools in sports tournaments.

This year, eleven students have made it into the select group, and during the course of the school year will develop skills in time management, organisation of events and people, communication and encouraging younger students.

“We had some very strong applicants for what is seen as a prestigious role, and so decided to extend it to eleven students,” said Mr Ferguson.

“Their responsibilities will be diverse, from working with Wiltshire Cricket and England Athletics to helping young volunteers in the community, marshalling fun runs, and communicating with RFU officials. They will be given a lot of responsibility, but we find that they thrive on that and rise to the challenge extremely well indeed.”

Power of 10 at Kingsbury Green Academy is being led by Phil Smith, a school sports coordinator who created and launched the programme at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy in 2014. Kingsbury Green Academy became a member of the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy Trust in 2019.

“Not all of the students selected would necessarily consider themselves strong athletes themselves,” said Mr Smith, “but instead are very interested in media, such as video and photography, or reporting on events. They make a commitment to learn new skills quickly and devote a substantial amount of time to the Power of 10, while maintaining their academic studies.

“It’s great experience for them, and is a great stepping stone to careers in teaching, coaching, event management or sports journalism.

“The ‘P10s’ as they like to be called, also act as positive role models for the younger children they meet, which means the transition from primary to secondary school becomes much less challenging - and even exciting for some who know upon reaching Year 9 they too could become P10s!

“Some of the broader skills will also be useful to any future employer. I know the staff here at the academy also value the fact that there is a cohort of young leaders they can go to for additional support in a range of activities, knowing they have the relevant skills, experience and aptitude.”