Awards Plus (formerly FOTA) JAS Award

Why this award?

The Join in Award Scheme (JAS) is a fully inclusive, holistic, progressive learning accredited award scheme for young people aged 5 – 14 years. It develops interpersonal skills: communication, problem solving and team work: and builds the self-confidence and sense of well-being. JASS has been designed to recognise wider achievement.

JASS can be delivered by teachers and youth leaders. It empowers choice, and develops the whole individual by offering recognition in four key areas – regular physical activity (Get Active, Stay Active), exploring a personal interest (My Interests), working for the good of the community or the environment (Me and My World) and completing an outdoor activity or challenge (Adventure) and is designed so that participants move through the levels with increasing commitment, learning, and challenge.

It is progressive over eight levels with an increased minimum time commitment at each level. It has the flexibility to fit into school or youth work timetables.

JAS can:

• Be used as a transitional tool for young people going from Primary to Secondary education.
• Be tailored to the interests and abilities of the individual pupils
• Provide a platform for the start of vocational learning
• Help schools and youth organisations build partnerships with parents, community partners and local businesses
• Address and bridge the attainment gap, building self-confidence, self-belief and building capacity in young people by ensuring that they experience achievement.
• Provide health and wellbeing benefits which will impact on the academic challenges which young people face. It will help them be more active, developing their ability to make better healthier choices.
• As an umbrella award, other awards can be achieved as part of JAS

Who is it for?

JAS is a fully inclusive award for young people aged from 5 – 14 years. There are no entry requirements or restrictions. As an umbrella award JASS participants can do a large variety of other awards that would contribute towards the Join in Award Scheme.

What time commitment is required?

JAS participants can enter at any level. As a progressive award, the time commitment per level increases as the young people progress through the programme. As a way of motivation the JAS participants are rewarded with a sectional certificate on the completion of the different sections. When all four sections are completed the young person achieves the JAS award level certificate. The table below outlines indicative time involvement to achieve each element at each level. The initial (White) levels takes 7 hours to complete, with the highest (Gold) level estimated to require 62 hours.

Is the award externally accredited?

JASS participants have to provide evidence to support that they have completed a minimum amount of time, per section per level. On completion of the sections the participant is awarded with sectional certificates. When all four sections have been completed the participant is awarded with a large certificate and badge.

Case study: 

St. Mark's PS, Irvine - engaging parents and developing community links

Daniel’s JASS Journey – A Parent’s Perspective