The St Benet's Chaplaincy Project is a project that is working with local churches to build school chaplaincy teams across schools in the St Benet's Multi Academy Trust (south), centred around the Harleston Sancroft Academy. Integrate Youth for Christ staff are leading the project and are working closely with local churches to develop the chaplaincy teams and increase the connections between churches and schools. In addition to the high school phase of Harleston Sancroft Academy, where Amy Cossey is lead chaplain, we are working to establish chaplaincy teams with local church volunteers in two junior schools and seven primary schools. Many of these are becoming well established with all sorts of activities taking place in the schools including:

• collective worship
• lunchtime clubs
• 'Question of the Week'
• Open the Book teams
• mentoring
• transition mentoring
• RE lessons
• prayer spaces
• renovating a prayer shed

...and so much more, each according to the needs of the school and availability of volunteers.

We have also brought a theatre company and a dance company to tour these schools and three more primary schools, one of which is just outside our area and two more in our area that is due to join the trust this year.

This is an exciting project that increases Christian presence within the schools and builds connections between churches, school and, hopefully, the home, building on Growing Faith Foundation commissioned research which found that faith grew the most when these three spheres were connected. We are always looking for more volunteers to join our chaplaincy teams with whatever skill you can offer the school, so do get in touch if you'd like to be part of this amazing project!