NORWICH OPPORTUNITY AREA SCHOOL NEWSLETTER May 2019 Norwich Opportunity Area Newsletter IN THIS ISSUE Youth BoardIssue update. Date Page 2 Let’s make this opportunity count Southend Exchange Visit. Page 3 together NOA School Leads. Page 4-5 Nearly two years in to the work of The Partnership Board is actively Inclusion Champion. Page 6 the Opportunity Area, this considering the future of this newsletter shows the extent of collaboration when the DfE part of What a difference a day makes. Page 7 colleagues working across schools the project ends. It is determined Community Communication for the young people of Norwich. that this great effort by school Champions. Page 8 We set ourselves very challenging leaders and the collaboration to ambitions for the change in which they have committed Communication Champions: outcomes that we plan to see. We continues well after the end of the Peapod Pre-School Page 9 have just over a year until the Opportunity Area. Catton Grove Primary. Page 10 milestone of three years will have been reached. University of East Anglia Page 11 It took some bravery for school Working with the Research School: leaders to take on improvements Bluebell and Edith Cavell Page 12 for all of the city, not just their Lakenham Primary. Page 13 school, but it has been clear that a different approach was required if Enterprise Adviser Network. Page 14 a step change was to be achieved. Gro Wild. Forest School Page 17 The stories in this newsletter show Tim Coulson Impact in a nutshell Page 18 many green shoots of the changes to which it is clear that school Chair of the Norwich Opportunity International exchanges Page 19 Area Partnership Board. leaders collectively aspire. Dates for your diary Page 20 NORWICH OPPORTUNITY AREA NEWSLETTER 2 Putting young people at the heart of the programme delivered its two major commissioned ideas – a ‘school exchange’ with a different part of the The Norwich Opportunity Area Youth country that brought back lots of new Board – how’s it going? insights; and a project offering life skills to whole families in Norwich. I’ve been incredibly proud to chair the programme to help it deliver for This latter project has had a NOA Youth Board since the start of Norwich’s young people. significant impact, and we are thrilled the programme. that the Partnership Board has After setting our objectives, we agreed funding for it to continue The Youth Board is a group of young planned what projects we would further. people living, working or studying in deliver. We ran a competition for the the Norwich Opportunity Area, who best social mobility ideas in the local We expect to consider more ideas advise and support the NOA schools and have commissioned two before the end of the programme, programme. Aided by the using the main programme’s budget. and to engage more young people in professional programme staff, we We have also invited young people to how to make a difference in the city meet regularly to support the attend each of the workstreams in we love. programme. the programme to fulfil our role. We started by contacting all the secondary schools and colleges in the zone and invited them to nominate students to take part. Later on, we have reached out to some primary school pupils too. I’ll be on maternity leave until around We think it’s important that the November 2019, but I’m looking Opportunity Area programme is in forward to even more great work touch with the people it’s there to from our Youth Board in that time help. Members of the Youth Board and throughout the programme. have now visited many other areas and told their stories, including: what does adversity really feel like while at school in Norwich? In ten or twenty We have faced challenges, of course. years’ time, what do we want to be Like finding smart ways for young different for our own children? people to commit to structured project work, considering studying In fact, there’s been so many and working hours plus stressful invitations to speak in other places times in the year like exams; making that we think we might be on to sure we are properly representative, something! Norwich should be proud knowing it can be easier for people of this unique feature of our who are already socially mobile to get Opportunity Area. involved in such a project; and defining our legacy - what do we We aim to ensure that young people’s hope to leave behind and how will we voices are heard; to help young contribute to making it happen? Chloe Smith MP people to see, create and take opportunities; and to scrutinise and The programme overall runs till 2020. Find out more: support the work of the whole The Youth Board has successfully https://noa.co.uk/youth-board-2/ NORWICH OPPORTUNITY AREA NEWSLETTER 3 They presented their findings to a group of Partnership Board and key Southend stakeholders at a presentation in Norwich in April 2019. Their Exchange Visit recommendations for school and college leaders were: In January 2018 a team of young people from each school were tasked • To look at the design and by our Youth Board with coming up consistency of behaviour policies, Southend are now ranked 63 in the so that lessons are free from with an idea to improve social social mobility index, having jumped disruption mobility in Norwich. up from 201 the previous year. • To ensure young people in Norwich have the chance to give The purpose of the visit to Southend feedback and take leadership in was to understand what changes their education have taken place for them to have • To look at ways that positive and improved so much and to see what respectful relationships are encouraged between students learning could be brought back to and teachers Norwich so that we can have such a big impact on outcomes here too. Once there, groups of students In March 2018, each school presented visited Eastwood Academy, their ideas to a panel of judges that Southend College of Further included Chloe Smith PM. Jodie and Education, Southend Youth Council, Robyn from Sewell Park Academy in South Essex FE College and the Adult Norwich impressed judges with their Community College. idea to visit schools in areas with high social mobility so that they could share ideas about what works. Once their idea was approved by the Morgan Watts, a year nine pupil at NOA Partnership Board the Youth City of Norwich School, said: "Our Board worked on researching the voices are being heard so in future demographics of different areas, younger ones like my siblings will digging into social mobility indicators have a better life and school and understanding more about experience. For teachers having that school performance. connection with kids will be a better The students noted many similarities experience too." Young people selected Southend as and differences between the two the best place to visit and identified places and appreciated the chance to The schools that took part were Eastwood Academy as the school reflect on what’s important for young Sewell Park, City of Norwich School, they most wanted to learn more people by discussing and comparing Notre Dame, University Technical about – an outstanding mainstream their own school and college College Norfolk, Open Academy and school that has recently improved experiences in Norwich as well as the Hewett Academy. outcomes for disadvantaged what they saw in Southend. students. Watch their video here NORWICH OPPORTUNITY AREA NEWSLETTER 4 doors into each other’s schools is a growing awareness of the School Leads and built relationships. I am Norwich Opportunity Area and excited to have the opportunity to the real impact of disadvantage. A funded senior leadership post was be part of a programme that offered to secondary schools that fall within the Norwich Opportunity Area leaves a legacy. to ensure the successful implementation and integration of key programmes designed to improve academic and destination outcomes for disadvantaged children. Phillip Wilkinson Andrew Innes The Open Academy Sarah Jarvis City of Norwich School This has been an exciting University Technical College opportunity, enhancing the My vision as an NOA school lead is progress of all our students and to to ensure all disadvantaged pupils continue developing professional at UTCN gain the skills, relationships with other agencies confidence and qualifications to that impact on students’ lives and progress on to university, higher social mobility. level apprenticeships or Since being in the NOA we have meaningful employment. redeveloped managed moves, worked with alternative provision providers, developed strong working relationships with other “Since being in an Opportunity schools and continue to build Area I have noticed a buzz of professional trust. excitement in the school as new ideas and strategies kick in. There is a growing awareness of the Norwich Opportunity Area and the real impact of disadvantage” For us, the Inclusion Charter has significantly reduced fixed term and permanent exclusions and provided us increased links with Since being in an Opportunity other schools. I strongly believe that the lasting Area I have noticed a buzz of Working as a team across Norwich legacy of the NOA will be the excitement in the school as new sharing our expertise has opened future willingness of all ideas and strategies kick in. There NORWICH OPPORTUNITY AREA NEWSLETTER 5 professionals to work the achievement gap between PP collaboratively for all young “There have been and non PP students by ensuring people in Norwich. collaborations between PP students are taught an the 8 schools and a academically rigorous curriculum willingness to share ideas so that they feel empowered to and resources as well as participate in the national issues, strategies and conversation.