We Are Norfolk: West

***NEWS FLASH***

Inna da Costa, We Are Norfolk:West's Project Coordinator, named

INSPIRATIONAL EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

at 1^st EDP/ Norfolk County Council ‘Norfolk People of the Year Awards’

Offering West Norfolk Primary Schools:

The Windmill Project Focusing on climate change and sustainable energy... training pupils as Energy Super Heroes!

Global School Councils Making global issues conscious changes in your school. Can include school council exchanges

Mini-Making Connections Community cohesion work for whole cluster groups

Organising International / Multicultural sessions Days, weeks, terms or annual sessions and events

Fair Trade Focus Based on a brand NEW, whole school progressive resource for Norfolk

CPD and long-term curriculum planning sessions Resources, INSET, support with SIP, SEF and planning activities for your school

We Are Norfolk: West was a three year project, ending in March 2011.

Inna Da Costa worked in the West of Norfolk offering popular services to schools, which have formed the basis of NEAD's NEW Support Packages to schools.

Inna subsequently moved on from full-time NEAD employment in July 2011, but NEAD's work in the West continues...

Please contact NEAD to discuss your needs as all packages are fully bespoke to fit your school's needs.

In Year 3 we worked with three clusters: Wayland, Methwold and Hamonds. Instead of working with as many schools as possible we concentrated on WHOLE SCHOOL approaches; embedding global dimensions within the schools and involving all pupils, members of staff and governers. We also focussed on community cohesion and sustainable development. We carried out market research into which services had proven most useful to teachers throughout the project and launched NEAD's Support Packages to schools.

Year Year 2 provided new services and hands-on support relevant and engaging to primary aged children, teachers, parents/carers, the wider school community and especially new communities. WAN:W facilitated sessions with children, held training events for teachers and worked with them to develop their curriculums, trained members of new communities to be advocates of their culture's in schools (World Voices), worked to enhance provision through partnership working and maximised publicity opportunities to share what had been achieved and why. The Downham Market, Smithdon, Marshland and St. Clement's High school clusters were involved. The end of year 2 report is available in the side-bar on the right of this page, and on our Publications page.

Year 1 of We Are Norfolk: West in West Norfolk saw teachers’ working groups established, World Voices facilitators recruited and trained, INSET sessions, schools-linking training and even a multicultural children’s Christmas party held at a youth club, as well as contributions to wider-community events such as the popular Around the World in 80 Dishes and the HANSA Festival. Special acknowledgement goes to the Park, King Edward VIII and Springwood clusters for work during this year.The progress from Year 1 can be found in the first We Are Norfolk Project Update report booklet, downloadable in our publications section.

Overview of We Are Norfolk: West

A three-year NEAD Project for West Norfolk Primary Schools and New Communities

The Department for International Development (DfID) funded NEAD’s 3-year project We Are Norfolk: West, enabling us to support primary schools in West Norfolk to deliver the global dimension. Significant deprivation exists in parts of the King's Lynn and West Norfolk area. Access to development education in schools in the area prior to WAN:West had been poor. Most children in the rural parts of the area are white British whereas over the area as a whole one sixth of children have English as an additional language (EAL). Throughout the area negative stereotypes about global poverty and migrants exist. 70% of schools cannot provide any evidence to suggest that the global dimension is embedded in their curriculum. The anticipated overall change as a result of WAN: West will be to deepen understanding of other cultures and related global issues among the wider school communities of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. WAN:West linked into the DCSF’s Sustainable Schools Framework, the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, as well as supporting the achievement of DFID objectives.

Additional funding from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) extended the range of the project into the wider community, enabling us to organise and support events such as the Launch and Finale of Norfolk Black History Month in Great Yarmouth and the Around the World in 80 Dishes event in King’s Lynn during the first year.

The funding from DfID and EHRC has enabled NEAD to set up a new base for We Are Norfolk: West at the Discovery Centre in King’s Lynn, which opened in August 2008. The centre housed Project Coordinator Inna Da Costa, as well as an educators’ Resources Library with teaching packs, traditional costumes from various countries, artefact boxes and background information on global issues for free loan. Inna joined us from KLARS (King’s Lynn Area Resettlement Support), and her background and experiencewas a great asset to the project.

Following consultation with King’s Lynn primary head-teachers, the key focus of We Are Norfolk:West was developing educational opportunities and activities. These helped to address the current local issue of the large numbers of new community members in the West Norfolk area, and the associated tensions this can bring. Topics covered included local cultural diversity and the global millennium development goals, at an age-appropriate level. As one head teacher pointed out, this is a real area of need for us, and the project was warmly welcomed by both Norfolk Children’s Services and the Community Cohesion Development Officer.

To get involved with activities developed as a legacy for the West from this project, please contact Kaja Holloway, NEAD Manager

The Windmill Project

Year 2 Evaluation Report April 2009 – March 2010