Norwich Opportunity Area (NOA)
Norwich Opportunity Area
Norwich was identified as one of 12 Opportunity Areas in October 2016 based on its ranking in the social mobility index. The Norwich Opportunity Area was launched by the government to raise education standards locally, providing every child and young person in the area with the chance to reach their full potential in life.
In October 2017 the delivery plan was published, setting out the goals the programme aimed to achieve, and initial activities for the 2017-2018 academic year. The plan outlined the priorities that needed to be tackled in order to improve social mobility.
As the work progressed a strategy was developed along the following key themes:
- Improving Early Years Communication - preventing the gap between outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and their peers that begins before they start school.
- Attainment - Improving attainment through evidence-based practice and collaboration.
- Inclusion - Creating strong schools for every child by supporting strong leadership, great teaching and helping schools to reduce exclusions through the Norwich Inclusion Charter.
- Transition - The movement of students from one year group or school to another. A range of new practices and resources to support schools to enable a smooth transition for their students.
- Collaboration - Linking children to life beyond school, working with local employers, the voluntary sector, parents and communities, as well as national programmes to ensure that schools are well supported to prepare young people for working life and adulthood.
Click on the link to download the Social Mobility delivery plan (PDF) [3MB].
The programme ran for five years with funded activities coming to an end on 31 August 2022. The spend was published per year; click on the link to download the final NOA finance reports (PDF) [245KB].
Sharing Learning
The Norwich, Ipswich and Fenland & East Cambridgeshire Opportunity Area teams have developed an online space to capture the Big Ideas across the three Opportunity Areas with case studies, resources and examples to showcase the learning of schools, colleges, settings and partner organisations. This resource is free and available for anyone to use.
Legacy
Norwich Opportunity Area partners have worked hard to ensure sustainability is built into all areas of the programme. Some elements of the programme, such as practitioner networks, continued CPD offers and sharing learning continue beyond Summer 2022, led by local leaders, or embedded into wider strategies of other organisations.
You can download the What's changed report - Summary (PDF) [271KB] document, which includes details about how some of the work under each priority continues.
Impact
The What's changed report - Final version (PDF) [2MB] for the Norwich Opportunity Area programme was published in July 2022.
External evaluations were commissioned for some of the key projects funded by NOA. These reports contain key learnings and recommendations for others embarking on similar projects. Copies of these published reports can be found here.
More information
If you would like to get in touch with someone about the Norwich Opportunity Area, please visit the Sharing Big Ideas website where you will be able to find contact details for organisations involved in the projects.
Programme evaluation
OA Programme Evaluation
National Process Evaluation of the Opportunity Areas Programme
This report investigated how the OA programme was delivered across all Opportunity Areas in Years 1 to 4 and sought to understand the benefits, challenges and perceived outcomes of the programme, as well as the key factors influencing them. It examined how project beneficiaries were supported throughout the pandemic and how methods of sustainability and legacy were implemented.
Department for Education. NatCen Social Research. May 2022
A full set of evaluation reports published by the DFE about the national Opportunity Area programme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/opportunity-area-programme-research-and-analysis
Local Synthesis Evaluation of the Norwich Opportunity Area Programme
This report was locally commissioned and sought to; understand what the NOA did in trying to meet the original delivery aims set out in its delivery plan, examine the perceived and/or measured progress that has been made in achieving these aims, and explore what could be said about approaches that have seemed successful to improve social mobility via a place based approach.
University of East Anglia. August 2022
Norwich Opportunity Area - What's Changed Report
Although not written by external evaluators, the "What's Changed" report provides a useful high level overview of the NOA programme's work over the last five years, as well as a picture of the changes the programme has helped to bring about for Norwich's education leaders, practitioners, and children.
Norwich Opportunity Area programme team. July 2022
Project Level Evaluation Reports
Evaluation of the Community Communication Champions project in Norwich
This report looked at 10 initiatives that involved 374 families, 203 workers and 105 social media users. It examined how these initiatives removed potential engagement barriers and assisted families in improving interactions with children in their home learning environment. The study took into account both qualitative and quantitative data from participants, including Community Communication Champions, NOA school and setting staff, parents and the NOA Early Years Project Manager.
University of East Anglia, July 2020
Evaluation of the Evidence Based Practice Fund
This report covered the three East Anglia Opportunity Areas: Ipswich, Norfolk, and Fenland and East Cambridgeshire and provides an understanding of how the EBPF has been operating, with a particular focus on the experiences of the schools undertaking EBPF-funded projects, as well as the Research Schools supporting the implementation of EBPF projects in each OA. It used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the EBPF and a process-oriented perspective to evaluate it, focusing on how the EBPF was implemented and participants' experiences with it. It investigates participants' own conclusions from EBPF-supported projects. The research design was built around three main components: surveys, document analysis and theory of change workshops.
Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, October 2020
Evaluation of the Norwich Inclusion Charter
This report sought to assist Norwich schools in reducing permanent exclusions and suspensions, as well as to assess the effectiveness of the Norwich Inclusion Charter project in achieving its goals. A document and data review, focus groups, online surveys, interviews, and case studies were all part of the research. Local authority representatives, school leaders, inclusion leads and staff, teachers, intervention leads, students, and families were amongst those interviewed.
York Consulting, May 2022
Norwich student health and wellbeing - Surveys
This survey was commissioned to improve local data related to the aspirations and wellbeing of children and young people. Schools were surveyed in 2018, Spring 2020, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021 & Spring/Summer 2022.
Over 14,000 questionnaires were returned from pupils and each school that took part received a detailed breakdown of survey responses for their school at each stage.
SHEU, Schools Health Education Unit, Exeter, Autumn 2022
Evaluation of the Engagement Coach Project
6 Engagement Coaches were recruited to work with Year 9 & 10 students in Norwich schools to provide coaching support. The Engagement Coach role was designed following feedback from secondary schools about the mental health and wellbeing needs of their pupils and gaps in learning.
Anglia Ruskin University, Autumn 2022
Evaluation of the Y6-Y7 Transition Projects
This report was locally commissioned to evaluate the impact of the NOA transitions project work 2019-2022 on pupil outcomes, to draw together lessons learned and to present recommendations based on the findings. This took place across two phases:
Phase one described and examined each project and identified successes using pupil data across 35 schools. Survey responses revealed the perceived impact of the projects across 4 impact areas: a. Pupil resilience in Y7; b. Pupil behaviour in Y7; c. Academic and behavioural understanding of pupils in Y7; d. Parent/carer involvement in transitions.
Phase two sought to determine the impact of the activities and to develop resources that would support their continued development and implementation.
- Norwich Opportunity Area Transition Evaluation Interim Report 1 (PDF) [1MB]
- Norwich Opportunity Area Transition Evaluation Interim Report 2 (PDF) [1MB]
- Norwich Opportunity Area Transition Evaluation Final Report (PDF) [1MB]
Anglia Ruskin University, January 2023
Sharing our work nationally - DFE Insight Guides
Some of our projects have been shared nationally and can be found on the Insight Guides page on gov.uk Opportunity areas insight guides - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
A case study of the Norwich Communication Champions project:
A case study of the Norwich Careers Facilitator project:
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