NORWICH City's Study Centre has received the highest accolade that can be awarded to a non-school education establishment.
At a meeting on Friday, January 22, the Centre was recognised as an Advanced Centre for the second time in its 10-year history. The Advanced Centre Award is only bestowed on establishments who are found to raise achievement by enhancing the quality of learning outside the school classroom.
The Centre exists thanks to a three-way partnership between the Football Club, Norfolk Children's Services and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Its aim is to use the appeal of football to engage learners across an incredibly broad range of abilities and backgrounds, and to encourage everybody to enjoy learning and to achieve their full potential.
Growing from humble origins, it now operates out of a well-equipped suite of rooms within the Aviva Community Stand. It offers successful learning programmes to disengaged school students, the unemployed, the refugee community, families and over-55s who are new to ICT.
Out of 162 Study Centres nationwide, the Norwich City Centre is one of only 13 centres to be awarded Advanced Status. The centre first achieved this quality mark three years ago and the latest recognition confirms it continues to lead the way (both locally and nationally) in the outstanding learning opportunities it offers to young people and the wider community. The award is administered by Quality In Study Support (QiSS), a company that quality assures out of hours learning and extended schools programmes.
The award is testament to the hard work, talent and dedication of the small team of individuals who run it. In 2009 over 1,000 learners of all ages accessed the support of the Centre and demand for its services continues to grow.
Commenting on the award, Study Centre Manager Paul Wickens said: "We are extremely proud of this award. It is a quality badge which shows that we are 'top of the league' when it comes to education outside the classroom. I would like to say a huge thank you to the Football Club for the wonderful support it gives the Centre and our work."
