Community Work for Older Residents

Norwich School organises multiple partnerships to support older residents in the Norwich community. Some of these initiatives include:

Supporting St John's Care Home
We have built up strong links with local care homes through our Community Service Programme, which is undertaken by all Lower Sixth pupils. During the pandemic, their usual in-person visits to the homes were curtailed but that didn't stop our pupils in making sure they keep in touch!

In June a group of pupils visited St John's House care home to deliver the gifts they made as part of the care home's Forget Me Not project for Dementia Action Week, which raises awareness of dementia. 

During Covid-19 restrictions, pupils had been unable to visit residents in care homes as they usually would. Instead, pupils Lower have been creating handmade gifts to give to residents to lift spirits and show that they care. The gifts included hand-painted plant pots and plants, decorated glasses cases and embroidered handkerchiefs.

Although pupils could not go inside the care home to speak to residents, they were able to wave through the windows and hold up signs. They also delivered letters and cards from another community service group. The gifts were gratefully received by the residents at St John’s House and we look forward to the day when pupils are able to spend time with the residents inside again.

Dancing at the Great Hospital for Residents
Former pupils visited the Great Hospital care home in Norwich to dance in the grounds in a socially-distanced performance for residents and staff. The girls had visited the care home the previous year during lockdown to dance for residents when their normal community service placements had to be cancelled. 

Knowing that residents were unable to accept close-contact visits, the pupils wanted to be able to provide some entertainment and boost morale for residents and staff who had had a particularly challenging time during the pandemic. 

Partnership with Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital - Schools Champion Award
Norwich School is delighted to have been recognised by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for our support to NHS staff by being awarded their Charity Champion School’s Award.

The award follows a mass effort on behalf of the school’s Catering Team to prepare and deliver “Grab and Go” bags for staff in every department of the hospital to help keep energy levels and morale high at a time of increased pressure due to the pandemic.

In February this year, the Head and Catering Team devised a plan to send every member of staff at the NNUH a lunch bag of nutritious food they could eat during their shift. Catering staff and Norwich School pupils volunteered to make and deliver the lunch bags to each department, including the NNUH mortuary and post room!

Norwich School’s Catering Manager, said:

“I am incredibly proud of both the pupils and the Catering Team who have pledged their time and made this support for the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital possible.”

At the time we also received some humbling feedback from staff at the NNUH:

“We received over 40 gift bags with lovely goodies in last week. What a lovely surprise it was and I can assure you the staff devoured the contents in a very short space of time! How did you know that we all love muffins and chocolate cookies? The staff in Critical Care have worked tirelessly, as have all the staff in the hospital, over the past few months and there have been times when things have been tough for everyone. However, when we receive such lovely kind thoughts from the public it is a reminder to us all that we are in your thoughts.”

“I just wanted to say how grateful and pleased we are to receive these. It’s very special you took the time to do this”

“Thank you so much for thinking of us and being so kind during these challenging times – the pick-me-up bags most definitely brought smiles to our faces”

The Charity Champion Award was announced at the hospital’s AGM on 6 October and the school are very pleased to continue supporting the hospital. This year, several concerts have been planned for our Music Scholars to play to staff, patients and visitors on the hospital’s grand piano including a special Christmas concert in December.

Baking Cookies for Care Home Staff
The school's catering team developed and baked 55 bespoke heart-shaped cookies for local community initiative Love Your Neighbour. 

Following a request from Love Your Neighbour, a local community initiative which seeks practical ways to help the most vulnerable in the NR5 area of Norwich, the school's catering team baked and donated 550 hear-shaped cookies. Each care home was also given a copy of the school's DVD of musical performances which has been specially produced to be shown in care homes to residents. 

Video of the project here.

Intergenerational Quiz with Laurel Lodge Care Home
Pupils in Year 7 recently took part in an Intergenerational Quiz designed to link local care home residents and pupils.

Organised by charity Friend in Deed, quizmasters asked pupils in Lower 4, who currently on site as children of critical workers, a series of questions in a friendly challenge of their general knowledge.
The school has a long-running relationship with 

The recent periods of lockdown have been particularly challenging for care homes and their residents, with many unable to accept visitors. Friend In Deed’s usual activities in care homes, including visits from young families and by our own Community Service pupils, have also had to be suspended for the time being. Instead, a remote quiz was devised to help connect the generations once more and to spread a little cheer amongst the home. 

The quiz was a great success, with pupils enjoying learning about the lives of our older generations and residents hearing about life in a modern-day classroom.  

 

Sharing Music with Care Homes
Pupils have also been sharing their musical performances, recorded both in school before the period of lockdown, and in their own homes. Our usual Making Musicians concerts featuring some of Norfolk's most talented young performers, were recorded and live streamed to care homes through our partnership with Friend in Deed. The concerts are normally held in Norwich Cathedral with a public audience, many of whom are local care home residents. 

During the lent term, pupils worked together to produce the "Barbirolli Sessions from Home" a collection of musical performances which were made into a DVD and posted to 40 local care homes for residents and staff to watch and enjoy.

 

Intergenerational Sports Day
Old and young came together for a Sports Day with a difference on Saturday 29th June for Norwich School and Friend in Deed’s second Intergenerational Sports Day.

The day saw attendees aged from 0 to 90 years old form teams and take part in an egg and spoon race, a skittles competition, relay races and a bean bag toss. The aim of the event was to bring members of our society of all ages together and show the value of connecting the older generations with their community. Plans are already well underway for next year’s event. 

Inter-Generational Poetry Project
Norwich School has been working with local Social Enterprise Friend In Deed to help combat loneliness in the older generations by inviting primary school children to visit their local care home. During the summer term, pupils from Drayton Primary School and Norwich Lower School visited their respective local care homes to be paired up with residents. The groups were tasked with writing poetry around the theme of "kindness", and were asked what friendship meant to them as individuals. Primary school pupils were involved from Drayton Primary School and Norwich Lower School.

There was a vastly positive response from both pupils and residents, with one resident quoting "it's the best activity we have ever done... when she put her hand up and said "high five", I really felt worthwhile. It felt like we had acheived something".

Dementia Friendly Day for the Alzheimer's Society
On National Alzheimer's Day, and in partnership with the local social enterprise Friend In Deed, Norwich School held a day of activites, events and fundraising to help increase awareness of the disease.

During the day we ran two Dementia Friends Sessions, where 36 pupils, parents and staff recieved training in the effects of the disease and how to support those living with dementia.  By the end of the day all 36 attendees had signed up to become dementia friends and pledged to help those living with dementia and further spread awareness. 

A charity cake sale for pupils and parents was held in the school playground, with the proceeds being split between the Alzheimer's Society and Friend In Deed. 

During the afternoon a group of residents from a local care home enjoyed a picnic lunch in the Cathedral grounds, and a musical recital from the school's own musical scholars. 

 

Music Scholars Visit Local Care Home
Over the course of four weeks, pupils visited a local care home and performed recitals for residents. Afterwards pupils were encouraged to have discussions with residents on their thoughts around music. Both pupils and residents benefited from the project, which enabled bonds to be formed between participants through the medium of music.