Norwich Cathedral Tour for Magdalen Gates School

Nowich School Community has been partnering with Magdalen Gates Primary School for a number of years and more recently we were able to host them for a tour of Norwich Cathedral, some outdoor reading for pleasure and a picnic lunch. 

Aims

Norwich School's Community Service Programme for Lower 6th sees each pupil undertaking volunteering in community settings for two hours per week. 

One long-running and successful placement has been with Magdalen Gates Primary School, where our pupils have been visiting as volunteer readers for a number of years. Pupils are given training by the Norfolk Reading Project, a local charity, and visit each week to listen to children reading and help them develop their understanding. 

When we heard that the Magdalen Gates Reception classes were going on a tour of Norwich as part of their geography learning, the Lower 6 pupils were delighted to be able to welcome them to the Cathedral close and give them a tour of this magnificent building. 

Afterwards, pupils enjoyed some reading for pleasure on the school playing fields with their volunteer readers and then had a picnic lunch in the sunshine. 

Resources

Magdalen Gates contacted us as they wanted to visit the Cathedral as part of a tour of the city and despite living within a mile of the site, many of the children in the class had never been inside. 

As Norwich School is closely linked with the Cathedral we were happy to give them a personalised tour of the site and to cover the cost of admission for the children to not place extra costs on families. 

We then took the children to our Lower School playing fields to do some reading with our Lower 6th pupils before having a picnic lunch. 

Impact

The teachers at Magdalen Gates were hoping to increase the cultural capital of the children, many of who might not have had the opportunity to visit the cathedral close with their families. We were delighted to be able to use our position to facilitate a visit for them.

It was also a good opportunity for our own pupils to show the benefits of reading for pleasure and to act as role models for being active readers. 

Pupil Involvement

The visit included 30 Reception aged children from Magdalen Gates School and 5 Norwich School Lower Sixth pupils. 

Frequency

The Community Service Programme continues annually and plans are in place to replicate the visit for the next academic year.