Schools and Colleges

Norfolk schools provide a range of activities to encourage young people to develop their skills and knowledge, such as: Duke of Edinburgh awards; links with local community groups and a wide range of education-business link activities, for example the Prince's Trust.

Beacon/Leading Edge/Specialist Schools are those that have been identified as amongst the best in the country and two of Norfolk's schools were among the first to be recognised. Norfolk now has 12 Beacon Schools; 2 Leading Edge Schools and 24 Specialist Schools - 10 for Technology, 4 for Sports, 3 for Languages 2 for Arts, 1 for Mathematics & Computing and 1 for Business and Enterprise.

There are also over 30 independent schools in Norfolk providing a wide range of schooling for children of all ages, for example Norwich High School for Girls and Norwich School, which both achieve very high success rates at GCSE and A Level.

The University of East Anglia, founded in Norwich in 1963, is renowned for the excellence of its teaching, research and innovation. It has more than 9000 undergraduate students and nearly 4000 postgraduates studying on campus. It offers a choice of over 300 courses including environmental sciences, biological sciences, information systems and development studies. Well over half the departments at UEA have been rated 'Excellent' by Government Teaching Quality Assessments. It is a leading member of the Norwich Research Park; an international centre for plant, food, microbial and health research.

Norwich University College of the Arts provides a range of degree courses, whilst specialising in teaching arts, design and craft.

There are 6 further education colleges, including an agricultural and horticultural college, providing a range of vocational and academic courses for young people and adults. Adult and community learning courses are provided by Norfolk County Council's Adult Education Service.

Norwich City College, one of the UK's largest further and higher education colleges, runs hundreds of courses, ranging from evening leisure courses to full-time degrees, professional and postgraduate qualifications.

Great Yarmouth College offers a full range of courses at many different levels with advisors and tutors on hand to guide you through to match you with the perfect programme. Whether you're looking for NVQs, A levels, HNCs/HNDs or work based learning or are hoping to make the first step back into learning, there are full-time or part-time learning or even short taster courses to help you decide exactly what's right for you.

The College of West Anglia is one of the largest and most successful further education and training providers in the Eastern Region. It plays a vital and important role with individuals, communities and commercial organisations of Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, based on three campuses, King's Lynn, Norfolk and Milton and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. In addition, its learning centres in Downham Market, Hunstanton, Sheringham, Fakenham and Thetford have opened their doors to many people who previously had never considered returning to college. Each year more than 20,000 students enjoy studying on courses ranging from 3 hour taster sessions in IT through to full time degrees.

Easton College offers a range of full-time courses including: Agriculture; Animal Care; Countryside Management; Equine Studies; Floristry; Horticulture; Public Services; Sport and Recreation. Modern Apprenticeships are offered in the subjects listed above. There are also a wide range of part-time courses.

Other colleges include: Paston College and East Norfolk 6th Form College.

One of the Construction Industry Training Board's 4 campuses is located in Norfolk at Bircham Newton. Established in 1966 the college boasts over 450 acres of training area, much of which is put to use for practical operative training. Over 4 acres of covered facilities allow training to be carried out all year round, regardless of weather conditions. Lecture rooms are well equipped with modern audio visual aids. All courses are run by experienced, qualified instructors who have worked in the construction industry. The subjects covered at the National Construction College East fall into 3 main categories:

• Plant - including operation and maintenance of heavy equipment
• Access - Including scaffolding, steeplejacking and other associated disciplines
• Construction - Covering anything from conventional drain laying, site surveying right through to new modular building techniques and partitioning