Raising expectations - the role of education centres

MANY DEPRIVED areas face a problem with isolation - a sense that they are geographically and culturally remote from the rest of the city or town. This factor can stigmatise children from a young age, encouraging them to think that their prospects are constrained - that they can achieve little more than local adults they see around them. Unless isolation and low esteem are challenged, low expectations can get passed down generations and an area's reputation for failure can be reinforced.

In Devonport at the edge of Plymouth, this problem is being tackled by the NDC with a range of projects, including support for education centre Seymour House - a beautiful historical building with panoramic views of Plymouth Sound and the rooftops of local people's homes. NDC support has included £135,000 towards the science garden, including the camera obscura, £12,400 towards the self build classroom project and £11,250 so far towards the Sail Ahead activities (see below).

The project's aims included:

• to involve the local community and businesses at all stages of the projects development
• to create opportunities for local employment
• to contribute towards raising attainment within the Education Action Zone
• to enable young people to develop the skills and confidence necessary to achieve in other areas of learning
• to demonstrate how Devonport young people can take the lead in embracing new technology, ultimately leading to skilled employment opportunities.

Activities at Seymour House since 2001

Project coordinator Jo McCaren turning on and off a solar-powered fountain with 'clouds': 'The children absolutely love coming here - a visit to Seymour House can really motivate them. Their horizons are raised and they see Devonport as a special place that they can nurture and improve'

• Seymour House grounds have been developed to create an exciting waterfront science exploratory garden, to provide inspirational learning opportunities for young people
• A classroom has been designed and constructed by young people from the local community - equipped with a fully functional alternative energy system, supporting learning in a wide range of curriculum areas
• The classroom exemplifies the manner in which, through simple techniques and appropriate technology, individuals or groups can construct buildings for their own or community use
• The classroom demonstrates the way in which such structures can be built in an environmentally sensitive fashion without compromising their effectiveness, eg turf roofing
• A garden, featuring a solar-powered water feature, has been designed and constructed to support learning sessions for key stage one and two pupils, by a group of key stage four students, at risk of exclusion
• A derelict Napoleonic gun battery, which had been converted during world war two into an air-raid shelter, has been used to develop a learning experience to provide local children with an insight into the blitz experience
• The gun battery has been fully refurbished and is now equipped with what is certainly the only 'underground' camera obscura in the area and very probably in the world
• A wide range of learning experiences have been developed in consultation with the local community, including practical science and technology activity sessions, urban and environmental trails and decision-making sessions with a local regeneration focus