Cumbrian schoolchildren are receiving new passports to success as part of a pioneering award scheme.
Designed especially for the county, Cumbrian Award covers three strands – Adventure, Culture and Enterprise – and aims to raise confidence, life skills, independence and pride in Cumbria as well as linking to the curriculum.
The pupils will participate in experiences such as kayaking, working with local artists and running a business venture, to gain the Cumbrian Award.
When they successfully complete each experience, they receive a stamp of achievement in the new passports, which were delivered to schools recently.
Cumbrian Award, when completed, will stand alongside their school test and exam results as a marker of their achievement.
Primary school pupils participate in the award in years 5 and 6. The full Sethera Cumbrian Award is awarded in Year 6 as sethera is the Cumbrian dialect for the number six.
Secondary school pupils participate in the award from years 7 to 9. The full Dovera award is awarded in Year 9 – dovera is Cumbrian dialect for the number nine.
Pupils at Flimby Primary School, near Maryport, were among the first to receive the passports.
They have already taken part in a number of experiences towards their award including a hike to a cave above Rydal Water, a trip to Dove Cottage, the home of William Wordsworth, and running a Cumbrian food fair. Their next experience will be working with a local artist to create a mural for Flimby Railway Station.
Flimby school Year 6 teacher Rebecca Dawson said: “I think the passports are a nice way for them to keep track of their progress towards gaining the award.
“Taking part in the Cumbrian Award has made me so proud of our children, to see them excel in new things, take on challenges and watch them thrive in new environments.
“It gives children opportunities they may not have had before, especially for schools which are in disadvantaged areas.
“Their amazement when we walked into the cave at Rydal was priceless to see. Children may not go walking so that was part of the challenge for them. It was all about having a go and being positive. When they came back, they were talking about other places they want to explore with their parents
“After our visit to Dove Cottage they came back to school and wanted to pick poetry books to read, and some were asking parents to take them again.”
The food fair saw pupils research Cumbrian foods and recipes and plan ingredients and costs.
They also cooked the goods including jams, gingerbread, sausage and bean pasties and Kendal mint cake, designed the labelling and publicised the event. Locals attended the fair and the children are currently deciding which local charity they will donate the proceeds to.
Rebecca added: “They learned teamwork and about costs and profits. They absolutely loved it. Children were trying new things and excelling in things we maybe hadn’t expected, like some of the quiet children got stuck in speaking to customers and getting them to come over and buy.”
Staging the food fair linked with design and technology and aspects of the maths curriculum, she said.
Cumbrian Award was originally created by Danny Gee, headteacher at West Cumbria Learning Centre, and has been further developed and run by pioneering education project WELL (Western Excellence in Learning and Leadership) which is working to raise attainment and support pupil personal development in West Cumbrian schools.
WELL is funded by Sellafield Ltd as part of its Social Impact Multiplied (SiX) programme, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Eighteen West Cumbrian schools and more than 1,300 pupils aged between nine and 14 are already taking part in the award, which launched in 2021. It is set to be rolled out across Cumbria.
Primary school pupils must complete six experiences or challenges over the academic years 5 and 6, two for each strand of the award – Adventure, Culture and Enterprise. Secondary pupils must complete 9 experiences over the academic years 7, 8 and 9. Pupils must complete all experiences in all three strands in order to receive Cumbrian Award.
