Education

Creative Writing has been offered as a leisure course by the Creative Arts Faculty at Wensum Lodge on King Street for a good many years and the faculty now offers short courses such as Writing Poetry, Novel Writing and development of Creative Writing Skills with experienced tutors such as Tom Corbett, Helen Ivory, Sarah Bower and many others.

A gap was spotted in 2009 for the development of an accredited course and research pointed towards an Access to Higher Education Diploma that would give people who missed out on pathways to university the first time around another opportunity. Access courses are an alternative to A-Levels and what makes them unique is that the teaching methods are similar to those at university, so prepares students with embedded learning.
The course was developed by Mike O'Driscoll who recognised that a course which develops Academic, Creative and Professional Writing would give prospective learners a wide range of pathway choice. On the 30th of September 2009 the course was accredited by OCNER as Access to HE Diploma (Creative Writing, English Literature & Journalism) and runs two days full-time and one day part-time (over two years) and started in October with seven learners. The course co-ordinator Andrew McDonnell is now looking to run the course on a part-time basis in other areas of Norfolk, such as Cromer, Kings Lynn, Thetford and Gt Yarmouth and would be very interested in hearing from prospective learners and tutors.
He can be contacted at creative arts@Norfolk.gov.uk