We Are Mansfield becomes part of school curriculum at Queen Elizabeth's Academy

We Are Mansfield, a local film and cultural project, has been incorporated into year seven lessons at Queen Elizabeth's Academy as part of a unit on The Importance of Place.

Year seven students at Queen Elizabeth's Academy in Mansfield are studying a local cultural project called We Are Mansfield as part of a curriculum focus on The Importance of Place. The project began as a film celebrating Mansfield's people and spirit and has been expanded into a wider community resource. Lessons use the film alongside discussion and reflection to introduce pupils to the town's identity, stories and shared heritage. Organisers describe the move as a way to connect learning with the place pupils call home. What is known: - We Are Mansfield started as a film and has grown into a community cultural project. - Queen Elizabeth's Academy has included the project in year seven lessons on The Importance of Place. - The programme uses film, discussion and reflection to explore how communities are shaped and why local identity matters. - Project lead Martin Croft said inclusion in the curriculum is a "powerful moment" for the town. - Poet Richard C Bower, a contributor, said teaching the town's own stories signals that where young people come from matters. Summary: The programme represents a local example of community storytelling becoming a formal educational resource, and organisers say it aims to help pupils feel connected to Mansfield's identity. Those behind the project hope other schools may adopt the approach, but wider adoption is undetermined at this time.