Children's
University
The Children's University (CU) Trust is a charitable trust that provides 7 to 14 year olds (and 5 to 6 year olds with their families) with exciting and innovative learning activities and experiences outside normal school hours. We celebrate achievement and reward participation through our certificates. Raising children's aspirations is important to us and we aim to develop the understanding that learning can be "...a satellite navigation system to better places in life…".
"Tell me and I will forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand!" - Anon
As a rule of thumb, Children's University learning equals 'grown-ups university' learning; it is learning which can be 'connected' to Higher Education course provision as exemplified by UCAS - in other words: if you can get a degree in it the Children's University wants to know! This is what the Children's University terms the thinking at the start of the journey to independent learning …
A Passport To Learning has been created, in which 7 to 14 year old children - and 5 and 6 year olds with grown-ups - collect 'stamps' and hours of accredited learning. This contributes to the award of a certificate, encouraging them to access Children's University provision and a wide range of other worthwhile out-of-school-hours learning opportunities.
This innovation has received widespread support from sponsors and funders. Our current supporters and sponsors include the Education Endowment Foundation/Cabinet Office, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, F2UNI and the Fidelity Foundation. Investment is vital and by no means limited to hard cash: services, venues, products and staff time all play an equally critical role. The Association of Graduate Recruiters generously allocated us exhibition space at no cost and Birmingham Solicitors’ Group selected their local CU as the group’s “Charity of the Year”. Our learning partners cover a diverse range of public providers, including: Higher and Further Education Institutions, Museums, Libraries and Archives, Woodland Trust, English Heritage, The Forestry Commission, Pets at Home and Halfords. Internationally, we have a growing number of public Learning Destinations in Germany, Italy, Cyprus and Australia.
Each Passport To Learning is individually numbered which makes each child, as passport holder, an individual member of the Children's University. Tracking development and progress as part of the evaluation of impact is in this way also possible. This may be of particular interest to individual schools and Local Authorities as well as government agencies. An electronic version of the Passport To Learning (E-Passport) has been developed in partnership with private sector partners F2UNI / bit10, to promote even greater independence in our learners and to enable children to actively log and manage their achievements. The E-Passport can also assist in children's transition from the primary to secondary phase and act as evidence in schools' monitoring, reporting and (Ofsted) self-evaluation.
Children's University at Edgar Stammers Primary Academy
Our school is proud to be part of the Black Country Children’s University.
Children’s University is a national scheme which rewards children for attending clubs and activities which take place outside of normal school hours. All children in school have a Learning Passport, within which credits are recorded as children attend clubs & activities.
As a school, we are building up the number and range of out of hours activities offered to pupils. The majority of these are delivered by teachers and teaching assistants in their own time (usually during lunchtimes and after school) and attract no charge.
This is the first year that we are running Children's university and therefore it is currently only offered to our Year 4 children. However, over the coming years we plan to introduce it to more year groups.
This year, the clubs offered by the school are:-
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Stammers Got Talent, Multi-sports, gardening, dance and singing (choir).
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Additionally, Wolves Football Club coaches are delivering a range of after-school sports and non-sporting clubs including football, reading and self-confidence.
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Miss Littlewood, our Forest Schools co-ordinator, plans to run an after-School Forest Schools Club in the summer term.
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Pupils who regularly undertake responsibilities like lunchtime buddy, tech team etc also receive credits from the Children’s University.
If your child attends a club out of school and is rewarded with a certificate, badge or trophy, please bring this into school. We will check to see if their club is validated by the Children’s University and if it is they will receive credits in their passport.
At the end of their time at our school, children will take their passports with them and they can continue accumulating credits at other participating schools.
For further information on the Children's University, please have a look at their website. To access the website, please click here.