What is Children's University™?
The Children's University™ (CU) aims to promote exciting learning opportunities and experiences outside normal school hours for children aged 7 to 14 (and 5 and 6 year olds with their families). At the heart of its work is the ambition to raise aspirations, boost achievement and foster a love of learning, so that young people can make the most of their abilities and interests.
What is a Learning Destination?
Learning Destinations are places and organisations to which children can 'travel' with their Passport To Learning. They provide high quality learning activities and experiences with a 'wow' factor and have passed the Children's University's™ own quality assurance process (Planning for Learning). A Learning Destination can range from a museum to a farm or from an airport to a school.
There are Learning Destinations across the country. You can find out more about them by visiting the national Children's University website.
Learning Destinations display the CU's Learning Destination logo prominently in and outside their environment, clearly visible to children who may want to use their Passport To Learning there. Learning Destinations are also strongly encouraged to include the Learning Destination logo on literature, letter headed paper and to have a web link to the local Children's University website.
Learning Destinations 'stamp' the child's Passport To Learning in correspondence with the time a child has been engaged in the validated learning activities within the Learning Destination. In Kent, this stamp is known as a Learning Credit. This thereby contributes to the child's record of achievements and CU certification. Learning Destinations ensure attendance and evaluation records related to CU activities can be available to the local and national Children's University to assist in developments, evaluation and research.
Recognising and rewarding participation
Children's University™ students use Passports To Learning in which they record the number of hours of completed CU validated learning activities. Children are encouraged to progress through the national certification scheme, based on the number of hours of attendance throughout their involvement with the Children's University™.