Although Children’s University is not a direct path into a university, it aims to encourage students to aspire to further education and puts them on the path achieve their dreams. We do this by promoting a love of learning through fun and engaging activities at local Learning Destinations.
In order for a Learning Destination to be validated it must have a link to a university program, providing participating students with skills that will enable them to succeed at the tertiary level.

Currently Children’s University membership is based around the school as many extra-curricular activities are already taking place in schools, and this is a great starting point for Children’s University learning. Once children are used to participating in validated learning based at school, they can start to explore further opportunities in the wider community. This is why in-school Children’s University coordinators are essential for the day to day running of the program and their role in preparing for graduation is invaluable. Other organisations that provide a similar support structure (such as local libraries) can also be involved in Children’s University membership.

You will need to have a Children’s University coordinator in the school to oversee the program. This role could be filled by a teacher or a member of the support staff and could be carried out in a few hours per week after the initial set up stage. The coordinator will oversee the running and validation of Children’s University clubs or Restricted Learning Destinations in school, manage the issue and maintenance of Children’s University Passports to Learning, distribute Portal login information, approve Portal online activities, liaise with Children’s University around the validation and provision of activities by Public Learning Destinations and assist in preparation for graduations. Training in all of these areas will be provided by Children’s University.

Each Children’s University partner charges an annual membership fee to each participating student, which is agreed locally. It is important to keep the costs for this initiative to a minimum but also ensure that the initiative is sustainable. The membership fee includes a Passport to Learning, assistance with initial school set up, annual graduations as well as validating local Learning Destinations and access to the Children’s University website and Portal.
Schools may choose how to pass this fee onto their students in order to ensure the participation of all students that wish to be involved. Children’s University partners understand that all schools have differing needs and are more than happy to discuss ways that the fee structure can be tailored to suit the specific needs of individual schools and students.

Children’s University learning activities must take place outside of the normal school curriculum time, so validated activities before school, in recess, at lunchtime and after school are included as well as weekend and school holiday activities. Only activities at Learning Destinations which have been validated by Children’s University can be included. Details of these can be found on the Children’s University Portal (you will receive a login to the Portal once registering).

The Passport to Learning is where Children’s University members ‘collect’ their learning. Each activity is recorded, along with the time spent, and validated with a stamp from the Learning Destination. As learning hours accrue, they build towards Children’s University certificates awarded at graduations.

Learning Destinations are places and organisations that children can ‘travel’ with their Passport to Learning. They provide high quality learning activities and experiences that have been ‘validated’ by 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 corporate business as long as the learning activity connects with Children’s University learning and is linked to actual higher education course provision.

A Public Learning Destination is one that can be accessed by any Children’s University member or member of the public, such as a museum or an art gallery. Restricted Learning Destinations are for a predetermined Children’s University audience and are typically school-based clubs.

The school coordinator will oversee this for all school-led Children's University activities. Members are encouraged to take responsibility for handing in their passport to be stamped. Some schools will update passports after each activity, some will do so on a termly basis. For activities at a Public Learning Destination, the provider will usually stamp the passport. If this is not possible, the school coordinator can add the hours if provided with proof of participation.

Ask your school coordinator for a Learning Destination contact form and take it to the provider. Once the provider has completed their details, return it to the school coordinator who will forward it to Children's University. The validation of Public Learning Destinations is managed by Children's University, and depending on capacity and response rates, this process may take a little time. Once the organisation has been validated, details will appear on the Children's University website and portal.

A recommended range or set number of hours is attached to each validated learning activity as part of the validation process.

Encouraging children to try new activities and unfamiliar experiences and promoting independence in learners are key principles of Children’s University learning. Within each award level there should be a good mix of activities; ideally no more than a third of the hours should be spent on any one activity. For example, to achieve a Bronze Award (30 hours of Children’s University learning) a passport may include:
• 10 hours of swimming club activities (practice, competitions, coaching)
• 10 hours of music lessons (tuition, practice, performance)
• 10 hours made up of school club activities and activities at validated Public Learning Destinations

Children’s University members are also able to earn hours from Regular Restricted Learning Destinations. These are external organisations of which students are paying members and attend on a regular basis (e.g., sporting clubs, dance studios etc.) These organisations do not need to be listed on the Children’s University website to be included in the passport. In order to earn hours, students who participate in these activities must inform their Children’s University school coordinator who will pass on an appropriate ‘Review’ form that can be completed over a matter of months. The review forms can also be completed through online activities in the Portal. Once the form has been reviewed by the coordinator, students can earn a maximum of 10 hours in their passport for each activity in a calendar year.