Schools

Children's University structure

Children's University is run by the Children's University (CU) Trust. It operates through more than 80 local centres, with a further 25 in planning. Local Children's University centres are almost always a partnership between several organisations, and membership is managed at school level. To find your nearest local Children's University please click here.

School membership fees and costs for children are decided by the local Children's University but are generally based on a contribution according to the size of the school and include a small charge for the Passport To Learning per pupil taking part in the scheme.

Children's University learning

Activities must take place outside the normal school day and are always voluntary. Activities can include clubs which run before school, during lunchtime, after school or at weekends and during holidays. The learning is linked to Higher Education course provision as exemplified on www.ucas.com/students/coursesearch - in other words: if you can aspire to do a degree in it, the Children's University wants to know! 

All activities are validated/checked by local Children's University representatives for the quality of learning they provide. Safeguarding arrangements are always the responsibility of the learning provider.

Once the quality of learning has been validated, the learning provider becomes a CU validated Learning Destination. All Children's University Learning Destinations are required to visibly display our black and gold Learning Destination poster and/or sticker in and outside the learning environment and are encouraged to use the Learning Destination logo on their literature and as well as on their website. Click here to find a list of public Learning Destinations near you. Please note that CU learning activities may also be provided at locally validated restricted Learning Destinations. Restricted Learning Destinations are places which are not publicly accessible, such as schools and clubs which require membership and are thus aimed at the local CU audience alone. To find out more about restricted Learning Destinations in your area please contact your local Children's University centre directly.

Recognising and rewarding participation

Participants to the Children's University 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 CU Certification scheme, based on the number of hours of attendance throughout their involvement with the Children's University. bronze, silver and gold certificates are awarded at CU Undergraduate, CU Postgraduate and CU Doctorate levels. The certificates are usually presented at a graduation ceremony organised through the local Children's University. To find out more about CU Certification, please click here.

If your school is interested in becoming part of the Children's University, please contact your nearest local Children's University Manager in the first instance.