Future initiatives and developments include …
- The core age group for CU participation is 7 to 14 years. In
2011 we started to pilot the expansion of CU provision to 5 and 6
year olds with their families or carers. Following encouraging
feedback from a number of pilot areas we are delighted to be able
to extend this provision formally to all local CUs who feel that it
fits well with their local context. Please
click here to read more.
- Further development and implementation of CU Volunteering
accreditation, offering a leading contribution to the Government's
'Big Society' agenda.
- Curriculum development and innovation will be ongoing as will
the development of learning partnerships with organisations
including BBC, B & Q, Nationwide, the Ministry of Defence as
part of the Service Children's CU and many more. Widening of our
network of partnerships to enhance the quality of provision for
children, particularly evidenced through the Learning
Destinations. Examples of best practice will be published on
www.childrensuniversity.co.uk as part of a
collection of Case Stories.
- Partnerships with Further and Higher Education to continue the
development of CU Lectures and introduce CU Master Classes and
Seminars whilst encouraging more local Children's University
centres to appoint local Chancellors and Patrons.
- Further development of the website www.childrensuniversity.co.uk to include: Learning
Destinations, signposting of learning provision and web-links
to other online learning, the publication of Case Stories of
outstanding practice, 'broadcasting' CU Lectures and providing
further information for local centres on leadership, management,
including CU Chancellors and volunteering.
- A Children's University Electronic Passport or
E-Passport is now available internationally. The
E-Passport will work alongside the Passport To
Learning linking in with school management information systems
and reducing the bureaucratic burden.
- Continued support for local centres through national and
regional meetings, the annual conference, enabling peer mentoring
and sharing of good practice. CU training will also continue,
specifically in the areas of Planning for Learning,
Planning for Excellence, the E-Passport and the
CU Volunteering accreditation.
- Ongoing engagement in research and evaluation through Professor
John MacBeath of the University of Cambridge, the Department for
Education and the Fischer Family Trust whose combined work will
continue to contribute to Children's University's profile.
- Publication of CU Trust and local CU newsletters and examples
of 'what works' in areas such as curriculum innovation, Higher and
Further Education partnerships, leadership and management and
children's involvement in directing their own learning.
- Introduction of Children's University Challenge centres (CUC)
which will be run through existing local CUs in partnership with
Higher Education and Teacher Training Institutions to improve
achievements specifically in English and Mathematics of the most
able 9 to 14 year olds. The CU Trust will actively seek to procure
external funding and support to deliver this aspect.
- Continued targeting of project funding at local, contextual and
relative deprivation. We also aim to at least match our achievement
in recent years of generating £2.69 of inward investment in local
Children's University provision for every £1 of project funding
support received from the CU Trust.
- Continued income generation through membership and a range of
other sources to offset the increase in costs essential to our
growth.
For further information please go to our Media and Publications
section. Other information and updates are available on the CU
Blog: CU Blog, Twitter: http://twitter.com/cu_trust and YouTube: www.youtube.com/NationalCU.
