Parents/Carers | lincolnshirecu

Info for Parents/Carers

Learning Destinations

A Learning Destination can be your children’s school itself (out of hours,) or elsewhere, so long as it has been validated by a Children’s University (CU). There are now lots of them in the UK and Northern Ireland, and even some overseas. Lincolnshire Children’s University is the hub of CU learning in this county and the interface with your children. We are always looking for more Lincolnshire destinations to be validated and trying to get more schools involved.

So what are the benefits?

In their second evaluation of the national Children’s University, Professor John MacBeath’s team at the University of Cambridge identified 10 key reasons why children and young people should engage with the Children’s University:

It significantly improves school attendance.
Achievement is significantly better at Key Stages 1 to 3
The further children engage the better their attendance and achievement becomes.
It provides a safe haven and models positive relationships.
It provides an environment for self-driven, confident and collegial learning.
Pupils and teachers testify to life changing experiences.
Opportunity costs are high for children in disadvantaged areas who do not attend Children’s University.
Credits, passports and graduation are valued incentives and rewards.
Children’s University settings help to inspire and raise aspirations for children, and their parents.
Children’s University has helped to ‘make learning a reality beyond academic studies’.

A few personal comments from parents:

“Children’s University has been a fantastic experience for all three of our children. They are three very different characters and Children’s University has inspired and challenged them all.”

“Children’s University has helped support our children’s learning and widen their world. I wish you all the best for the future and hope you will be able to support many more children through the experience that is the Children’s University.”

And from some children:

“You don’t have to be in school to learn.”

“I’m not so worried about putting my hand up or trying things out in class because that’s what you do in CU. Nobody puts you down for trying.”

“The Children’s University makes you want to go to school more. The courses are fun courses … and you get the credits.”

“I joined the computer club and practiced really hard. I got better. We don’t have a computer at home but I could take this one home. It really helped me.”

There is a lot more to the Children’s University of course, so please do go to their main websiteto find out more. There is a lot of detail there – think of it as your homework for today………

Lincolnshire Children’s University is supported by The University of Lincoln and Bishop Grosseteste University, among others. We are guided by our steering committee and an advisory body. In May 2014 we invited Lincolnshire schools to an information event in Lincoln and 13 schools have expressed an interest.

Please contact us if:

you would like your children’s school to find out about joining in
you are having difficulties enrolling
you come across somewhere in Lincolnshire you think might be interested in becoming a local Learning Destination
you want to ask us anything else about the Children’s University

Think back to your own childhood. Things we enjoyed doing out of school hours may have stuck in our memories, but only later do we realise that some of them were real learning experiences.

Going on holiday may have opened your eyes to different cultures and traditions. Perhaps you joined the scouts or guides and learned new skills alongside others in your age group. You may have joined after-school clubs, gone to music lessons, played sport or enjoyed museum visits. Wouldn’t it have been great if all these out-of-school experiences counted as valuable learning and you could have got credit for them?

Well now your children can. Children’s University was set up to do just that. By collecting stamps in a Passport to Learning each time your children (aged 5-14) spend some hours at a recognised Children’s University Learning Destination, they can eventually qualify for National Children’s University Awards, Bronze (30 hours), Silver (65 hours) or Gold (100 hours). A Passport to Learning costs only £5 and you and your children can attend graduation ceremonies, just like at “grown up” Universities.