Putting children at the centre of learning
It all starts with a school joining Children’s University Scotland. Children aged 5-14 who attend a member school can sign up to Children's University Scotland.
Each child decides if they want to join, and what activities they want to do. There are no exams, and no pressure to collect credits.
Letting each child decide what to do, where to go and what to learn develops a stronger sense of personal ownership for their Children's University learning journey.
Every child gets a Passport to Learning. This looks just like a normal passport; they use it to record their achievements — with stamps, stickers or signatures.
Children can collect credits for taking part in a reading challenge, playing in a school sports team, learning to play an instrument or visiting an art gallery, castle, science centre or nature reserve — the opportunities are almost endless.
The learning journey is about developing practical and personal skills, building confidence, discovering new interests, and experiencing fun new ways to learn.
All our activities take place at a learning destination, such as an after-school club, museum, library, leisure centre or park.
All our learning destinations are accredited for the quality of learning they provide. We make sure the activities on offer there are engaging, interactive, voluntary and fun.
When a child visits a learning destination and takes part in an activity, they’ll earn a credit. That credit counts towards an award. Awards are presented at Children’s University graduations, which are held at real ‘grown-up’ universities.
There are three initial levels of award:
There are more awards above Gold, right up to an award for 1,000 hours of voluntary learning. With each new award, we hope children will be inspired to try new things, explore new learning environments and develop their skills in new and exciting ways.
