Children’s University
Dear parent(s)/carer(s),
Due to the restrictions in place at present and for the foreseeable future, we have received details of how the children’s university credits will be awarded given that currently children cannot earn credits by attendance at the school’s customary after school clubs. Please read the following information from Enrich education about how the allocation of credits is changing.
At present with the current restrictions in place children may not have access to the usual extracurricular clubs and provision to gain Children’s University credits like in previous years. As part of the Children’s University we want to make sure that children still have an opportunity to access and benefit from a wide and varied amount of enrichment activities and experiences.
We have enhanced and developed the Children’s University programme this year to provide families with different ways to collect credits that will count towards the children’s graduation next summer. Below are a couple of ways you can gain Children’s University credits:
Enrich Education - Activities/Resources - Home Learning
The Home Learning section on the Enrich Education website has a range of Children’s University accredited activities that can be completed at home. The activities are broken down into different subject (Sport, Art, Science, Geography, Maths, English & STEM). New fun and engaging activities are being created and uploaded every week.
Throughout this school year will have the opportunity to earn over 100 credits if they undertake these activities. Children’s University hours will be credited once the session/work has been completed and evidence provided to school’s children’s university coordinator along with the activity’s individual ‘Activity Stamp Code’. The code is usually a colour followed by 4 numbers i.e. purple5017 The code can be found at the bottom of the activity session sheets.To access these activities please visit:
http://www.enricheducationuk.com/home-learning/
In addition to the Enrich Education activities, National Children’s University Trust has an online learning activities page. There are lots of validated activities for children to engage with and gain credits for.
To access these activities please visit:
https://www.childrensuniversity.co.uk/get-involved/activities-to-do-at-home-and-online/
Enrich Education - Online Mini Master Classes
To provide further learning opportunities Enrich Education will be hosting a number of free, informal, fun, and engaging online Mini Master Classes that children can participate in. The Mini Master Classes will be hosted Live on our Youtube channel and will take place on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Working with teachers with specialisms in a range of different subjects from Art, Crafts, Drama, Maths, English and History. Children will have the opportunity to participate in the sessions in the comfort of their own home. All of the resources for the sessions will be posted on the Enrich Education Home Learning section on the website in the Master Classes tab.
A full timetable of events will be released on the events page on the Enrich Education website here:
http://www.enricheducationuk.com/events/
The first master class will be held on Saturday 7th November at 10:30 this session will have an art focus.
Enrich Education – Learning Destinations
Many children are still accessing enrichment activities away from the school, in their local communities. For the organisation’s activities to count towards a participants Children’s University credits they must have undertaken a short validation process.
We have taken the decision to relax the validation process and allow children to gain hours from organisations that have not yet undertaken the validation process yet. This will enable children to gain a maximum of 30 hours from any non-validated activities/organisations. For example, if a child attends a drama group and a football group that are not validated, they will be eligible to receive up to 30 hours attending these organisations.
If possible, these hours should be recorded in a Children’s University passport to learning, this is the official process of logging hours for external hours. However, there are some school that are not currently utilising the passport to learning and we will work with these schools to ensure their pupils are still benefiting from attending external activities. Providing some evidence and maybe even a piece of work (report, scrapbook, medals, photographs) will be acceptable as evidence of attendance.
There are already lots of validated Learning Destinations, both locally and nationally, that children are accessing to pursue their interests and hobbies. These organisations are a great way for children to participate in enrichment activities and gain CU credits through the Children’s University Passport to Learning. To find validated activities/organisations in your area please visit the ‘Find an Activity’ section of the Children’s University website:
https://www.childrensuniversity.co.uk/activity-search/
Enrich Education – More Able Online Sessions
Enrich Education will be offering a number More Able (formerly ‘Gifted and Talented’) online workshops in English & Maths in the spring term. The sessions will take place on a Saturday morning and last for between 1 & 2 hours.
The sessions will be of a dynamic and challenging nature, aimed at enhancing the skills that some young people have already displayed signs of possessing in Maths or English. Schools will be able to select a number of year 6 pupils to benefit from these sessions and full registration details will be provided via school closer to the time.
Enrich Education - Tailored School Offer and Credits
Enrich Education will be working with each school individually and assessing where children are engaging in enrichment activities within the school timetable. Some curriculum activities will count towards Children’s University hours, for this year. This could come in the form of enrichment lessons that can be temporarily classed as CU modules i.e. music, arts, crafts, drama, sports, computers etc. The school will use their best judgment to choose the areas of the curriculum that will count towards the child’s Children’s University credits for this year.
If you have any questions about the Children’s University programme for the coming year please contact Enrich Education.
If you require any further information about how this will look specifically for us at Eastcroft Park, or have any other questions/queries about Children’s University then please email me at reception@eastcroftpark.co.uk.
Mr Youngman
Children’s University & after-school clubs coordinator