The Sheffield Children's University (CU) is part of a national initiative which encourages and celebrates children taking part in a wide range of learning opportunities outside normal school hours. We track and reward Sheffield children who take part in learning activities including breakfast and after-school clubs, and activities in the evenings, at weekends and in holidays. Children can collect CU credits (one per hour), which lead to a range of 30 certificates and badges from 30 credits right up to 1,000 credits.

Activities range from sports, music, dance and drama, to visiting local libraries, museums and much, much more. We are proud to be working with the Herd of Sheffield team, so if your child has a Passport to Learning and takes part in the trail, download and complete an activity sheet from the Herd or City Council website, send it into us and we’ll award you CU credits, which will then earn you awards!

At Sheffield CU, we do lots of work looking at the impact of participation in out of school activities, through lots of data analysis, but also through case studies and anecdotal evidence collected from schools, providers, parents and the children themselves. With over 33,000 children and young people in Sheffield having over 1.7 million CU credits between them, we have lots of information to work with!

And the results are FANTASTIC! Extensive local research shows that children who take part in Children’s University activities do better at school and also have better attendance! Increased confidence, self-esteem and motivation to learn are the key benefits of taking part.

So what are you waiting for? If your child attends a Sheffield school and is not already part of CU, it’s easy to get involved! Check to see if your school is signed up by asking school staff. To collect credits away from school, just pick up a Passport for £3.50 from Sheffield libraries. Your child can use their Passport at any of the 160+ validated Learning Destinations across the city to collect one credit per hour, and earn CU awards. Some of these awards are presented at special citywide ceremonies where award winners get the chance to wear a special university-style cap and gown!

We also deliver a number of FREE activities right across the city for children and families as part of our Sheffield CU Festival of Fun in the summer holidays.

For more information about Children’s University, please visit www.sheffield.gov. uk/cu. You can also find us on Twitter (@Sheffieldcu), Facebook (SheffieldCU) and visit our blog: www.sheffieldcu.blogspot.com for more details!