1 MILLION HOURS - We did it!

With your fantastic help and continued support, we have reached a very significant milestone here in Sheffield and it’s time to CELEBRATE!

Children and young people in Sheffield have clocked up over 
1 MILLION HOURS of learning in their own time.

Follow this link to view our special celebratory video press play above or visit http://youtu.be/wKZJRpdEYJ8

Since Children’s University arrived in Sheffield, 24,300 children and young people from across the city have been taking part in a wide range of exciting and fun learning activities out of school time. These activities have taken place in and around school, or in the community at ‘Learning Destinations’ across the city. Whether it has been Breakfast Club at Hartley Brook, Art Attack at Angram Bank, Code Club at Firth Park, Campfire Cooking with Wild Wood Activities, or Streedance with Razzamataz, every single hour has been recorded, awarded, and celebrated by Sheffield Children’s University.

That’s because we feel it’s really important to add value to existing activities and reward and celebrate children and young people for choosing to learn in their own time. Not only does it increase their confidence, self-esteem and motivation, it has a real impact on their learning. Extensive local and national research shows a clear link between participation in CU activities and increased attendance and achievement at school. Children and young people who take part in CU activities not only do better in school than non CU students, they also do better than they were expected to.

It was a student at Firth Park Academy who pushed us over that magical milestone of 1 million hours. Like all of our CU schools, Debra, Gordon and the team have developed a fantastic programme of activities to ensure they provide a wide range of activities that not only enable students at their school to develop their skills but also collect CU credits. Many students also utilise their Passport to Learning to collect credits away from school out in the community.

We love to celebrate here at Sheffield CU, and we have plenty of reasons;

1 million hours. 24,300 children and young people. 50 schools subscribed to CU. Over 100 Learning Destinations. 25 special Award Ceremonies. Over 5,000 Gold Award winners (100, 200, 300 hours etc). 30,000+ Bronze and Silver Awards. 10,000 Passports to Learning in circulation.

Of course, none of this would be possible without our fantastic schools, Learning Destinations and partners. Through their hard work, dedication, and willingness to go above and beyond, we have been able to grow and develop CU in Sheffield to reach this magnificent achievement. And to the army of children, young people and families of our city who are part of CU in Sheffield - you are an inspiration.

To celebrate and express our sincere thanks, we have created this special video: http://youtu.be/wKZJRpdEYJ8 Please do share this link, post it on your website, and show it to children and young people to help us celebrate this very special achievement. There will be a press release shortly, but we couldn’t wait to share this special news with you!

Katie and the CU Team.