Sheffield Children’s University (CU) is part of a national initiative that encourages and celebrates children and young people who take part in learning activities outside of school hours. Learning can be at either CU subscribed schools in Sheffield or at registered activity providers across the city, called Learning Destinations.

One credit is awarded for every hour of learning, adding up to awards such as certificates and badges. We hold special award ceremonies in schools and prestigious venues across the city. 

Joining Sheffield Children's University

If you'd like your child to take part in the wide range of activities and awards that the Children's University offers, they'll need a passport to learning which they can get through their school or other education destinations.

CU Festival of Fun

Each year, in partnership with our Learning Destinations, we deliver a large programme of 40+ taster activities which happen right across the city at the start of the summer holidays. All the activities are free to take part in, as long as you have a Passport to Learning. Details of these events are added here in early summer.

How to earn credits

At a subscribed school

Your child can earn credits through activities held at CU subscribed schools, as long as they take place out of normal curriculum time, eg part of lunchtime or after-school clubs. 

The school will send us their CU register to let us know to award your child with their credits automatically. 

At Learning Destinations

If your child attends a Sheffield school they can also use a Passport to Learning to collect credits at activities at validated Learning Destinations. Passports cost £3.50 each and you can buy them at Sheffield Libraries and select Learning Destinations.  

You will need to make sure the Learning Destination signs the Passport and you add your child's details to the attendance register as they will send us their CU register to let us know to award your child with their credits. 

Home educated children

We have an individual Sheffield Children’s University membership package for home educated children who live in Sheffield.

We charge an annual membership fee of £30 per academic year, reduced to £18 for siblings, to home-educated children and young people. This covers the costs of:

• administering the scheme
• tracking the data
• creating the award certificates and badges
• generating personalised learning profiles
• attendance at Gold Award ceremonies

Each home educated child will also need to purchase a Passport to Learning to collect their CU credits in. 

Activity Providers

Learning Destinations are approved activity providers who have been validated by our team to ensure their activities are excellent quality. We have also seen some of their activities happening, and they have declared that they have a number of quality and safety checks in place.

We would always recommend that parents and carers ask for evidence of these checks at all activity providers.