Parents, carers & children

For activities in school: Each School has a named member of staff responsible for coordinating activities at the school. Children are responsible for handing their Passport to Learning in when requested. Most schools update the Passport to Learning every term or half term.

For activities at Public Learning Destinations: Usually whoever has organised the activity. Otherwise, the school co-ordinator can add the hours if they are given proof of participation.

Learning activities must take place outside the normal school day — so before school, lunchtime and after-school clubs, as well as weekends and holidays. Only approved activities at official Children's University Learning Destinations can be included. Schools will make sure children know which clubs are eligible.

You can also check our list of Public Learning Destinations.

We’re always open to suggestions for new Public Learning Destinations. You can recommend a new Learning Destination

Validation of new Learning Destinations can take a little time, depending on capacity of trained validators.

If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer validator (you’ll need to be trained up first), please contact the West of England Children’s University Manager 

Each activity has a recommended number of hours. This relates to the time actually spent learning, not necessarily the whole session. For example, a two-hour Scout or Guide meeting, where some of the session is be given over to socialising, may only be eligible as one hour in the Passport for Learning.

Children’s University promotes independence and encourages children to experience the new and unfamiliar. Any Children’s University award should include a mix of activities, with no more than a third of the time spent on a single activity.

For example, a 30-hour  award could be made up of:

• 10 hours of swimming club activities (practice, competitions, coaching).
• 4 hours of Brownies (badgework is the main focus of learning).
• 10 hours of school clubs (eg. chess, cookery).
• 6 hours of music (tuition, practice, performance).

As well as introducing them to new activities, we want to encourage children to stick with what they are good at. So hours gained through taking part in regular activities like Cubs, Brownies, sports clubs and teams, music practice and performance, can all be included in the Passport to Learning.

To keep learning broad, the time devoted to a single activity should be no more than 30 hours in a school year, or ten hours in a school term.

We want children to explore learning beyond the classroom and the normal school day in all kinds of ways, including at home. That’s why we’ve created downloadable activities and challenges that can be tackled by one or more children, or even the whole family.

These activities are restricted to 30 hours in any one school year, or ten hours per school term.

Evidence of completion of can be shown to school coordinators or emailed to the West of England CU Team for stamps or codes for Passport to Learning.

We offer individual membership to children who can’t join through their school. This means they can use their Passport to Learning at Public Learning Destinations or any locally organised Children’s University learning activities.

You can register for individual membership here.

Home-educated children can use their Passport to Learning in the same way, but obviously this won't include school-based learning activities. Parent-led, home-based activities during the normal school hours don’t count.

Learning activities for groups of children can only be validated up to a maximum of 30 hours for a single activity in any one year, and only if they take place outside normal school hours.

Children’s University Learning Activities must be open to all. Passport to Learning does not cater for activities based on a single faith.

If activities are voluntary, open to all faiths or none, and encourage children to explore faith and beliefs more broadly, we may consider them for inclusion in the Passport to Learning.

The West of England Children’s University Manager is the best person to contact. You can get in touch here.

Activities offered through Supplementary Schools — provided they are open to children of all cultures — can be considered for the Passport to Learning.