Hundreds of young people celebrate their graduation from the Northamptonshire Children’s University

​​The University of Northampton played host this week to the Northamptonshire Children’s University Graduation Ceremonies, which saw more than 400 young people receive certificates for their participation in learning activities outside of the normal school curriculum.

The Children’s University is part of the University’s schools engagement offering and has partnered with 40 schools throughout the county to celebrate learning participation through after-school clubs, sports clubs, arts clubs and tourist attractions for five to 14-year-olds.

Each child that joins the scheme receives a Passport to Learning to record their learning hours and once they complete a minimum of 30 hours, they are invited to an Undergraduate Graduation Ceremony. To encourage them to progress, the scheme also offers a Postgraduate level (430 to 800 hours) and a Doctorate Level (830 to 1,000 hours).

Four ceremonies took place at the University of Northampton’s Park Campus during the week beginning Monday 12 October, involving more than 150 children from schools including Kingsthorpe Grove Primary, Kingsthorpe College, Barton Seagrave Primary, Freeman’s Endowed Academy and the Diamond Academy.

Natasha Mycawka, Children’s University Lead at the University of Northampton commented: “The Children’s University is about motivating children and having fun with learning.

“Bringing children onto the University campus and giving them the opportunity to celebrate their achievements whilst wearing graduation gowns helps to raise their aspirations and open their eyes to new ways of learning.”