Sheffield Children's University

Yesterday our Sheffield Children’s University team were proud to help lead the South Yorkshire Children’s University Schools’ Conference, alongside the brilliant CU managers from across South Yorkshire.

The day was all about how we can work together to help more children enjoy brilliant opportunities beyond the classroom - the clubs, activities, visits, challenges and experiences that help build confidence, curiosity and pride.

Schools shared ideas, talked about what works well, explored pupil voice, and thought about how Children’s University can continue to support children and families over the year ahead.

A big thank you to all the schools, partners and CU colleagues who joined us and contributed to such a positive day.

And a special thank you to our Sheffield schools for everything you do to encourage, celebrate and support children on their Children’s University journey! 🎓💖

📢*Friendly reminder*📢

If your child has received an invitation to our summer Gold Awards Ceremonies via their school, PLEASE remember to confirm your attendance with us by FRIDAY 19th JUNE (all details on the invitation).

If we don't receive confirmation by the deadline, your child's awards will be sent into school for presentation there.

⚽FOOTBALL GAME - We're aware that one of our ceremonies is on the same date as a World Cup game. However, we WILL be finished by 7.30pm, so there's time to attend the ceremony AND watch the game!🎉

We can't wait to celebrate your child's CU achievements!🎓

🦁✨ Discover the Pride of Yorkshire Lions Trail! ✨🦁

Get ready for a roaring good adventure right across South Yorkshire this summer!

Running from now until September, the Pride of Yorkshire trail is a fun, family-friendly activity that takes you exploring different locations as you search for beautifully designed lion sculptures. There are 300 to find (150 lions and 150 lionesses) and the trail is raising money to renovate the Emergency Department at Sheffield Children's Hospital.

Whether you're out for the day, exploring your local area, or planning a weekend adventure, this trail is a fantastic and FREE way to get outdoors, discover new places, and enjoy some creative art along the way.

📍 How to take part:
✅ Head to www.prideofyorkshire.org
✅ Register for a free account – just sign up with your details to get started
✅ Log in and browse the trail map to find lion locations across South Yorkshire
✅ Visit the lions, tick them off on your account, and track your progress as you go
✅ Take photos and enjoy discovering as many as you can!

🎓 Children’s University Bonus!
Children’s University members can earn up to 3 CU credits for completing our special CU trail activity – a great way to combine fun with learning.

Download your copy here: https://bit.ly/PrideofYorkshireSYCUActivity. Complete both sides and follow the instructions on the sheet to claim your credits.

🌟 Inspiring Futures with Sheffield Children’s University Masterclasses! 🌟

What an incredible run of Sheffield Children’s University Masterclasses we’ve had this year! From science and creativity to money management and engineering, our pupils have been developing vital Skills Builder skills - including listening, speaking, problem-solving, creativity, teamwork and staying positive - all while being inspired by real professionals and their career journeys.

✨ Highlights have included:
• Exploding Rainbows with Amazelab (Leonie) – sparking curiosity and scientific thinking through a live experiment on screen, mirrored in classrooms
• SATs booster & pattern-spotting with Imagination Gaming (Nigel) – boosting problem-solving and resilience through a range of card games
• Character freeze-framing & storytelling with A Mind Apart (Lydia) – building confidence and creativity through character development and facial expressions
• Sensible saving & budgeting escape room with Cash Academy (Becky) – developing financial literacy and teamwork, solving puzzles to ‘escape’ together
• Brilliant Bridges & engineering with Eadon Consulting Ltd (Gareth) – inspiring future engineers and critical thinkers, and building bridges with recycled paper
• Gary the Gorilla song workshop with Sheffield Music Hub (Becky) – encouraging expression and collaboration with Gary’s story as a basis for fun music-making
• And our final CU Masterclass of the year will be the Road Safety Team from Sheffield City Council teaching these incredibly important skills...just in time for the summer holidays!

Each session not only develops key skills, but also gives pupils a powerful insight into the career journeys of the presenters, helping them see how these very skills are used in real jobs and future pathways. A ‘Question and Answer’ section encourages interaction from pupils via the chat function, helping them to really uncover a world of careers on offer to them in the future.

Our CU Masterclasses (based on a concept from our friends at Sefton Children's University) are monthly and they’re beamed live via MS Teams directly into classrooms for one hour in an afternoon, making them accessible, interactive and engaging for pupils of all ages across the city - and they’re exclusively available to our CU member schools. You can sign up as many of your classrooms as you’d like!

If your school isn’t yet part of Sheffield Children’s University, now is the perfect time to get involved! From September, you can access these inspiring Masterclasses and much, much more to support your pupils’ learning and aspirations. Just email [email protected] for more information.
Let’s continue to inspire the next generation together!

🌟 Discover, Explore & Earn This Week Across South Yorkshire! 📚✨

Looking for something fun, free and inspiring to do this week? Why not visit one of our fantastic Learning Destinations across South Yorkshire! From libraries and museums to parks, galleries and community spaces, there are so many exciting places waiting to be explored. There's plenty which are perfect for exploring in the sunshine!

Bring the whole family along and turn your visit into an adventure - whether you’re learning about local history, getting creative, or trying out something new.

🎫 Don’t forget your Passport to Learning!
Each time you visit a Learning Destination, you can earn CU (Children’s University) credits towards your awards. It’s easy:
✔️ Take your Passport with you
✔️ Ask a staff member to stamp it after your visit
✔️ Ask a staff member to add your details to their CU register (SHEFFIELD LDs only)
✔️ Visit our website to claim your credits: https://bit.ly/claimSCUcreditsbeyondSheffield (LDs BEYOND SHEFFIELD only)

🏅 The more credits you collect, the closer you get to celebrating your achievements at a Children’s University graduation!
📍 Start your journey today - see how many Learning Destinations you can visit this week and how many credits you can earn!

If you don't yet have a CU Passport to Learning, you can buy one from any Sheffield Libraries, Archives & Information for £3.50.

Find details of all Learning Destinations locally, regionally and nationally here:
www.childrensuniversity.co.uk/activity-search

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟

We’re delighted to welcome Cook Stars Sheffield North as our newest Learning Destination in the CU Passport to Learning programme! 🎉🍳

Cook Stars offers fun, hands-on cooking sessions designed especially for children. From baking delicious treats to learning how to prepare simple, healthy meals, children will build confidence in the kitchen while developing important life skills like teamwork, creativity, and independence.

Through their engaging activities, young learners can:
✅ Try new recipes and ingredients
✅ Learn basic cooking techniques safely
✅ Boost their creativity and confidence
✅ Develop healthy eating habits

Even better, every session gives children the opportunity to earn CU credits in their CU Passport to Learning, rewarding their enthusiasm, effort, and new skills along the way.

We’re so pleased to be working with Cook Stars – Sheffield North to inspire children to learn, grow, and discover the joy of cooking! 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳

👉 Keep an eye out for upcoming sessions and start collecting those CU credits! You can find their details and details of all our Learning Destinations here: www.childrensuniversity.co.uk/activity-search

With the Spring half term holidays just around the corner, have you planned your days yet? We're here to help with our South Yorkshire CU Holiday Activity Newsletter!

It's packed with ideas across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield!
From sports and arts to museums and outdoor fun, children can:
✅ Build confidence
✅ Make friends & develop teamwork
✅ Get creative and try new things

🎓 They can also earn Children’s University credits – just pick up a Passport to Learning from your local Sheffield Libraries, Archives & Information (£3.50) to get started.

👉 Take a look at the newsletter and find something your child will love:
https://bit.ly/SYCUHolidayActivityNewsletterSpring2026

Wishing all Y6s the very best of luck in your SATs this week.

Remember though, SAT's can't test how creative you are, how great a leader you might become, or how wonderful a team mate you are!

You have so many skills and talents, waiting to be unleashed.

Your best is good enough and we're incredibly proud of each and every one of you!

🌼 SYCU Spring Holiday Activity Newsletter is here! 🌼

Looking for fun things to keep your children busy this holiday? Our Spring 2026 Activity Newsletter is packed with ideas across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield!

From sports and arts to museums and outdoor fun, children can:
✅ Build confidence
✅ Make friends & develop teamwork
✅ Get creative and try new things
🎓 They can also earn Children’s University credits – just pick up a Passport to Learning from your local Sheffield Libraries, Archives & Information (£3.50) to get started.

👉 Take a look at the newsletter and find something your child will love:
https://bit.ly/SYCUHolidayActivityNewsletterSpring2026

🤩Photos have arrived!🤩

Take a look at our album and re-live what a fantastic night we had last night, celebrating all your brilliant CU Gold Awards!

We began our event with a wonderful performance by young people from Sheffield Music Hub - our biggest ensemble performance to date!

Then we had some very inspiring speeches from our VIPs. First, Becky Towle, Assistant Director of Children and Families Service, Sheffield City Council shared her experience of learning with dyslexia, and how important it is to learn in your own way. Then we heard from Prof Jennifer Smith Maguire, Executive Dean of Business, Technology and Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University, who inspired us to keep being curious, be nosy and ask questions, and have patience while looking for signs of growth - just like her plum tree!

In between presentations of our awards, we enjoyed a very lively performance by the amazing cheerleaders from Skyline Gymnastics

We're incredibly proud of all our CU Award Winners, and thank you all for coming along and making our evening such a special time of celebration! We look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Huge thanks to HEPP colleagues for their support, and to Sheffield Hallam University for hosting our event once again.