Mini Mortarboards: UWE Bristol hosts Children's University Graduation ceremony

Issue date: 11 July 2013

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Children from four schools across Bristol will be given the chance to glimpse into their future as they graduate from the Children's University (CU) at a ceremony held at Bristol Cathedral. The event, organised in conjunction with UWE Bristol, takes place on Monday 22 July at 10:30, and will see 30 children aged 7-11 take part in their very own graduation, complete with robes and mortarboards. This is part of UWE Bristol's Award Ceremonies fortnight which runs from 15 ? 26 July and will see over 4,000 graduates having their awards conferred.

The children, from Merchants Academy Primary, Bannerman Road Academy and Millpond Primary, will be met before the ceremony by George Ferguson and Steve West, UWE Bristol's Vice Chancellor, will be the guest speaker at the event. Gill Kelly, Principal of The City Academy Bristol, and Lynne Upton, Director of Education for Children's University, will present the awards on stage in front of the children's families, head teachers and other invited guests.

This is the first ceremony in Bristol organised as part of the Children's University and Heather Beach, Children's University Manager at The City Academy Bristol, hopes it will raise awareness amongst head teachers regarding the benefits to pupils of taking part in the project. She said, ?For a child being part of the Children's University means that they have access to a wide variety of amazing learning destinations, activities and experiences. When the participants visit outside of school time they collect stamps in a passport which then count towards their graduation. Our Children's University Centre in Bristol is supported by UWE Bristol who have helped organise a fabulous graduation ceremony for us at Bristol Cathedral.?

The Children's University is an educational organisation that aims to promote social mobility by providing high quality, exciting and innovative learning activities and experiences outside normal school hours to children aged 7-14 (and 5 and 6 year olds with their families) and engaging the wider communities as learning partners in the realisation of this. At the heart of its work is the ambition to raise aspirations, boost achievement and foster a love of learning, so that young people can make the most of their abilities and interests, regardless of background. Although open to all, the CU aims particularly to reach children and young people facing socio-economic and educational disadvantage through the targeting of grants to, and the promotion of activities in, areas of deprivation.

For more information on the work of the Children's University, click here.

Source: http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/uwenews/news.aspx?id=2593

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