Fife College will partner with Children’s University (CU) Scotland to help expand learning opportunities for children across Fife over the next two years. Funding from The Robertson Trust will support the pilot programme and will complement other projects in the region including First Chances Fife and OnFife Libraries’ Reading Challenges.
Focussing on disadvantaged children, the programme will see Fife College teaching staff offer enhanced learning opportunities for hundreds of young people, and extend the reach of the Children’s University network across Scotland.
Given the current pandemic most of the work in the first year will focus on learning at home opportunities, with the college creating a suite of exciting, high quality learning activities that children can engage with online.
The first of these activities will be on the theme of Cosplay, exploring diverse topics such as character creation, story-telling and costume design through a fun project activity.
The scheme is part of Children’s University’s drive to recognise the interests and passions of young people beyond the classroom, and build their confidence through an awards programme.
Children taking part will collect CU Scotland credits and awards for the opportunities offered through Fife College, as well as thousands of other extracurricular activities they can access through the Aspire app.
Speaking about the agreement Fife College Assistant Principal Iain Hawker said:
“This is a really exciting partnership that we have with Children’s University Scotland, and I’m excited to see what our work together can achieve.
“The pandemic has been hard for many families, but it’s been especially tough for children from more disadvantaged backgrounds.
“That’s why I’m so proud that our staff at Fife College will be working to create these projects for young people to enjoy, and give them an opportunity to explore subjects they’re passionate about.
“The fact that this can all be done safely from home is a huge advantage, but as we exit from the restrictions surrounding the pandemic we look forward to taking our work out into Fife communities.”
Neil Mathers, Chief Executive at Children’s University Scotland said:
“We’re delighted to be working with Fife College for this unique partnership project.
“At Children’s University Scotland we believe learning doesn’t stop at the school gates, which is why we work to celebrate young people’s interests outside of the classroom.
“We want to raise aspirations, boost achievement and instill a love of learning that will stay with children throughout their lives.
“This partnership will help us do that for disadvantaged children across the Fife region, and we can’t wait to get started.”
Photograph: Child enjoying Children's University activity.
