Children’s University Across North Wales
One programme, many communities, thousands of proud moments
Across North Wales, the Children’s University pilot in 2023 and 2024 created something simple and powerful. It gave children and young people a clear way to take part in extracurricular learning, record what they had achieved, and then celebrate those achievements in a setting that felt special. The programme worked across different places and different school communities, but it shared the same message everywhere. Learning beyond the classroom matters, and young people deserve to have it recognised.
A North Wales programme shaped by place
The pilot ran across six local authority areas: Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham. Each area brought its own character. In some places, rurality and travel distances meant schools became the practical hub for activity. In others, partnerships and local provision created a wider menu of opportunities. The programme made space for all of that variation, while still offering a consistent structure that children and schools could understand and use.
How it worked for young people
Children and young people took part in extracurricular learning across a wide range of themes, including arts and culture, outdoor learning, sport, STEM, practical life skills, community action and wellbeing.
What mattered most was that participation did not sit in the background. Young people recorded their hours on the Children’s University online portal, building a clear picture of what they had tried and what they had completed. For many children, this structure made progress visible. Hours added up. Confidence grew. Trying something new became normal. Some young people found a new interest. Others found friendship and belonging. Others found a safe, structured space outside the school day where they could take part, contribute and be valued.
When it became a celebration
The public moments mattered. The pilot included graduation style ceremonies where children walked across a stage in caps and gowns and received certificates recognising the hours they had completed.
These ceremonies did more than mark the end of an activity. They created a shared experience where families and schools could celebrate young people with pride.
In Pontio, the Gwynedd and Anglesey graduation became a full celebration, with young people stepping onto the stage for their certificates before the day continued with food, family time and hands on fun. Circo Arts brought extra energy by performing circus skills and inviting young people to have a go themselves. A standout moment came when children from Ysgol Llandegfan performed the Children’s University Anthem, which they had composed with Welsh Whisperer during a school visit. It was a performance full of confidence and joy, and it captured the spirit of the programme.
In Conwy and Denbighshire, families gathered at Rhyl Pavilion Theatre for a graduation that felt like a true theatre moment. Young people took the stage to be recognised for their learning hours, and the celebration was lifted even further by Mr Phormula, who delivered an on the spot piece and rap that brought the room together with laughter and applause.
In Flintshire and Wrexham, the scale of the celebration was striking. Graduations took place over two days at William Aston Hall, with over 400 young people graduating. Children walked the stage in caps and gowns, collected certificates and heard applause that made their effort feel real. One moment that stayed with many people was Sophia from Victoria CP School performing Rolling in the Deep by Adele. After the ceremonies, children and school staff continued the celebration with food and time together at Maes Gwyn Hall.
Partnerships that added something extra
Alongside the core programme, the wider pilot activity showed what partnership can look like when it is practical and rooted in community. One example was the wellbeing boxes work, delivered through a partnership with Dylan’s and Menter Môn, supporting families with food and recipe resources.
The pilot also strengthened trauma aware practice through staff training and shared resources, supporting schools to build environments where children feel safe, understood and ready to engage.
A North Wales story of pride
What stood out across North Wales was the feeling of pride. Pride in small wins that grew into bigger confidence. Pride in children finding their voice, their interests, and their place in a wider community of learning. Pride in schools and partners making opportunity feel possible and local. In a short pilot, the programme showed what can happen when children are given meaningful chances to learn, and when communities take the time to celebrate that learning properly.
The Children’s University pilot succeeded because it combined structure with celebration. It made extracurricular learning feel purposeful for young people and manageable for schools. It made achievement visible. It created moments where communities could come together and say, clearly and publicly, that children’s effort matters.
You can watch graduation highlights here:
Gwynedd and Anglesey at Pontio, Bangor:
- English: https://youtu.be/99VN3702NcE?si=zCjkNiFQZVsIwdGQ
- Welsh: https://youtu.be/vuPgttY_Y1Q?si=4zZQwTIs-PXlLNgS
Conwy and Denbighshire at Rhyl Pavilion Theatre:
- English: https://youtu.be/zCL7yP9I9zg?si=7Iyz0fieSwFsojEf
- Welsh: https://youtu.be/g3Ul0SXCRts?si=3ygI7sig5FLSNBKh
Wrexham and Flintshire at William Aston Hall, Wrexham:
