Universal Learning is dedicated to making inspirational spaces with and for children, young people and their communities. We specialise in original, innovative spaces for creative learning.
Experience the awe and wonder of our latest space transformation as we pay homage to Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 science fiction masterpiece!
Why are children the silent majority in the Ofsted inspection process? What would happen if they carried out an Ofsted inspection at their primary school! Watch this film to find out.
We believe the current Ofsted process needs debating and changing as there is serious imbalance in the approach to determining how a school functions. We have taken part in six inspections in the last 18 months and have been assessed whilst leading learning sessions. On each occasion ( we were graded outstanding by the way) we have seen a distinct lack of interest in any meaningful dialogue with children and a complete abject failure to understand their ability to contribute to the process. A tokenistic ‘chat’ in adult orientated language is pointless and patronising.
Bearing in mind there are around 25,000 primary schools n this country with almost 4.3 million children in them, (ref department for education june 2013) how can so many people be ignored? How can this be right in the 21st Century? Help us get this matter discussed and instigate a change process that enables children to have a meaningful role in a process that impacts upon and affects all of their lives.
Please watch our film and let us know what you think ( be constructive!) and please share it with as many people as you can. We believe learning is beautiful and we want the world to recognise that children should be allowed and enabled to share their views and be heard.
Children from Shireland Hall reflect on their education as they prepare for their new school construction project.
Shireland Hall Primary School in BIrmingham is a well known school that is recognised for innovation and sharing excellent practice regionally and nationally. As they prepare for the arrival of the builders this summer who will commence their new school building project, the children have been taking time to reflect on their education.
They made this short film to capture some of their feelings about their time at Shireland Hall and this creative learning project also provided them with an opportunity to share some of their hopes and dreams.
A whole school community had the surprise of their lives as they returned to school after the summer holidays. They discovered that amazing, out of this world happenings really do occur. Their school grounds were swarming with secret agents, aviation experts and a forensics team who were all mystified by the presence of a crashed landed spaceship.
The UFO had clearly skidded across the school field at great speed before burying itself into the ground. It is too early to say with any clarity where this craft has come from and even more importantly, who was flying it. Unusual footsteps and a trail of unidentified matter has baffled observers. This significant event is likely to have world wide repercussions but at the moment everyone is in a state of shock!
Reception children turn their concrete quad into a woodland to inspire creative outdoor learning.
Taking inspiration from an original story created by the children, Colin the caterpillar set off to explore the globe to research beautiful landscapes. Colin dutifully sent in video postcards from the Himalayas ( too cold) under the sea (too wet), the Sahara (too hot) before finding inspiration in a wonderful welsh woodland!
The children designed an installation and created scaled structures including models of an ambitious sculpture inspired by the life cycle of a butterfly.
We worked alongside the children and teachers in Reception at Greenacres Primary through every step of the process and together we transformed a space into a safe, natural learning environment.
In the third week of working at Greenacres Primary School, the pupils created a fantastic story involving a hypnotic Dragon; a cycling Princess and a flying pig! All of which were made into wonderful willow sculptures for the school. The children’s story is currently going through the illustration process and will be published as a book for all to enjoy later on in the year.
See the responses of Year 3 pupils as they were given the opportunity to be involved in the designing process of a sculpture.
The resulting art installation will also be made by the pupils and placed in the school grounds for the whole school community to enjoy.
See how becoming art critics had an impact on the creative learning of year 3 children.
Year 3 learners are producing excellent outcomes in literacy and digital creativity as part of a project that involves them designing and making a sculpture for their school grounds.
The group looked at a piece of conceptual art and evaluated it as ‘art critics’ producing excellent documentation and poetry inspired by the piece.
A great graphical way to share magical memories of a recent Y3 digital creativity project.
Students reflect on the learning experience of making a promo film for their school.