Midlothian school children
graduate from Queen Margaret
Children’s University
I
N JUNE, 54 SCHOOL pupils from four schools across
Midlothian gathered at QMU as part of the first Children’s
University graduation ceremony for Midlothian schools.
The junior scholars were dressed head to toe in traditional
gowns and mortar boards. Family, friends, teachers and
supporters were welcomed to the ceremony to help celebrate
the children’s achievements.
dementia will receive a minimum of one year’s post diagnostic
support.
The dementia campaigner was joined by Laura Young,
Founder of The Teapot Trust charity which uses art therapy to
help children and young people cope with long-term medical
conditions.
Laura established the Trust with her husband in 2010 following
the death of their eight year old daughter Verity, who suffered
from the autoimmune disease Lupus.
From the time Laura’s daughter was three, she was frequently
in hospital for treatment for Lupus, and when she was diagnosed
with cancer three years later, hospital visits increased. Laura
was aware that Verity associated the visits with pain and
anxiety, but when Verity began using art, she realised that it
was a successful coping mechanism that helped make her
daughter’s time in hospital more bearable and provided an
outlet for expressing her feelings.
Over the last few years the Teapot Trust has developed
significantly and now funds art therapy in clinics, hospital
wards, mental health services and hospices for children with
chronic illnesses in six centres across Scotland, with a total
of 21 funded art therapy projects providing either individual
or group art therapy for sick children. There are also plans to
expand the work in Fife and in the Scottish Borders. In the last
year alone the Trust, which is the only Scottish charity to provide
art therapy in hospitals, has supported over 3,500 children and
their families.
Both honorary graduates were acknowledged for the
relevance of their work to society, reflecting the University’s own
commitment to enhancing lives in the communities it serves.
You can read more about our honorary graduates at
www.qmu.ac.uk ❒
Newbattle Community High School, Danderhall Primary,
Kings Park Primary, and Woodburn Primary were the first
Midlothian schools to take part in the Queen Margaret
Children’s University graduation ceremony.
QMU is the first higher education institution in the east of
Scotland to host the Children’s University, which aims to help
school children, aged between seven and 14 years of age (and
five and six year olds with their families), become confident
learners and broaden their horizons.
QMU has taken the lead in establishing the Children’s
University in the east of Scotland by working in partnership
with schools via Midlothian and East Lothian Councils.
The children build up credits the more they engage in learning
activities and they can work towards bronze, silver and gold
certificates.
Callum Maguire, said: “After over a year of hard work, we’re
really excited to have now staged the first QMU Children’s
University graduation ceremony for Midlothian schools and
celebrated the pupils’ achievements. This valuable initiative is
already helping to encourage young children across Midlothian
and East Lothian to get involved in different methods of
learning, whilst boosting their achievement.”
Over 2,000 pupils from across the two counties have signed
up to the Queen Margaret Children’s University scheme since
2014. There are now over 400 accredited learning destinations
across East and Midlothian, including Butterfly & Insect World
in Lasswade and the Scottish National Mining Museum in
Newtongrange. One thousand two hundred learning activities
include everything from dancing, and painting, to cheer-
leading, modern languages and gardening.
A film about Queen Margaret Children’s University, which
features elements of the first graduation ceremony held in
January this year, is available to online: https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=Qr_bHaHTYKA ❒
QMYOU / Community Engagement and Widening Access
7