Here is a list of our most frequently asked questions, if you click on any of the questions below, you'll be taken to the relevant answer.
How many courses can we choose?
My child is of Pompey Rockets age but wants to do a course at Pompey Stars, can they do this?
I have missed the application form deadline, what should I do next?
I can't remember what course my child is on, what do I need to do?
My child does not attend a Local Authority School in Portsmouth, can they attend as well?
My children need to attend the same venue, what should I do?
Who should I make the cheque payable to for my voluntary contribution?
Why do I need to make a second choice?
My child has special requirements (physical, emotional or behavioural) can they attend?
Can my child attend after Year 7?
Why do you pick up from some schools and not others?
Do you work on a "first come, first serve" basis?
What is a Block?
The term “Block” is the word that we use to describe the two Saturdays over which one course is running. Each term there will be two “Blocks” to choose from, for example: Block 1 is two Saturdays in the first half of the term and then Block 2 is two Saturdays in the second half of the term.
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What do I do if my child can only attend one of the Saturdays of the course that they wish to choose?
Please let us know on your application form if your child can only attend one of the Saturdays. It is unfair if we give your child a place on that course and reject another who could attend the entire course. If there is space on your child’s chosen course and it’s a cooking or sports course then your child’s application will be considered. If it’s a course where the children are working on a project which requires attendance on both Saturdays in order to complete it, there is not much point in attending just one Saturday.
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Can my Year 1 child attend?
We are sorry but they will have to wait until they are in school Year 2. This is because the tutors plan the classes for Years 2 & 3 pupils.
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How many courses can we choose?
You can select a first and a second choice in each of the “Blocks”. Please make sure you put a second choice too because some courses are very popular.
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My child is of Pompey Rockets age but wants to do a course at Pompey Stars, can they do this?
I am afraid they cannot as it makes the course very hard for the tutors to teach. We only allow children to attend courses offered to their correct Year group.
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I want my child to attend with their friend, what can I do to make sure that they are on the same course together?
If your child wants to attend with their friend then that’s not a problem! Make sure that both of the children have the same first and second choices on their forms. Send in both of the completed forms together, in the same envelope, with a note explaining what you would like us to do. The children will be treated as one application so either both or neither will be put on the course. You can either post the application directly to us or if your school is on the collection list you can leave them in your school office.
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I have missed the application form deadline, what should I do next?
If you have missed the deadline then post it in directly to the Pompey Stars office and we shall let you know if there are any places left on your child’s chosen course.
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I can't remember what course my child is on, what do I need to do?
The easiest way is to make sure you keep your acceptance slip in a safe place! If you have lost the acceptance slips call us in the office and we will let you know which course your child has been allocated.
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I would like to know how many hours my child has gained and how close they are to reaching their next award?
When your child attends any of our classes they gain learning hours which go towards an award. If they have 30 hours they receive a bronze award, a silver for 60 hours, a gold for 120 hours, platinum for 200 hours and a diamond award for 450 hours. If you would like to know how many hours your child has, then please contact us and we can check our database.
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My child does not attend a Local Authority School in Portsmouth, can they attend as well?
The Portsmouth Children’s University is funded by the Local Authority and is an education provision provided by them to help support and encourage Portsmouth school children. Children from outside of the Local Authority are not invited to attend our workshops.
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My children need to attend the same venue, what should I do?
Firstly, check your form to ensure that you have selected first and second choices at the same venue. Please attach a note explaining what you wish us to do. We will try our best to organise this for you. However, we cannot guarantee that enough places will be available at the same venue.
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Who should I make the cheque payable to for my voluntary contribution?
Please make cheques payable to Portsmouth City Council. Please also write your child’s name and school on the back of the cheque.
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Why do I need to make a second choice?
It is important that you make a second choice because if you don’t and your first choice is very popular, then you run the risk of not receiving a place at all.
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My child has special requirements (physical, emotional or behavioural) can they attend?
We want every child to have an opportunity to attend our courses. Please contact the office so that we can discuss arrangements that are suitable for you and your child.
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Can my child attend after Year 7?
When your child is too old to attend the Pompey Stars as a pupil, they are more than welcome to continue as a mentor. As a mentor they can attend an activity of their choice and assist other children on the workshop. To be involved in this way, you need to write to us at the office enclosing three stamped, self-addressed envelopes. When the application forms are delivered to the schools we will post one directly to your house. When you have completed your form, return it to us by post before the deadline. We also run courses fpr 12-14 year olds called Youth Universe, for information on this please contact the office.
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What should I do if my child can no longer attend their chosen course and what if I've made a voluntary contribution?
Our courses often have a waiting list of children who have been unable to get on either of their chosen courses. It is therefore very important that you contact us if you are aware that your child cannot attend so that we can offer their place to another child. Obviously in the case of sickness, we appreciate you may not be able to give us much notice. In cases of repeated non-attendance without prior notification we may need to consider refusal of further applications. If you have made a voluntary contribution, then we will give you your money back either by returning your original cheque or sending you a cheque in the post.
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Why do you pick up from some schools and not others?
The Pompey Stars was originally set up for 23 schools and we have always collected from these schools and we will continue to do that. We also collect from the schools that have been venues. All of the other schools are required to post their application forms as we are simply unable to collect from every school in Portsmouth due to time and man power constraints.
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Do you work on a "first come, first serve" basis?
In order to allocate places fairly we do not operate on a “first come first served basis”. We deal with all of the application forms on the same day whether they have been posted to us or collected from the school’s office. Course places are allocated fairly by a series of criteria which takes into account whether a child has been rejected from last term’s courses.
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