Thirty-six, year 11 students from secondary schools across Bristol will take part in the one-day taster session at the University's School of Chemistry where they will have the opportunity to try practical experiments and gain knowledge about A-level Chemistry in some of the country’s top laboratories.
The project has been launched by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to help promote chemistry. The ‘Chemistry for our Future’ project has been designed to give local pupils a taster of what A-level Chemistry is like and uses university laboratories that are often free during vacation and exam times.
The project will allow secondary schools and colleges to make use of the University’s facilities on a regular basis, enabling secondary students to make frequent visits to the University laboratories to perform the practical work associated with their GCSE, A-level or other courses.
Tim Harrison, ChemLabS School Teacher Fellow at Bristol University, said: “In secondary schools and colleges across the country, students are being told that they can’t do practical work because the equipment or facilities are too expensive, or the experiments are too dangerous. Practical work is an essential part of the learning process. It not only motivates students but also provides a balance to classroom work.
“This project has so many benefits. Not only will it allow students to benefit from proper facilities and get the valuable experience of real experimentation that they so badly need, it will also help to raise aspirations, opening students’ eyes to the possibility of studying science at university.”
The visit, which has been organised in conjunction with Redland Green School in North Bristol, takes place on Wednesday 27 June at Bristol University’s School of Chemistry, Cantock’s Close, from 9.30 am to 5 pm.