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Engaging with schools

School outreach activities make up a large part of our public engagement programme. We encourage staff from all areas of the Institute to volunteer at many different events that are designed to inspire and educate students of all ages.
School outreach generally falls into three areas:
 

Careers

We look to inspire students about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects and tell them how the Institute evolved, the types of careers they can pursue and the kind of subjects they may want to take for their GCSE’s and A-levels.

We visit schools to give careers advice, lessons and workshops, and are also involved in large exhibition style events such as TeenTech run by SATRO and Surrey Skills Fair organised by the University of Surrey. These events enable students to see a wide variety of companies that incorporate the STEM subjects, and get them excited about what they can do when they take these subjects in higher education.

General science

We organise science days, lessons and workshops at schools, which cover the basic principles of science for younger children.  More focused sessions on the Institute's research are targeted at older children.

For younger students this can include simple fun activities such as bug hunts or whole day activities where students can interact with a range of different activities that explain various scientific concepts. For older students we tailor the sessions to the National Curriculum, so we are able to talk more in depth about topics such as disease and how the body fights infections.

Animals in research

We strive to be open and honest about the research we do using animals, and we aim to educate students on what our animal research involves. We give students information about how animals play a part in science and our reasons for using them; which allows them to form their own opinion based on facts. Talks are given by scientists who use animals in their research, animal technicians and vets so that the students can hear first hand what it’s like to work with animals.

Find out more on our Animals in research pages.

Contact us

If you are interested in us running an activity at your local school, please contact communications@pirbright.ac.uk.


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