Lady Margaret Kroto (R) with students from the SSE Chemistry strand.

Students raised £234 for local homeless charity Sussex Nightstop.

Students from Sussex and London graduated from the Sussex Study Experience (SSE) on Saturday 12 May, donning gowns and mortarboards to celebrate their achievements.

Year 12 students from 29 schools completed a six-month programme designed to give them a taste of university life and the chance to experience a subject at university level. SSE is aimed specifically at 16-17 year olds from groups under-represented in higher education, often those who would be the first in their family to attend University.

The programme has seen the students taking part in a range of different activities, such as programming robots, assisting with laboratory experiments, and visiting Lewes crown court to view criminal trials in action. Nine academic teams from Law, Chemistry, Physics, Electronics & Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, English, Biology, Business and Geography led the sessions.

Now in its fifth year, the SSE aims to build confidence and support students in the transition between college and university. Hundreds of parents, carers and guests joined the graduating students at this year’s graduation ceremony.

Lady Margaret Kroto also attended the ceremony and met students who took part in the Chemistry strand. This year’s Chemistry strand was named in honour of her late husband, Professor Sir Harry Kroto FRS, who worked at Sussex for most his life and is best remembered for his part in the discovery of C60 Buckminsterfullerenes, also known as “buckyballs”.

During the graduation event, students presented a cheque for £234 to Sussex Nightstop, a charity for young people at risk of homelessness. The students raised the money by selling sweets in an ‘Apprentice’-style challenge.

A parent said the graduation had “given us a hugely positive experience of university life as we move into the next stage of our daughter’s education. Our daughter has thoroughly enjoyed all the opportunities given to her throughout her time on the programme. It’s given her the confidence to know that she’ll be able to go off to wherever she chooses and enjoy herself.”

A student who took part in the programme commented: “I really enjoyed the opportunity to experience what a science degree would be like. It has given me an insight into the subjects I am interested in and helped to develop my passion for studying science.”

120 students took part in this year's SSE programme from schools including BHASVIC (Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College), Varndean College, Felpham Community College and Blatchington Mill School Sixth Form College