Wider partner school activities: in-school delivery
Our in-school delivery option allows us to bring university-style learning directly to your students. Through interactive subject tasters led by our academics and student ambassadors, students in Years 7-10 can experience higher education in a familiar school environment, helping us reach and inspire even more learners.
In-school delivery
These activities are designed to bring university-style learning directly into schools - a new addition for this year, expanding the range of ways we can engage with learners.
Delivering in-school enables us to reach a wider group of students while continuing to prioritise those who meet our eligibility criteria.
We offer a variety of in-school events throughout the year, providing multiple opportunities for students to explore university life and academic subjects. Read about our upcoming in-school activities below. New and exciting sessions will be added throughout the year - alongside those already listed - and we’ll notify you when they become available.
Our events are allocated on a fair basis, so if your school is interested in hosting a particular activity, please complete the relevant expression of interest form below and we will be in touch to confirm arrangements.
Our Academic Content Facilitators (ACFs) currently deliver a range of academic and subject-focused sessions for us. We are now expanding their sessions for delivery in school for our pre-16 partner schools. Plans are still being finalised, as we want to shape this opportunity to best suit your school’s needs. Therefore, at this stage, we are gathering expressions of interest to help us plan the sessions most effectively.
If you are interested in one of our ACFs coming to your school to deliver a session, please email the team at participate@sussex.ac.uk and we can discuss it further. If you have an idea of which subjects you think would be interesting for your students or the year group, please include this in your email.
Activities on offer
- Harry Kroto events
Year Group: 7 and 8.
Timings: One-hour session, approximately (shorter or longer workshops can be arranged).
Location: On-site at school.
Maximum group size per school: Choice of 30 students per session (workshop style) or up to 120 students (assembly style). Please note that each student will be making a bucky ball, so will need appropriate space in which to be able to do this. We can offer multiple sessions in one day, but all activity must take place on the same date.
Sir Harry Kroto was awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize for the discovery of fullerenes (c60) at the University of Sussex. Jonathan Hare worked with Harry Kroto on the discovery of the Buckminsterfullerene. His workshops will be delivered in-school for year 7/8 students to suit your needs and explore interactive aspects of STEM.
The Discovery of the Buckyball (C60): This workshop deals with the discovery, structure and properties of the Buckyball (C60, Buckminsterfullerene), the third allotrope of carbon – work which led to the 1996 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
Jonathan Hare was part of the pioneering Sussex team. The workshop takes us from the tiny world of atoms to the vast world of astronomy and includes each participant constructing (and keeping) a molecular model of C60.
To book this event, please fill out our expression of interest form.
- Academic outbound master classes
Year Group: upon request (Years 7-11)
Timings: One-hour session, approximately (shorter or longer workshops can be arranged).
Location: On-site at school.
Maximum group size: 15-40 students per session. Please note that an appropriate size space must be available for use at the school, with tables and chairs e.g. classroom style. We can offer multiple sessions in one day, but all activity must take place on the same date.
Subjects available: TBC.
About the session: This year, our brilliant team of Academic Content Facilitators (ACFs), who are all current PhD students studying at the University of Sussex, will be developing and delivering a range of academic and subject-focused sessions for us to be delivered on site in our partner schools. Sessions will often include information around possible career pathways and what kinds of subjects student might need to study in order to pursue the subject at University level.
To book this event, please fill out our expression of interest form.
- Sussex writes
Date: TBC
Year Group: Years 7-11
Timings: One-hour session, approximately (shorter or longer workshops can be arranged).
Location: On-site at school.
About the session: Sussex Writes is a transformative, faculty and student-led programme designed to ignite creativity and confidence in young writers. We work with schools to deliver engaging, research-informed writing experiences that foster a love of language, storytelling and academic exploration. Our mission is simple: to inspire and support the next generation of writers and scholars across Sussex.
What we offer schools: We provide fully funded activities for state-funded schools, delivered by trained student mentors who hold Enhanced DBS certification and safeguarding training. These mentors bring energy, creativity and a relatable presence to every session.
Schools can choose from a wide range of workshops and support options.
On-campus or in-school workshops
- unseen poetry (up to 120 pupils/day)
- creative campus explorations (up to 120 pupils/day)
- drumming and poetry fusion (up to 120 pupils/day)
- nineteenth-century letterpress experience (up to 15 pupils/day).
Clubs and extended learning
- after-school creative writing or journalism clubs (up to 35 pupils/day)
- ‘Period 6’ or in-class English and creative writing support (up to 35 pupils/day).
Academic enrichment
- HPQ & EPQ support programme - includes inductions, access to the university library and mentoring from PhD, MA and undergraduate researchers (up to 50 pupils/day).
To book this event, please fill out our expression of interest form.
Eligibility criteria
Our work aims to equip learners from under-represented backgrounds in HE with the awareness, advice and opportunities that they need to make informed choices about their future pathways.
Within school, some of our resources are available to all students, such as support for school events and University Life talks. Our more intensive support - e.g. campus-based activity, attainment raising programmes and specialised projects - are directed toward students who meet our Widening Participation criteria. These include:
- students who are or have been eligible for Free School Meals in the last five years
- students in receipt of Pupil Premium support
- students who are care experienced, previously care experienced, or adoptees
- students who are a young carer
- students who are the child of a Military Service Family
- students who are estranged from their family
- students of Gypsy, Roma or Traveller heritage background
- students who are a refugee or asylum seeker.
In addition, we also work with students who live in a postcode in deciles 1 and 2 of the Index of Multiple Deprivation.
If you are unsure or have any questions regarding this, please contact us at participate@sussex.ac.uk
Contact
If you have any queries, email participate@sussex.ac.uk.