Outreach for Secondary Schools

We offer a range of opportunities for secondary school pupils to learn more about Physics and Astronomy such as talks, masterclasses and workshops.

To stay up to date with our upcoming events we recommend that you join our teacher mailing list.

Requiring Teacher Sign up

Some of our events require a teacher to sign up and nominate a group of pupils to attend, you can see a list of these events below:

Year 9 Physics Big Quiz

Every year since 2005, we have organised a Big Quiz event for teams of Year 9 students (4 students per team). The event takes place in the Great Hall on campus and there are prizes and trophies for the winning teams and schools. For more information please contact Mohammed Ansar.

Masterclasses- Year 8-10

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Masterclasses are organised centrally on a wide range of topics across the university. They are designed to stimulate enquiry and broaden knowledge of a variety of subject areas, including physics. The Masterclasses from the School of Physics & Astronomy are for students in years 8-10. Please visit the  for more information and to register.

International Cosmic Ray Day- Year 12

Organised by DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron), a research institute in Hamburg, the International Cosmic Ray Day invites students from around the world studying physics and maths to join in to measure the flow of cosmic rays using various types of detectors. Please contact our team for more information.

Particle Physics Masterclass- Year 12

Groups of A-Level students studying physics are invited to come along with their teachers to our Particle Physics Masterclasses. Experience a whole day of sessions reviewing and illustrating some of the latest developments in particle physics research. More information on the outreach activities performed by the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences can be found here.

HiSPARC Project

HiSPARC is a project in which secondary schools  and academic institutions join forces and form a network to measure cosmic rays with extremely high energy. Schools purchase HiSPARC detectors and students install these on the roofs of their schools. For information on participation in the project, please contact Professor Cristina Lazzeroni.

Ask a Researcher- Zoom link to your classroom

We have a number of researchers you can contact directly by e-mail to arrange a Zoom link of 15-20 minutes to talk to your students about the research they do, and to answer questions related to the topic they are studying as part of the A Level or GCSE curriculum in the classroom. Your students should be studying a relevant topic and have their questions prepared in advance of the link. For more information please visit our Ask a Researcher page.

Physics Education Conference

This annual event, from the School of Physics at the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and the Institute of Physics, provides an opportunity for those involved in all aspects of physics education to come together, share best practice and be part of our physics learning ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. Visit our webpage for information about this year's conference.

Secondary Student Sign up

We also offer a variety of events for young people to register to attend individually. Please see a list of such opportunities below:

Institute of Physics Evening Lectures

The Institute of Physics West Midlands Branch provides a varied evening lectures programme which will be of interest to students studying GCSE and A-level physics, and to the general public with an interest in the subject. All are very welcome to attend. For information on our upcoming lectures please visit our IoP Evening Lectures page.

Astronomy in the City- Suitable for all ages

The Astrophysics and Space Research Group invite you to  where you can join them for stargazing, observing with portable telescopes, talks from experts about cutting edge astronomy research, and your chance to ask them anything about astronomy!

Open Days- Suitable for all ages

Our Undergraduate Open Days give you the perfect opportunity to hear first-hand from our current students and teaching staff about living and learning in Birmingham.

Work Experience Requests

We receive a large number of requests for work experience placements in the School of Physics and Astronomy. We regret that we have a limited capacity and cannot always accommodate these. Requests sent to the physics outreach email address are circulated to staff regularly.

If you would like any further information on any of the events listed above, do not hesitate to contact our team.

The Central Outreach Team also offer a range of activities for secondary school pupils.

For educators only

Please see below for information on CPD and gaining access to funding and resources for your school:

The Association for Science Education CPD Events

 regularly hold events throughout the year providing CPD for teachers and technicians. 

Funding for School Projects

Find out about our collaborations with local schools and the organisations funding them by visiting our page.

UoB students in schools

The School of Physics and Astronomy offers a module called Teaching Physics in Schools where our third year students visit a secondary or primary school for a term. If you are interested in hosting a student in your school visit our page to find out more. Please contact our team for more information.

Teacher Conferences & Seminars

For information on our upcoming events for teachers please contact our team.