STEM Expo attracts 250+ Year 8s

May 20, 2016

Over 250 Year 8s attended an Expo hosted by London Metropolitan University as part of the AccessHE Capital Access project (which aims to widen access to HE for learners on Free School Meals ). Four of the project HEIs (London Metropolitan University, Middlesex University, Royal Veterinary College and University of Hull) together with their academics and student ambassadors delivered eight interactive workshops with themes ranging from Forensics Crime-Scene, Soft Robotics Arm to the Secret Life of the Big Cat.

The Expo was a result of a meeting held in  January convened by the four HEIs at which staff from 13 schools in Brent, Camden, Hackney and Islington were consulted on the format/content of an Expo for their Year 8s. As a result of this consultative process each of the 13 schools that took part subsequently committed to bring students to the Expo itself.

All 18 staff who completed the post-Expo questionnaire responded to the question: Would you attend another event organised by AccessHE and its partner institutions? yes / definitely / can’t wait until the next invite demonstrating the positive impact of truly collaborative events. Next steps for the project HEIs are to invite the 13 schools to a second consultative meeting to discuss how they can work together on their next collaborative venture.

Feedback from Haggerston School, Hackney:

“Thanks very much for organising the expo this morning. We had a great time! The students really enjoyed it and were really enthused by all of the activities. I hope that we can come to similar events in future.”

To find out more please email the project coordinator, Olivia Saunders.