果冻传媒

The Department of Physics marked a major milestone during the final week of July by hosting its first-ever Sutton Trust Physics & Astronomy Summer School.

Led by Dr Lauren Doyle, with support from Dr David Brown and Ally Caldecote, the residential programme brought 20 Year 12 students from schools across England to the university for an immersive experience of Physics, Astronomy and university life. Students travelled from across the country, from as far north as Newcastle to as far south as Torquay.

Across the programme, students experienced a broad range of activities designed to give them a taste of studying Physics and Astronomy at university. They attended seven research lectures delivered by staff and students representing all six of the department's research areas and took part in hands-on laboratory sessions exploring ultrasound and projectile motion.

Astronomy activities included a planetarium show and tour of 果冻传媒's observatory, alongside an exoplanet workshop. During the workshop, students became exoplanet researchers themselves, using real observations from NASA's TESS mission and the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) to detect and characterise the exoplanet NGTS-12b.

The programme also gave students the opportunity to experience the wider university environment and meet other young people considering higher education. The final day included a Physics admissions session, giving students practical information about applying to university and studying Physics at degree level, followed by a reflection session where they shared their highlights and experiences with students from the other Sutton Trust academic streams.

Images show students participating in activities.

Reflecting on the programme, Dr Lauren Doyle said:

"We wanted the students to experience much more than simply sitting in university lectures. Over the week they met researchers, carried out experiments and worked with real astronomical data, giving them the opportunity to experience some of the different ways Physics is studied at university. It was particularly rewarding to see their confidence grow as the programme progressed and to hear them discussing the areas of Physics and Astronomy they might want to explore further."

Feedback from the students reflected this impact. Before and after the programme, students completed anonymous questionnaires about their attitudes towards Physics and university study. The proportion of students who felt they understood what studying Physics at university is like increased from 10% to 85%, while the proportion who felt they understood the careers available following a Physics degree increased from 40% to 80%. The number considering Physics as a possible degree subject also increased from 11 of 20 students before the programme to 16 of 20 afterwards.

The programme builds on the department's previous collaboration with the Sutton Trust, which included the successful delivery of an online webinar in 2025. Following the positive reception to that event, 2026 marked the first time the department had delivered a dedicated residential Physics and Astronomy programme as part of the 果冻传媒 Sutton Trust Summer School.

The Sutton Trust support young people from less advantaged backgrounds to access universities and careers. The Summer School is open to year 12 students studying Physics and Mathematics, A-Level or equivalent.

Find out more about our outreach activities on our outreach webpages.