The Chemistry Summer School is a week-long summer school held in the Joseph Black and Christina Miller Buildings for S4 pupils and their teachers from Chemistry on Tour partner schools. We aim to build confidence and raise aspirations of young people in STEM subjects, especially chemistry, with our Chemistry Summer School.

During their week-long stay in Edinburgh, pupils engage with curriculum relevant chemistry experiments in our teaching labs and learn how to write up and present their results. These experiments have been chosen to enthuse pupils in the chemical sciences by linking the chemistry in their experiments to societal challenges faced in the modern age. A “Careers for Chemists” workshop is included to showcase the diverse range of careers afforded to those with qualifications in chemistry. Outside of the lab, there are plenty of social activities put on for pupils and teachers alike including visiting Dolly the Sheep at the National Museum of Scotland, hiking to the top of Arthur’s Seat for a beautiful view of Edinburgh, and taking a journey through time at Dynamic Earth.

As well as being a lot of fun for pupils, we provide Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions led by Royal Society of Chemistry Educational Co-ordinators for the visiting school teachers to revolutionise classrooms and afford teachers a greater confidence in leading their classes through practical activities. This is a means of a continued legacy of the Chemistry Summer School beyond the schools week-long stay in Edinburgh.

To register your interest, or for more information, please contact the Outreach Officer by email.