UCL to host UCL Academy students
7 September 2012
School students from the new UCL Academy will be on the UCL main campus taking part in a range of lessons and activities between 10th and 24th September, following a delay in the opening of the Academy building in Swiss Cottage.
Up to 300 school students will be at UCL at different times throughout the fortnight. From Monday 10th 120 year 12 students will be based at a number of locations around Gower Street for the beginning of their A level syllabus. UCL's own facilities will be made available to post-16 students to enable their studies to begin in a university setting. This will include use of specialist laboratory spaces, computer suites and the library.
In addition, on 13 and 14 September, the Bloomsbury Theatre will host 180 year 7 students who will be spending two days taking part in a range of tours and activities based in the museums and departments of UCL. On Thursday, they will be addressed by Professor David Price, Vice Provost Research and Chair of Governors at the UCL Academy, and on Friday they will get the chance to meet Professor Malcolm Grant, UCL Provost.
Geraldine Davies, UCL Academy Principal, says: "Though the building delay has been a disappointment to all involved, the hospitality and support of UCL staff has given staff and students of the new Academy the unique opportunity to experience fully what life at UCL is like and lays an ideal foundation for future close cooperation and collaboration between the Academy and UCL."
Professor Michael Worton, UCL Vice Provost (International), said: "While the delay in the building of the Academy is extremely unfortunate, this has given us the chance to offer to the first pupils of the UCL Academy the chance to get to know UCL both as a physical set of buildings and also as an organisation. They will meet with staff in several academic departments, in our Museums and Collections, and in our Outreach and Widening Participation departments. They will also have the chance to get to know UCL students, who will be establishing mentoring relationships with them. So they will feel that they are part of UCL as well as pupils of the UCL Academy."