University of Bristol, Bristol ChemlabS Outreach

The ChemLabS Outreach programme serves schools locally, nationally and globally and also supports the wider activities of the School of Chemistry. Core objectives include:

• Providing outstanding laboratory-based training to school pupils and teachers.
• Raising the aspirations of all students and teachers in Bristol that ChemLabS works with, regardless of background.
  
• Establishing partnerships with schools and other stakeholders in chemistry education 
• Exposing all local students, including many from disadvantaged backgrounds, to university from an early age.
• Facilitating skills development for current undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Assisting the development of commercial products in chemistry education.

The scale of the ChemLabS School’s Outreach activities has increased continuously over the past ten years. A School Liaison Officer (SLO) was appointed in 2000 and initially established a regional teacher network (CHeMneT), and devised activities for secondary school teachers and students. The Outreach portfolio grew rapidly.

In 2004, in part because of the high quality public engagement, a successful bid to the Higher Education Funding Council for England for CETL (Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) funding allowed employment of a full-time School Teacher Fellow (STF).

Outreach activity has since increased tenfold. Key changes have been the training of over 290 postgraduates in various elements of Outreach, including primary. These students now play a vital role in the delivery of all activities. The School Teacher Fellow works with the now 516 strong CHeMneT and a highly qualified primary science communicator. He has created a raft of new projects for both national and international Outreach.