Bright secondary school pupils in the Eastern region are invited to apply for places at the second Excellence East Summer School which will take place at the University of Cambridge from August 4 to 8.

The non-residential summer school is aimed at pupils in Years 7 to 9 who have been identified as “gifted and talented” by their schools, as well as those who have shown real enthusiasm for their subjects.

The accent will be on stretching pupils’ thinking beyond the confines of the school curriculum to open up their grasp of study at a higher level.

This summer’s programme will focus on Science and Society, through a mix of full- and half-day workshops and activities. For example, pupils will look at ways to measure our carbon footprint and consider whether it is possible to achieve “one-planet living” by using the earth’s resources sustainably.

Talks and workshops will be given by Cambridge University experts in fields that range from chemistry to molecular biology and genetics.

The Excellence East Hub is one of the newly established partnerships of higher education institutions (HEIs) in each of the nine English Government Office regions.

The Excellence Hubs deliver a diverse range of outreach provision to gifted and talented learners including master classes, specialist subject activities and blended/online learning within and beyond the school year.

At least 40 per cent of the 40 places on the Summer School will be allocated free or subsidised to pupils from low income homes. Other participants will pay £200 to cover costs of tuition, food and transport to Norwich, which pupils will visit to spend the day at the University of East Anglia.

Joanna Taylor, Excellence East Coordinator at Cambridge Admissions Office, said: “We want this programme to benefit as wide a range of pupils as possible – and for pupils to experience the excitement of learning so that they return to school with enhanced motivation to do well.”

Parents and carers will be responsible for transporting pupils to and from the Summer School, which begins each day at 10 am and ends at 4.30 pm (9 am to 5.30 pm on Wednesday 6 August).

Schools throughout the Eastern region have been circulating information on the Summer School to parents and carers of pupils working at the required level. However, individual enquiries are welcome.

To find out more about the Excellence East Summer School contact Joanna Taylor on 01223 765634 or ExcellenceEast@cao.cam.ac.uk. More information on the Young Gifted & Talented programme can be found on the programme’s website (see sidebar). The deadline for applications is Friday, 20 June.

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