Here, you will find a combination of virtual and in-person opportunities from the University and College Sectors. We ask students and their parents to research fully any opportunities advertised on the noticeboard to ensure they are happy with the organisation they are linking with and its value for money if there is a cost.
Notices & Key Dates
Find an Open Day – Open days are an important way to learn about how a subject is taught and what you will study, from course tutors. Our advice is to prioritise course talks over general talks. If time/money are a constraint you can learn a lot from visiting local universities. If you are on the Sixth Form bursary, you can request that school helps with the costs, please talk to Mr Brown or Lucy.
Student Finance Applications. Finance applications for students going to university from Sept 2027 will open in Spring 2027. We recommend that students make their student finance application as early as possible. They should avoid waiting until they get their exam results. Students should apply for student finance based on their first-choice (Firm). They can easily change this before their studies start. The most important thing is to get the application in!
- Applications Open – Aspiring Professionals Programme
Applications are open to Year 12 students for the 2027 Aspiring Professionals Programme cohort! Offering in-person and virtual presentations to schools, starting the week of the 21st September through late November. Find out more by visiting the Aspiring Professionals Programme website. Closing date: Friday 11th December at 12pm.
Oxbridge Focus
UCAS deadline on 15 October
Applications to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and for most courses in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine/science
Featured New Courses
New Business course for 2027 entry
The University of Leeds is introducing a new Undergraduate Business course for 2027 entry:
BSc Business and Intelligent Technologies
Entry requirements: AAB including Mathematics
A future-focussed degree that blends business and technological insights, preparing you to lead, innovate and manage in a rapidly evolving digital world.
This one-of-a-kind programme is taught in English from the heart of Paris.
Our BA in International Politics, with or without a French option, focuses on the practical aspects of international politics in contemporary society while giving you a unique chance to live and study in the French capital, allowing you to gain invaluable international experience and graduate with a renowned University of London degree.
Join us in powering the next generation of space innovation.
Our new BEng Aerospace Satellite Engineering course has been developed by world-leading academics and industry partners to equip graduates with the key skills required to work and thrive within the rapidly growing space sector.
Students will have the opportunity to build comprehensive technical and transferable skills, utilising our state-of-the-art labs. You will also become part of our North East Skills and Technology Centre (NESST), a £50 million investment with partners including the UK Space Agency and industry prime Lockheed Martin UK Space.
Undergraduate Study – Duration 4 Years
Drawing on the expertise of leading academics and researchers in the field, you will explore the origins and present-day contexts of societal conflicts about power, participation, and resources.
Undergraduate Study – Duration 3 Years
Special and Inclusive Education prepares you to be a forward-thinking professional, with expertise in creating equitable learning pathways and opportunities for diverse learning profiles, including special and additional educational needs.
Latest Opportunities
Health
Financial Support at University
NHS Learning Support Fund – Financial Support at University
If you are thinking of studying for a health-related undergraduate or postgraduate degree, take a look at what financial support is available.
This financial support is through the NHS Learning Support Fund, which offers eligible students additional support while studying for their degree. And the good news is, they don’t have to pay it back.
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Foundation Year with application support (Yr13)
Widening Support
Foundation Year, Pre-degree course – starts Sept 2027
The Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is a stepping stone to study at Cambridge or another excellent university.
If you’ve experienced educational disadvantages, this free course will help you to study successfully at undergraduate level.
Find out more about the course (Cambridge University website)
Foundation Year Applicant Support Programme – 12 October 2026 to 6 January 2027 (Online)
Sessions will feature members of the Foundation Year team alongside students who have experienced the Foundation Year themselves.
Session dates and topics:
- 12 October 2026 – UCAS and Personal Statements
- 11 November 2026 – Supplementary Application Questionnaire (FYSAQ)
- 2 December 2026 – Admissions Help Panel
- 6 January 2027 – Foundation Year Q&A Panel
The sessions will offer practical guidance and opportunities to ask questions throughout the application process.
SACS Experience Day – Friday 6th November, 10am – 2:15pm
Outreach initiative where Year 12 and 13 students are invited to campus to experience their chosen subject strand.
- Fine Art Experience Day – FA Experience Day 6 Nov | School and College Outreach | Newcastle University
- Media and Journalism Experience Day – MJ Experience Day 6 Nov | School and College Outreach | Newcastle University
- Film Experience Day – Film Experience Day 6 Nov | School and College Outreach | Newcastle University
- Music Experience Day – Music Experience Day 6 Nov | School and College Outreach | Newcastle University
Economics
Webinar 16+
Development Economics: Why Some Nations are Trapped in Poverty – Thursday 5th November, 12:20pm – 1:05pm
Your life is heavily affected by where and when you were born. Babies born in the UK have a life expectancy of over 80, in Nigeria that number is 54.5. Differences in income are even larger; the average citizen in Burundi has an income of less than $100 a month; the average Irish citizen earns more than 100 times that.
In this session, we’ll think about where these differences come from, whether they are fixed, and if inequality is growing. Along the way we’ll touch on the nature of less-developed countries, barriers to growth and development, and any policy choices open to governments around the world.
Medicine
Online Lecture (15+)
Mini Medical School 2026 – Various Dates, Thursday 5th November to Thursday 10th December, 5pm – 6pm
Open to anyone aged 15+, this free online lecture series offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from Newcastle University experts about the latest advances in health and medicine.
- Thursday 5th November – Paediatric Research at Newcastle
- Thursday 12th November – Bugs and the Bowel: Gastroenterology
- Thursday 19th November – Research in Surgery
- Thursday 26th November – The Case of the Pregnant Patient with Leukaemia: How Doctors Approach Impossible Decisions
- Thursday 3rd December – Human Movement Science: Measuring Balance to Prevent Falls
- Thursday 10th December – Applying to Medicine
Media Langage
Webinar (16+)
insight4me Media – Media Language, Monday 9th November, 2pm – 3pm
In this insight4me Media online event for schools and colleges, UEA and LSE will each have roughly 30 minutes to deliver a punchy, interactive topic based ‘micro’ talk. Within an overall session theme of Media Language, the universities have the freedom to choose their own focus and use the time to convey the key points of the case studies for the students.
insight4me is a series of subject specific webinars for Aged 16+ pre-university students. The sessions directly support students’ current studies by giving an insight into particular curriculum areas whilst affording an understanding of how these subjects continue beyond A-levels, T-levels, IB, BTEC and equivalent qualifications, and how they vary between universities.
Economics
Webinar (16+)
Economics: Realistic Interventions for Market Failures, Tuesday 10th November, 11:10am – 11:55am
Market failures are common across in societies and economies across the world. Governments, businesses and the third sector work hard to try to solve them – but what does that look like in practice? If we should tax a good to correct a negative externality, how do we know how much to tax it by? Why might taxation backfire and make a market failure worse?
In this interactive session, we will grapple with questions like this as we explore realistic interventions for market failure. We will look at real world problems and how they’ve been solved. You will take on the role of a policy advisor and think about what kind of interventions might work, make predictions, then see how your choices compare with real world regulation and experiments. You’ll also discover how governments, charities and businesses use these ideas.
Architecture
in-Person Taster Afternoon
(Yr 12)
Northumbria University Architecture Taster Afternoon – 11th November, 13:00-15:30
Spaces are now available – but will fill up so sign up quickly.
Students will have the opportunity to hear about our Architecture and Interior Architecture programmes, have a tour of our facilities, take part in a sketching exercise, and find out what we’re really looking for in a portfolio. The timetable and the workshop descriptor can be found below.
Psychology
Webinar (16+)
Psychology: Experiencing Live Research Design as a Participant Before Following Project Progress & Research Outcomes – Seminar 2
Wednesday 11th November, 11.10am – 12pm
Seminar 2: Research Hypotheses, Identifying Gaps in Our Understanding & Our Methodological Approach
In the research project, we will characterise different elements of social behaviour during this developmental period (late adolescence) and explore how they can be influenced by different factors in our daily lives. We will look at the interplay between individual traits (internal factors) and external environmental factors on shaping social behaviours that are key for our role in society. Further details will be made available to teachers in advance and full details will be revealed to participating students in Session 2, once the research task has been completed.
To find out more and book (Channel Talent Website)
Contact Sixth Form if you need a space to join this webinar.
Please ask permission to miss a lesson by contacting sixthform@qehs.net
Psychology
Webinar (16+)
Forensic Psychology: Memory On Trial With Dr Jennifer Murphy – Wednesday 11th November, 14:15pm – 3:00pm
Think your memory is reliable? Think again! In this interactive talk, Dr Jennifer Murphy explores how easily our minds create false memories, and why these errors matter more than you might think. You’ll discover the factors that can distort what we remember, learn the truth behind common myths about how memory works, and see how these distortions play out in real-world situations.
We’ll dive into the impact of false memories on the legal system, uncovering why eyewitnesses often get it wrong, how line-ups can mislead us, and why even jurors’ memories can’t always be trusted.
By the end, you’ll see your memory in a completely new light: powerful, fascinating… and far from perfect.
To find out more and book (Channel Talent Website)
Contact Sixth Form if you need a space to join this webinar.
Please ask permission to miss a lesson by contacting sixthform@qehs.net
History
Webinar (16+)
History: Speaking out against a Tyrant – Challenging the Authority of Henry VIII – Monday 16th November, 11.10am – 11:55am
Tudor society was fundamentally hierarchical, and obedience was a powerful concept for contemporaries. So what happened when a monarch acted in ways that were seen by his subjects as problematic?
This session will explore examples of Henry’s subjects speaking out against royal policy, from rude words spoken to neighbours, to printed polemic and propaganda. In doing so, we will explore the limits to royal authority and the extent to which Henry’s subjects might be seen as a threat to his power.
Computer Science
Webinar (16+)
Computer Science: Python Coding Workshop – From for Loops to Machine Learning – Monday 16th November, 2:10pm – 3pm
Can you outsmart a machine? Discover how simple Python programming can lead to artificial intelligence!
In this interactive 45-minute workshop, you’ll take on the role of a data scientist challenged with predicting which university students might need additional academic support.
Starting with your own instincts, you’ll examine real-world-style data and make predictions about student success. You’ll then put your Python skills to work, taking the step from familiar programming concepts such as if statements and for loops to building your own machine learning classifier!
You’ll discover how decision trees learn patterns from data, test whether your algorithms outperform human judgement and use confusion matrices to investigate when predictions go wrong.
With guided Python activities in your browser, you’ll experience how data science turns simple code into intelligent predictions.
Ready to make the leap from Python programming to machine learning? Join us and discover where your computing skills could take you!
Sociology
Webinar (16+)
Sociology: Who’s Afraid of Feminism? From Feminist Waves to Feminism – Tuesday 17th November, 11.10am – 11:55am
This session will be an opportunity to explore feminism today. It will tackle some of the common misconceptions about feminism and look at how it is still relevant in the UK and across the globe.
We will start out by considering what feminism is and isn’t. Then we’ll consider the idea of ‘feminist waves’. There will be a chance to explore current feminist movements and also think about more problematic versions of feminism. The talk will conclude by arguing for the importance of a feminism that is intersectional and justice-based. This will suit anyone who is curious about feminism and / or who is looking at feminist perspectives as part of their studies.
The session will be led by Dr Charlotte Morris from the Sociology team at the University of Portsmouth. Charlotte is a specialist in gender and feminism and undertakes research from a feminist perspective.
Accounting/Business
Webinar (16+)
Accounting/Business: Mergers and Acquisitions – The Business Behind the Deal – Tuesday 17th November, 12:45pm – 1:30pm
Why do major companies merge, acquire competitors or sell parts of their business? And how can they determine whether a deal will create value?
Using case studies of well-known businesses, this session introduces the strategic and financial analysis behind mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Students will explore how firms identify growth opportunities, assess potential targets and use financial statements, business valuations and forecasts to inform investment decisions. We will consider how expected synergies, financing choices and integration costs affect whether an acquisition makes commercial sense—and why seemingly attractive deals can fail.
The session connects core concepts in accounting, finance and business strategy to real corporate decisions, while also showing how M&A can support entrepreneurial growth and business development. The session encourages critical evaluation of the evidence behind some of the biggest decisions companies make.
Media & Communication
Webinar (16+)
Media & Communication: Researching Influencers and Young People in Social Media – Tuesday 17th November, 2:15pm – 3pm
Influencers are everywhere, and lots of people are worried about their impact. Social media bans, consumerism, and concerns around online harm are all shaping the current discussions on how young people navigate influencer culture. Join Dr Robyn Muir, Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication at the University of Surrey to explore influencers, and how they are researched.
Robyn will talk about her participatory youth focused workshop approach to qualitative research, explaining the role of a researcher when discussing influencer culture.
Professional Policing
Webinar (Year 12)
Routes into Professional Policing – Thursday 19th November, 5pm – 6:30pm
Thinking about a future in Policing?
Join us for an informative and inspiring event to discover how a Professional Policing degree can prepare you for a rewarding career.
You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of the Professional Policing degree. This includes course content, learning opportunities, and the wide range of career pathways it can support. This event is an excellent opportunity to hear from our expert academics, all of whom have extensive policing experience. You’ll learn how studying at university can help you:
- Build knowledge, confidence, and professional skills
- Prepare to enter the workplace, by gaining a strong platform for future success.
This session will give you a clear insight into what a Professional Policing degree can offer and how it can support your long-term career goals. It’s ideal whether you’re exploring your options after college or considering a career change.
Link Area Access Programme
Online & Residential (Yr 12)
Link Area Access Programme – NOW OPEN!
Through a series of online sessions and an in-person stay in Cambridge, this programme will enable you to get your questions answered, clarify a few myths, and make an informed decision about the university to which you might like to apply and the subjects which you want to study. Overall, the programme should build your confidence to help you make a competitive application to a university of your choice, while helping you to form aspirations for the future. While this programme will include some specific details about the Cambridge application process if, after this programme, you decide that Cambridge isn’t for you, the programme will still help provide you with the confidence you need to make a competitive application to another university.
Closing Date: Monday 4th January 2027, 12pm
Various
(Yr 12 & 13)
Various Opportunities with the University of Leeds
- Autumn Online Events – Book now to secure your spot at one or more of our online Undergraduate support events. Throughout September and October focussed on helping you navigate starting university.
- Access to Leeds applications opening soon Access to Leeds is our contextual admissions programme for UK undergraduate applicants. It offers additional consideration for applicants based on their personal circumstances.
Medicine and Health
Virtual Session (Yr 12 & 13)
Medicine and Health Taster Sessions: Various dates
Bangor University’s College of Medicine and Health is delighted to invite you to our upcoming series of free online Taster Sessions – a programme of live lectures designed specifically for students exploring their options ahead of university.
Sessions are available across the following subject areas:
Sport Science, Medicine, Pharmacy, Pharmacology, Nursing, Midwifery, Biomedical Science, Medical Science, Psychology, Health and Social Care
These sessions offer students the chance to:
• Hear directly from Bangor University’s leading researchers and academics
• Get a genuine feel for university-level study in medicine and health
• Ask questions live during dedicated Q&A segments
• Attend from anywhere – no travel required, and no commitment to attend every session
Registration is completely free, and students can sign up for as many or as few sessions as they like. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to deepen your subject knowledge, build confidence, and make more informed decisions about your future studies.
All Subjects
Online Information Sessions (Year 12)
Edinburgh University – Various dates
We run a range of online events that you can access wherever you are in the world.
Our regular ‘Introduction to the University of Edinburgh’ sessions provide an overview of what it’s like to study with us, and the opportunity to ask questions. View the event details and book a session below.
As well as our regular sessions, from time to time we will run online events which are specific to a particular subject area. We will update those on our mailing list when booking opens for relevant events.
Medicine & Dentistry
Advice on Preparing for applications (Year 12)
Medical Schools Council – Preparing to apply
The Medical Schools Council recommend that students start preparing now for dentistry and medicine applications so that they have everything in place for this time next year.
Writing a personal statement for Medical School & Dental School
Competitions
Languages
Poetry Prize
Calling all young translators! Bring creative translation into the classroom this summer with the Stephen Spender Poetry Prize 2026. Translate ANY poem from ANY language, or a Polish poem for the Polish Spotlight. Free entry for all UK and Irish schools, for pupils of all ages!
Cateogries include the Individual Youth Entry (ages 18 and under, and ages 14 and under).
A chance to enter a national competition exploring a key sociological theme, and showcase your creativity and insight.
One winner from each category will receive £100.
This year’s question is ‘How much can individual behaviour do to solve a collective environmental crisis?’
Closing Date: Monday 2nd November, 4pm.
Geography
Essay Competition
Royal Geographical Society’s School Essay Competition
The RGA invites geography students aged 16-18 to consider the 2026 School Essay Competition, organised in partnership with the Financial Times, students are to answer the following question:
What factors drive migration, how are patterns shifting and what are the consequences?
Please include changes resulting from climatic factors and post-2020 geopolitics in your answer.
You can submit your essay at any time before the deadline. Seach FT.com for the latest news to help with your essay.
Closing Date: Monday 9th November, 5pm.
Languages
Poetry Prize
The Edward Thomas Fellowship’s principal aim is to keep the poet’s work widely read and enjoyed. The Fellowship is delighted to be running the competition for the fifth consecutive year.
Win £100 and boost your UCAS from by writing a close reading of Edward Thomas’s poem ‘Roads’
Closing Date: Monday 30th November, 5pm.
Future Voices
Poetry Competition
Future Voices Poetry Competition for 12 – 18 year olds
Open to 12-18 year olds, students can write a poem on any theme and in any style, giving them the chance to explore their ideas, opinions, experiences and interests without the constraints of a set topic.
From current affairs and identity to conservation, relationships or simply something they love, poems can be powerful, personal, lighthearted or completely unexpected – every student has a voice worth sharing.
Closing Date: Thursday 31st December
All Subjects
Essay Competition
The Sidgwick Prize Essay Competition
The Sidgwick Prize, Cambridge is an annual essay competition for high-school aged students from around the world. Each year students can choose to respond to an essay question from a list of three questions in eight disciplines: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Law, Theology, Psychology, and Art History.
Every submission receives substantive feedback from academic specialists, including Faculty at the University of Cambridge.
Closing Date: Wednesday 30th June 2027
Useful Resources/Opportunities
All Subjects
On Demand Webinars
Yrs 12 & 13
UniTasterDays
These impartial videos have one key aim. To support students who are considering university to make informed future subject decisions. They feature guest speakers from a range of different universities, who are always experts in the subject being explored.
Dentistry
Online Resource
Yrs 12 & 13
University of Sheffield
This resource provided from the University of Sheffield gives an insight into the world of dentistry. Resource provided via the Futurelearn portal.
Medical Sciences
Online Lectures
Yrs 12 & 13
UCL
UCL have an online medical sciences lecture series which is free and open to everyone to get inspired.
Natural Sciences
Spotlight
Yrs 12 & 13
Durham University
At Durham, we actively provide our students with opportunities to develop attributes we hope they have by the time they graduate. One way in which we do this is through our excellent multi-subject degree programmes.
Explore our Natural Sciences webpages to discover whether Natural Sciences at Durham could be a good match for your students.