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Schools programming 2024

red apple on a pile of four books with a b c cubes

Bookings are now closed

The 2024 Cambridge Festival will feature two days of exciting and FREE talks, workshops and hands-on activities for school students (KS2 and KS3) in West Cambridge.

Schools can book for one, two or all three of our main talks alongside a whole host of other exciting workshops!

Monday 18 March 2024 – KS3

Main talks

Held in the Cambridge University Sports Hall

Thinking Mathematically: 10am-11am 

Charlie Gilderdale and Liz Woodham from the NRICH team will invite students to work together on some of their favourite mathematical problems. 

Hands-on Climate Action: 11:30am-12:30pm

Join Dante McGrath and Yashasvi Raj from the Centre for Climate Repair for a fun and educational session, where you can discover how to protect the Earth from global warming.

Can you blow up the Sun, and other dastardly space questions: 1pm-2pm

What happens if you throw someone into a black hole? Could you crash the Moon into the Earth? Everything you ever wanted to know about space (but were so very afraid to ask) awaits.

Departmental workshops

The fascinating world of animal health at the Department of Veterinary Medicine

10:30am-11:15am (FULL) / 11:30am-12:15pm / 1:15pm-2pm *Maximum capacity: 10 students

Scrubs on: Learn about the different roles within our animal hospital! at the Department of Veterinary Medicine

10:30am-11:15am (FULL) / 11:30am-12:15pm / 1:15pm-2pm *Maximum capacity: 10 students

Look at animal X-rays and discover what's wrong at the Department of Veterinary Medicine (FULL)

10:30am-11:15am (FULL) / 11:30am-12:15pm (FULL) / 1:15pm-2pm (FULL) *Maximum capacity: 10 students

Fun with food chemistry at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

10am-10:45am / 11am-11:45am / 12pm-12:45pm / 1pm-1:45pm *Maximum capacity: 30 students

Renewable Energy Exploration at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

10am-10:45am / 11am-11:45am / 12pm-12:45pm (FULL)/ 1pm-1:45pm *Maximum capacity: 30 students

“Chemistry Mystery” Escape Room at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (FULL)

10am-10:45am (FULL) / 11am-11:45am (FULL) / 12pm-12:45pm (FULL) / 1pm-1:45pm (FULL) *Maximum capacity: 30 students

Heat Matters – the science of temperature, structure and materials at the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy

10am-10:45am / 11:30am-12:15pm *Maximum capacity: 30 students

How to code like a DJ with Sonic Pi: introduction & live demo at the Department of Computer Science and Technology

11:30am-12:15pm / 1pm-1:45pm *Maximum capacity: 60 students

Workshops in the West Hub

Deepfakes and AI-Generated Media

11:30am-12:15pm / 1pm-1:45pm (FULL) *Maximum capacity: 30 students

Hands-on activities

10am-2pm

If you have time between our workshops and talks, we have an array of drop-in hands-on activities taking place in the open spaces across the West Hub. There’s no need to book! Activities include supplementary table-top activities from NRICH, infection games, building telescopes and more!

Tuesday 19 March 2024 - KS2

Main talks

Held in the Cambridge University Sports Hall

Hands-on Climate Action: 10am-11am

Join Dante McGrath and Yashasvi Raj from the Centre for Climate Repair for a fun and educational session, where you can discover how to protect the Earth from global warming.

Thinking Mathematically: 11:30am-12:30pm (FULL)

Liz Woodham and Charlie Gilderdale from the NRICH team will invite students to work together on some of their favourite mathematical problems. 

Can you blow up the Sun, and other dastardly space questions: 1pm-2pm (FULL)

What happens if you throw someone into a black hole? Could you crash the Moon into the Earth? Everything you ever wanted to know about space (but were so very afraid to ask) awaits.

Departmental workshops

The fascinating world of animal health at the Department of Veterinary Medicine

10:30am-11:15am / 11:30am-12:15pm / 1:15pm-2pm *Maximum capacity: 10 students

Scrubs on: Learn about the different roles within our animal hospital! at the Department of Veterinary Medicine

10:30am-11:15am / 11:30am-12:15pm / 1:15pm-2pm *Maximum capacity: 10 students

Look at animal X-rays and discover what's wrong at the Department of Veterinary Medicine

10:30am-11:15am / 11:30am-12:15pm / 1:15pm-2pm (FULL) *Maximum capacity: 10 students

Heat Matters – the science of temperature, structure and materials at the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy (FULL)

10am-10:45am (FULL) / 11:30am-12:15pm (FULL) *Maximum capacity: 30 students

Workshops in the West Hub

Inheritance, DNA, and Heart Disease - a craft workshop

10am-10:45am (FULL) / 11:30am-12:15pm / 1pm-1:45pm (FULL) *Maximum capacity: 30 students

Prehistory Mysteries

10am-10:30am (FULL) / 11am-11:30am / 1pm-1:30pm *Maximum capacity: 60 students

Hands-on activities

10am-2pm

If you have time between our workshops and talks, we have an array of drop-in hands-on activities taking place in the open spaces across the West Hub. There’s no need to book! Activities include using colours from the ancient world, investigating whipworm eggs and more!

How to book

Bookings are now closed.

Main talks and workshops must be booked in advance. Hands-on activities do not need to be booked in advance and are designed as filler activities for those who are attending other talks and workshops. You must book at least one activity to access the site. You cannot just attend hands-on activities.

Please allow yourself enough time to get from one activity to another. You can find practical information about the day in our Teachers’ Pack, including other ideas of what to do while on a visit to Cambridge.

If you'd like more information about our free schools' days, including updates of additional workshops, museums to visit and more please sign up to our mailing list.