Want hands-on lab experience and a head start on uni in STEM? Join a free widening-participation programme at the University of Cambridge to explore biomedical research, work in real labs, and connect with academics - build skills, boost your application, and discover routes into scientific study.

Explore maths and stats facilities and try a hands-on activity using the school’s equipment. Get a taste of university life, discover careers connected to the subjects and pick up support for your personal statement.

Follow a complete patient journey across four self-paced dentistry sessions, with high-fidelity simulations, real clinical settings and practising dentists. Finish all four to receive a certificate, with a free reflective journal to support your personal statement.

Fancy building a sustainable fashion brand and pitching it like an apprentice? Join a team-based challenge to design a market-ready concept, define your audience, craft brand identity and master social media storytelling - boost your creative, commercial and responsible business skills.

Join summer excavations, surveys and field walking, with training provided and no experience needed. You can also process archaeological finds and samples at year-round Wednesday sessions at Surrey History Centre in Woking.

Observe engineers and operatives on infrastructure projects, or explore teams spanning water, wastewater, design and build. A structured induction, mentoring and CV and interview skills support you throughout.

Spend a full day in fast-paced, interactive Geography sessions in a cinema setting, sharpening exam technique and revising core topics with subject experts. Practise strategies for 20-, 9- and 6-mark questions, then take away a workshop booklet, supporting online course and downloadable resources.

Ready to showcase your research and writing? Enter the University of Exeter Academic Competitions: submit a thoughtful essay on Geography or a Modern Language theme, build strong arguments, gain feedback and a standout line on your uni application - and compete for prizes.

Complete paid work experience placements during school holidays, alongside up to two weeks of employability training and workshops. You’ll also get a business mentor who supports you through the programme and beyond, with industry-specific streams including tech, STEM and finance.

Submit a film of up to 10 minutes in any genre, judged on idea, story, sound and look - not your kit. The winner gets a £100 voucher, a website interview and a YouTube Shorts feature; runners-up are showcased too.

Investigate why Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland were so unhealthy in the 19th century, using maps, medical reports, workhouse records and personal letters and diaries. Discuss how housing, sanitation, pollution and diet shaped public health, with live interaction from experienced educators.

Take 20 Spanish lessons each week in classes capped at 15, then fill weekday afternoons and evenings with supervised activities. Half-day weekday excursions and full-day weekend trips take your learning beyond the classroom.

Take part in Model UN simulations, parliamentary debates and negotiation exercises with political professionals, including MPs, civil servants and UN staff. Get career coaching on study choices and routes into politics, then complete an online assessment to receive a personalised certificate for university applications.

Tackle a 90-minute chemistry paper set by teachers and university chemists, using university-style scientific thinking beyond your syllabus. Sit it at school under supervised conditions; top performers can be invited to a residential camp at the University of Cambridge.

Four fast-paced, interactive sessions in a cinema take you through Edexcel Politics exam expectations, AO1/AO2/AO3 skills, synoptic links, key thinkers and contemporary examples. You’ll also get a workshop booklet, an online course and an attendee hub with downloadable resources.

Compare Heaney and Frost through poems on your A-Level syllabus, then take part in an exhibition tour, lecture and seminar. Experienced university lecturers and school practitioners lead the programme, with PhD students from Queen’s and Ulster facilitating the seminars.

Write an original short fiction (max 1,000 words) using a provided title, line of dialogue and object after registration. Have your work reviewed by postgraduate and academic judges, compete for shortlist, runner-up and winner places, and win monetary awards.

Set camera traps and collect species-survey data in the Amazon, while supporting wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release alongside experienced local staff and biologists. Training is provided on arrival, and you could also help with turtle and butterfly breeding programmes.

Hear how one degree brings creative writing, moving image and performance together. A short presentation explores the course’s mix of theory and practice, followed by time for your questions.

Shadow hospital teams one-to-one or join group placements with lectures and tours of key departments, led by professionals across healthcare and support roles. Placements usually last one to two days, with some running up to 10 working days.