Year 10 Insights into Science and Engineering Summer School

This action-packed summer school takes you deeper into your favourite science or engineering subjects and helps you look at them in new ways.
At a glance
- Applications close: 9 March
- Decisions released: 5 May
- Dates: 2- 5 August 2023
- Format: Residential
- For year 10 students
About Insights into Science and Engineering
This year 10 residential summer school aims to encourage participants to continue studying science and engineering subjects after their GCSE's (or equivalent) by offering taster sessions of different science and engineering disciplines.
For the scientists among you, get ready for an action packed four days that will take you deeper into the realms of the subjects you know including biology, chemistry, physics and maths, looking at them in new, exciting ways. You will be taking part in hands on practicals and workshops in real undergraduate labs with some of Imperial’s finest academics and students.
For the budding engineers, you’ll be amazed at how many different disciplines of engineering we can fit into four days. You will try your hand at a number of different disciplines, and you will also take part in several hands on activities, be introduced to some core concepts in engineering and witness first hand exciting technology that is being developed in our research labs.
What to expect
Students on both strands will experience university life in London by working closely with undergraduate mentors and staying in university halls during this residential summer school. The course will feature a number of social activities in the evenings both in South Kensington and off campus.
At the end of the week there will be an academic-style conference. You will work in groups to prepare a poster explaining a concept you learned during the week. You will present your poster to your peers, workshop leaders and invited guests.
This summer school is fully funded (free to successful applicants), which includes all course fees, materials, accommodation, three meals a day as well as any trips that are part of the summer school. Travel is not included. However we may be able to offer successful applicants travelling from outside of London financial assistance for their travel. Please contact us after aplication decisions are released for more information.
Y10 Insights into Science and Engineering promo

"To anyone who would consider applying, it is definitely something you should take part in. You learn so much more than what you’d learn in school. You receive so much insight into how things could go for you in the future, and people are there to answer all the questions you have, from accommodation to degree options. You also get to meet new people, share your interests and make new friends."
— Abigail, year 10 student, Insights into Science and Engineering 2020
Applicant information
Eligibility criteria
To apply for the Y10 Insights into Science and Engineering Summer School, you must be in Year 10 at the time of application.
This outreach programme is funded by Imperial College London and aims to support state school students from backgrounds under-represented at university and Imperial. We use the criteria below to assess who is eligible to participate. The more criteria you meet, the more likely your application will be successful.
We recommend that you use our eligibility checker tool to see if you are eligible to apply.
We will prioritise your application if:
- You have been in care
- You live independently (estranged), meaning you no longer have the support of your family due to a breakdown in the relationship which has led to ceased contact
We will also assess whether:
- You are a young carer and have caring responsibilities for a close relative with a disability, long-term illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem that is a significant demand on your time
- Your family income is below £50,000 each year
- You are eligible for free school meals and/or pupil premium
- Your parents/guardians did not attend university
- You live in a neighbourhood with low overall progression rates to higher education (POLAR4 Quintile 1 or 2 areas) or high levels of deprivation (IMD Quintile 1 areas)
- Your school has a high percentage of students receiving free school meals
- Your school has below average attainment
Academic requirements
For this programme, you should:
- Expect to study science and maths in your post-16 studies
- Be studying at least eight GCSEs (or equivalent)
- Be on track to achieve a minimum of five GCSEs at grades 7-9, including maths and sciences
- Be on track to achieve a minimum of a grade 5 in GCSE English Language
How to apply
Applications for summer 2023 are now closed. Late applications cannot be considered. We will release decisions on 5 May.
Applications are made through Aspire, our online application system. A link to Aspire will be added to this webpage once applications are open.
Setting up your account
You must create an account with Aspire before you can complete your application.
- If you have applied to an Imperial Outreach programme in the past, you can use your existing account. There is a forgotten password feature on the Aspire login page.
- If this is your first application to one of our programmes, we recommend you use a personal email address rather than a school email address when creating your account. Security settings in some school email servers will prevent you from receiving emails from Aspire.
Completing your application
Once you are logged in you will need to start a new application. As part of the application form you will need to tell us about your school, the subjects you are currently studying and the course(s) you plan to study post-16. Although the form will force you to include English, Maths and Science for Key Stage 4 (GCSE or equivalent) and ask you if you are planning on studying specific STEM subjects post-16, you do need to tell us about all the subjects you are studying at school. Please use the 'Other subjects' section to add this information.
Please take care to ensure you select the correct programme when using the drop-down options. Some of our programmes have similar names, so it is important to double-check.
You will be asked questions relating to the eligibility criteria listed above. Where possible, please try to have this information to hand before you apply. You will also be asked to write a short personal statement. This gives you the chance to tell us more about why you are applying for this programme and why you think you would be suitable.
As part of the application process, we will seek references from a parent/guardian and a teacher at your current school. Please speak to the individuals you would like to provide these references in advance, so you can check you have the correct email address and contact numbers for them and that they are happy to support your application.
References
Once you have successfully submitted your application, we will email your parent/guardian and teacher referees. They will be sent a personalised link to Aspire, where they will provide information to support your application.
The reference forms ask similar questions about the eligibility criteria and include the opportunity to provide a supporting statement. These statements can be used to let us know about other challenges you may have faced and/or what you might get out of participating in the programme. Teachers will also be asked to verify the subject/grade information you provided in your application.
Decisions
We will release decisions via email on 5 May 2023. If you are offered a place on the programme, or on the waitlist, you will have a limited amount of time to accept this offer. Successful applicants will receive details on the next steps.
For information about the application process, please see our application FAQs.
Contact us
For more information, please see our Outreach Programme FAQs.
If your query is not answered in the FAQs, please email us via outreach.scienceactivities@imperial.ac.uk or phone +44 (0) 20 7594 3575.
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