Welcome teachers and educators! Please find below our current online resources offer for Secondary education (Years 7-11, KS3-4), including lesson plans, project templates, videos, podcasts, forums, CPD and more! This is the current offer from the UoS and our partners – more educational resources are listed on the GCSE Students page, and we are curating our favourite engagement resources here.
All our resources for teachers have been created with partner teachers from local schools and colleges – if you’d like to share your knowledge and expertise and work with us on creating future resources, or there’s a particular area of the curriculum and beyond that you’d like us to create resources for, we’d love to hear from you! Email supo@soton.ac.uk, call 023 8059 7521, or complete this simple form.
Where a password is required, use ‘disco’.
Featured: Pupil Voice for Promoting Inclusion in Schools
pvpi-1-nov-2023-event-final-flyer-pdfversionDear all,
Please, join us in this in- person event to find out how to reach out to all learners in schools by focusing on student voice. For more information and details on how to register, please, see attached flyer.
Thanks.
Kiki
Featured: Free event for students run by the University of Southampton (free travel provided)
We are planning a free event at the University of Southampton Highfield Campus (SO17 1PX) and invite your school to be involved. The event will take place at a time convenient to you anytime between the summer and autumn of 2024, at no financial cost to your School. We want you to be involved from the outset to help us shape what we do.
I am a Professor at the University of Southampton and am applying for funding to hold an educational event with school groups that links to Key Stage 3 & 4 Curriculum subject of Citizenship, and specifically the aim of “[pupils being] equipped with the skills to think critically and debate political questions, to enable them to manage their money on a day-to-day basis, and plan for future financial needs”.
My research project is about Money Saving in Later Life, particularly understanding differences in pensions and savings between people from different ethnic groups. As part of the project, I am planning a half-day trip to the University of Southampton Highfield Campus, where students can learn about savings, pensions and some of the challenges older people face, as well as how they might use this in their own later lives. Students will have the chance to view a Photograph Exhibition with images taken by older people on what preparing for later life means to them, before taking part in a discussion and sharing their thoughts digitally.
The trip will take place at no financial cost to the School.
The event package includes:
- Free return travel from your School to the University of Southampton Highfield Campus
- Complimentary refreshments for students and staff upon arrival at Nuffield Theatre
- Welcome and introduction to the University from senior academics in the Faculty of Social Sciences
- Group work sessions to solve a ‘problem’ relating to “the importance and practice of budgeting, and managing risk” (KS 3) and “savings and pensions” (KS 4).
- Viewing of Photograph exhibition and completion of online feedback on handheld devices provided by us
- Complimentary lunch and refreshments at the venue
- Walking tour of Highfield Campus of the University of Southampton
- Financial compensation for the cover of the teacher(s) accompanying the pupils
Through this event we aim to inspire understanding of what universities do and why it’s important, as well as enrich your curriculum. If your School would be interested in being involved, I would love to hear from you and work with you to ensure the event delivers your school’s needs.
If you would like to talk through what is on offer please do get in touch.
Contact:
Professor Athina Vlachantoni (University of Southampton)
Email: a.vlachantoni@soton.ac.uk
Featured: United Kingdom Mexican Day of the Dead short video secondary school competition!
The Mexican Embassy in the UK and co-collaborator Dr Jane Lavery (Southampton University) have the pleasure of inviting your students to participate in our second United Kingdom Mexican Day of the Dead short video secondary school competition!
The purpose of the video will be to encourage participants to learn through active creative hands-on engagement about this fascinating cultural festival. The aim of this video will be an important way of celebrating cultural differences and inclusivity, as well as highlighting that the Día de Muertos is not a ‘Mexican Halloween.’
united-kingdom-secondary-schools-day-of-the-dead-altar-video-competion-2023Registration date: 2nd October 2023 by 7 pm. Only a maximum of 20 schools will be able to compete, so please register as early as possible as the registration is on a first-come-first served basis. If you are unsuccessful, we will put your school on a waiting list. If you are unsuccessful this year, we will prioritise those on the waiting list for next year’s competition. Please send an email to mloutreach@soton.ac.uk to inform Marie Weaver that you will be submitting a video. Please also let Ms Weaver know that you intend to withdraw to give other schools on the waiting list the opportunity to register for the competition.
The submission date of video: Friday 3rd November 2023 by 7 pm
The top 3 winners will be announced online as part of the National Día de Muertos Awards Ceremony in the second week of November (i.e. 13-17t Nov) 2023 (Exact Date TBC) and which will be virtually hosted by Southampton University. The Mexican Ambassador to the UK will welcome schools and announce the winners, and Dr Jane Lavery will give a brief talk about the Mexican Day of the Dead.
The top 3 winning videos will also be played during the event. All school students will receive a digital certificate of achievement and the top three winners will also receive a prize, courtesy of the Embassy and the University of Southampton.
We look forward to seeing your wonderful creations!
Featured: LifeLab Dates for your diary
Featured: Qualitative Research Study for Secondary Teachers
- be a teacher at Secondary School level as a minimum
- be either experienced, accredited or currently obtaining credentials as a teacher and
- have Mathematics (ideally) or a Mathematics-related subject (namely any Science or Technology subject) as one of your main areas.
Welcome to the autism transitions project. This project is a collaboration between The University of Southampton and Aviary Nursery, Eastleigh.
Together, we are finding out more about the experiences of transition of autistic children from preschool to primary school.
Young autistic children are amongst the most scrutinised and assessed in their everyday lives, often leading to characterisations and descriptions that focus on their difficulties (commonly termed ‘deficits’) and challenges rather than on their abilities, strengths and positive experiences.
This project is about changing the way we think and talk about autistic children in order to develop a more holistic understanding of who they are as a person. We do this through the creation of Digital Stories with children, families and staff members.
Digital Stories are short videos that focus on the child’s perspective. The stories show the child doing the things they like doing, and how they interact and communicate with others. Children’s voices and views are, therefore, at the centre of the research.
The idea for the Stories came about because we wanted to find a way for all children to contribute their views, experiences and perspectives to educational decision-making. We drew upon previous work funded by the ESRC that provided insights into the experiences, contexts, and culture of learning experiences for children with autism.
This project is from the ACoRNS group.
ACoRNS has collaborated with illustrator Sam Davies, Tracie Raufi (Assistant Headteacher-Curriculum and Head of Art and Design) and autistic students at New Forest School to co-produce a comic about the transition to secondary school. The comic tells the story of Lee Mouse who is getting ready for his first day at secondary school The storyline reflects the voices and experiences of autistic students, as well as some of the strategies that they identified that support their well-being at school. These include having positive and understanding relationships with staff members, a safe space to go to decompress, and an opportunity to talk through worries and fears.
We’re constantly increasing the number of ways in which you and your pupils can engage directly with our researchers and subject experts in the community – the latest are below!
(ATE) Acoustical Engineering: Ever wondered how dolphins communicate underwater? Why some cars are louder than others? What’s making all that noise when you boil water in a kettle and why it changes? Now’s your time to ask our researchers from the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) and find out! Ask questions via twitter to @ISVRSouthampton – and check out their YouTube channel for video responses plus virtual tours of their spooky Anechoic and Reverberation Chambers, demos and more!
- ‘The ISVR Shed’ – YouTube playlist containing videos of fun experiments and activities for you to try at home, while learning about the science of sound at the same time!
(ATE) Ecology, Nature & Biodiversity: The Dinosaur on Your Window Sill
- Talk directly to our researchers, students and a diverse community of ecology enthusiasts!
- Share photos, videos and questions plus daily challenges!
- Stay engaged with nature from your home.
Future Focus – Year 11 playlist
The series of videos within this playlist aim to ignite conversation in the classroom around university, be that face to face or in the virtual space. We hope these videos provide thought provoking content for your year 11 students, encouraging them to think about their future and to see if their future will include going to university. The topics that these videos cover are our most popular topics when talking to pre-16 students.
The videos have been presented from a current university student perspective. At the end of each video we have posed a question or a conversation title to encourage individual reflection or a classroom discussion.
If after watching these videos you would like to know more about the work we do in Widening Participation & Social Mobility at the University of Southampton please get in touch or visit our website, see below-
Website: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/schools-colleges/learn-with-us-outreach.page
Email: outreach@soton.ac.uk
Alongside the current nationwide project, Ancient Mariner Big Read, the English Department at University of Southampton have assembled four incredible podcasts, inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
(Virtual) Arcade by WSA #WSAgames
- Support our Games Design students at Winchester School of Art – and see where art and computing can take you!
- You have the very first opportunity to play games from the next generation of creative game makers!
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The games will be updated regularly on the virtual Arcade until mid June (when we have a special live stream showcase).
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Your feedback on the projects will enhance each project.
- Help our scientists analyse images and short video clips of the Aurora!
- Support real, current research into this mysterious phenomenon which effects our weather, satellites and more.
- Learn about the science behind the Northern Lights.
Avian is a cooperative multiplayer game with conservation, collaboration, and altruism at its core. Engage in multiple modes of play such as a negotiation puzzler and a fast-paced race as you help your community thrive.
At the University of Southampton, we’re very lucky to have some truly inspirational speakers visit us! During the lockdown response to the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, many of these lectures were edited into bite-sized videos for you to watch from home!
You can also explore our archive of full-length public lectures, on a range of topics and with a diverse cast of distinguished speakers, here.
Bug Power: Energy & More from Waste
Try these Circular Bioeconomy puzzles, to find out how we use living things to help us make energy and new products from rubbish! These are based on research from our Water and Environmental Engineering Group, and partners in the Environmental Biotechnology Network.
CAVATINA: FREE tickets for 8 – 25 year olds!
FREE TICKETS FOR 8-25 YEAR OLDS TO SELECTED CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERTS
Through the generous support of the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust we are able to offer young people aged 8-25 the fantastic opportunity to experience selected concerts absolutely free.
CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust was formed in 1998 to develop young audiences for chamber music. Through their generous support we are able to offer young people aged 8 – 25 the fantastic opportunity to experience selected concerts absolutely free.
If you are aged 15-25 you can register on the CAVATINA membership scheme by emailing a copy of your ID, verifying your date of birth to: info@turnersims.co.uk using CAVATINA as the email title. We will email you to confirm when your membership has been set up and you will then be able to book your free CAVATINA tickets.
Parents/ Guardians and Carers can register their 8-14 year-olds on the CAVATINA membership scheme by sending your child’s name and date of birth to: info@turnersims.co.uk using CAVATINA as the email title. We will email you to confirm when your child’s membership has been set up and you will be able to book their free CAVATINA tickets.
To book your free ticket, log into your Turner Sims account, select a Standard Ticket and your discount will automatically be applied at the checkout.
One ticket per CAVATINA member per concert. CAVATINA membership will expire on your 26th birthday. Terms and conditions apply.
- Enquiry-based learning in archaeology
- 20 workshops to engage with
- Free for secondary school students due to COVID-19
Discover Electrochemistry – Coming Soon!
- Information for teachers and students available.
- Teachers can find teaching resources and classroom activities.
- Students can find pages explaining different areas of oceanography.
- Includes fun activities such as quizzes, drag and drop exercised, and even sudoku to test knowledge.
- Links to the main Discover Oceanography website which explains more about the boat trips offered.
Education in the Green Space (EIGS)
- The EIGS guide book aims to help teachers take the classroom outside into the green space.
- Teachers can find worksheets to use that fit in with the National Curriculum both for primary and secondary.
- Additional help and support for teachers in other areas to make it as easy as possible to take the classroom outside.
This online resource is designed to help young people in year 11 plan and prepare for life, study, and work after school by providing resources to help make decisions about the next steps.
A comprehensive toolkit for supporting young people during lockdown including educational, cultural and wellbeing activities, information, advice and guidance.
Southampton’s newest arts and heritage venue, God’s House Tower, has an exciting exhibition schedule which you can view here.
There is something for everyone to enjoy – with many events free of charge.
- Resources enabling schools to run a full day of activities for KS2/KS3 students.
- Covers fingerprinting, document analysis, ballistics, and fibre analysis.
- Teachers can find lesson plans, resources, slides, and more.
- Students can find fun interactive activities, and some basic information about the key topics.
How to get to 100 and enjoy it!
What are your chances of living to 100? How do your early years, your family life, where you live, your lifestyle and your work affect these chances? With one in three children born today expected to live to 100, these questions have never been more relevant.
Find out more about how our population is changing through a number of interactive activities from the world-leading Centre for Population Change! Download the ‘Our Life Journey’ app to learn about demographic change in Europe and the field of Population Studies. Explore a series of interactive maps and infographics to explore how Life Expectancy, Education & Employment, Migration, Population Structure, and Ageing change with location and impact our life journey.
Each area of discovery includes questions to get students thinking and suggested classroom activities. There is also a downloadable workbook that can be worked through individually or as a class. And look out for the exhibition as it tours the country – or enjoy it from home via the gallery!
Intro to Podiatry Resources
TEDxSouthampton University Talk: Baring the soul of the foot – Emma Cowley
The amazing human foot. This talk gives a brief overview of the practical, the anatomical and the cultural wonders of this often under-appreciated part of us. Reverence or revulsion, no-one can deny the enduring critical role our feet play in the story and the journey of humanity. Dr Emma Cowley is a podiatrist who has worked clinically with people and their foot health conditions for over 25 years. Emma is currently conducting research with citizen scientists on the public perceptions of feet to unveil the hidden narratives of the foot and inform education, policy and healthcare practices. Emma is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Southampton, current Dean and fellow of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine, Royal College of Podiatry, fellow of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Chartered Scientist and Fellow of Advance HE. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken continue their journey around the human body, asking what our insides can reveal about our lives and the world around us.
Podiatry videos
Learn more about the amazing opportunities a career in podiatry can offer. Find out more about podiatry careers at the Royal College of Podiatry website rcpod.org.uk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BnijYMx30Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqDkfdm0ixg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo3VPSfVxmA
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/v73gitM9WMQ
John Hansard Gallery upcoming events
Easter Holiday Animation Workshop
jhg-easter-holiday-workshopOn the 13th & 14th April between 10am – 4:30pm, work alongside model maker, set designer and animator Nathan Ward to create characters using cardboard construction. With the help of City Eye film production, turn your creations into life by filming a day in the life of your character! Based on the David Blandy exhibition Atomic Light, on show between the 11th February and 6th May, this workshop will link to the themes of how our future is in our hands, and what this future may look like if we don’t act now!
JHG Collective is a youth programme open to anyone aged 14-19. We are looking for enthusiastic young people who are willing to work as part of a team. To explore, participate in and deliver responses to our current exhibitions through conversation, making and questioning. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be good at art to join! As long as you are eager to share your ideas, learn and create we would love to hear from you. Every other Saturday 2:30-4:30pm. Next session 11th February.
jhg-collective-participant-call-outSpace to Create!
stc-flyerOur weekly family friendly sessions encourage creativity within the gallery! Come along on a Saturday between 11am-1pm for these free, drop-in family workshops!
Upcoming exhibition programme – this document has our upcoming exhibitions with how each show could link to the curricular.
upcoming-programme-2022-23-24
Lifelong Learning Podcast Library
Our Lifelong Learnging team curate a diverse series of courses through which anyone can learn directly from our experts in a range of areas. Many of the talks have been recorded as podcasts which can be enjoyed for free via the link above!
Light Express – Exploring Waves of Light
A 6 minute long film by the Light Express Team – led by Dr Bill Brocklesby designed for Year 9 Students. It’s an Introduction to Waves.
Maths & Physics videos with UoS Graduate Dr. Emma Osbourne
Democracy and encouragement are fundamental features of any modern society. This project aims to support future democratic participation by building a web-based simulation tool in the form of a game. Each player acts as a local government representative, implementing local laws as they see fit, and thereby learning about participation issues and democratic choices.
National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) Courses
Many of the NCCE CPD sessions for teachers are already available online, and more are being added regularly.
National Cipher Challenge – New Weekly Challenges!
- Help Harry crack the codes and discover the secrets!
- Open to all ages and abilities.
- Join or create a team or individual entry to submit your answers for live marking – or have a go at past challenges in your own time and reveal answers to check your own work.
- Great way to engage with Maths and Computing.
- Developed with IBM, GCHQ and other cipher/code-breaking experts!
- Plenty of resources for you to explore about nature and heritage!
Winchester Science Centre – Science @ Home
Educational, inspirational and fun resources from Winchester Science Centre, from weekly Curiosity Challenges and DIY science videos to spectacular science demonstrations and fun and fascinating facts!
Rad Ratings Card Game Resources
We at the University of Southampton, together with the Royal Society of Chemistry, put this game together to help teach you more about nuclear science, and to highlight that radioactive things don’t make radioactive zombies (!), but that they’re actually completely safe if handled properly, and really, really important in everyday life. Everything from treating cancer, powering space ships, preventing fires, dating old artefacts and even sterilising food, radioactivity is much more widely used in day-to-day than people often think.
Instructions:
game_instructions_print_friendlyinstruction-leaflet-print-friendly
Question cards:
question-cards_print_friendlygame-2-question-cards-printer-friendly-1
Lesson Plan:
lesson-planPowerpoint:
rad-rating-ppt
To receive pre-printed card sets, please contact Sarah Lu at Sarah.lu@soton.ac.uk or Shaun Hemming at sdh1g16@soton.ac.uk or sign up.
SciTunes use the power of song to teach Science! Follow the link to find a range of music videos created to keep classrooms lively, increase student engagement and make lesson content memorable. Includes exciting content for teaching and revision of GCSE science.
Although the live events have come to an end, many of the videos, podcasts, blogs and activities are still available – so you can still join us and discover the amazing!
Safe4me
There are also useful additional updates, information, materials and resources given regularly through the Safe4me News E-bulletin. Sign up and contribute by emailing schoolyouthengagement@hampshire.pnn.police.uk
- Includes a series of podcasts discussing key English texts.
- Created to aid GCSE and A-level students in their studies.
- Information regarding previous and ongoing research projects, as well as details about further education in English can be found elsewhere on the website.
Southern Universities Network (SUN) Resources
Resources for schools from our local partnership the SUN include careers and student resources, webinars and information for parents and carers to support their young people’s future decision making.
Special Collections – Online Exhibitions
The University Hartley Library Special Collections Gallery was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund primarily for the display of material from the collections to encourage public awareness and access. The exhibition programme focuses on themes within the collection and links in with University academic activity including celebrations of research, conferences and contributions to national and international events and commemorations – and many have parallel online exhibitions which can be viewed via the link above!
Southampton Young Archaeologists’ Club
- Suitable for ages 8-16.
- Different activities to get involved in.
- Investigating archaeology sites.
Time Machine – Sleuth IT Adventure Games for Literacy
Recommended by our LifeLab team, download the outline document, click the link above for the resources, contact Joe Morretti directly for more information, and see their other resources at sleuthit.com.
Turner Sims: Cordelia Williams, playing the Steinway Piano
If you are craving serenity, watch the first in a series of four stunning films from pianist Cordelia Williams, in which she plays the beautiful Turner Sims Steinway piano in the concert hall at Highfield campus. In this initial film, Cordelia serenades us with Mozart’s Rondo No 3, K511.
Teachers, careers colleagues and support staff: Download your FREE Teachers’ Guide to University brochure.
The Teachers’ Guide has been produced by UniTasterDays.com in collaboration with HELOA – to support the university guidance that is provided in secondary schools and colleges. Editorial has been provided by over 35 colleagues at universities institutions throughout the UK. On topics covering how to support students with their university decisions, university events, widening participation & fair access, UCAS applications (including writing school references) and more. It also includes the key student finance facts from Martin Lewis.
The Universi-tea Podcast!
Make yourself a soothing cup of tea and tune in for a series of interviews with staff and students from around the university, from The Designer in Pyjamas to The Real Indiana Jones! Watch the short trailer videos, and listen to episodes on Spotify, Listen Notes, Podchaser, Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers.
University of Southampton MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)
- Increase your subject knowledge by learning directly from our world experts for free!
- Great preparation for, or tasters of, courses your students are considering studying – or just to follow an interest.
- Interact directly with our researchers when the courses are live.
- Topics include:
- Developing Your Research Project – perfect for EPQ or IB Extended Essays
- Exploring Our Ocean
- Jane Austen: Myth, Reality and Global Celebrity
- Observing the Night Sky: What Next?
- Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds: Maritime Archaeology
- Understanding Money: the History of Finance, Speculation and the Stock Market
- Web Science: How the Web Is Changing the World
University of Southampton Research Videos
Ever wondered what goes on in a jet propulsion lab? How we study Saturn’s rings? What it’s like to hear for the first time thanks to a cochlear implant? How researchers fight cancer or understand the effects of plastics in the ocean? Explore all these things and more, with these short videos of some of the world-changing research taking place at Southampton – we hope they inspire the researchers of the future!
Check out our campuses in these campus tours, linked in a playlist on our Youtube channel! Find out what it is like to study with us by looking at the wonderful facilities available.
The STEMM skills award for year’s 9-13. Any extracurricular activity involving Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine could count towards an award. Students log hours to the e-portfolio and receive a medal and certificate upon completion.
This National Geographic project shares (or ‘cross-pollinates’) approaches and tools between members of the public, scientists, technologists and educators in order to support pollinators, people and the practice of citizen science.
The resources and work programme are designed for registered schools in the UK and Italy, however, the project warmly welcomes everyone to get involved in the activities. All you need is an area of outdoor space (as small as 1m2) where you can create a small patch of habitat and a plant seeds suitable for pollinators.