This five-day residential Mathematics summer school at the University of Cambridge (run as part of the Sutton Trust Summer Schools programme) runs from 17 August 2026 to 21 August 2026. The course is highly academic and is designed to introduce students to advanced mathematical concepts beyond the school curriculum while giving a taste of university-style teaching and supervision.

The week includes lectures on a variety of mathematical topics (previous years have included combinatorics, mathematical biology and theoretical physics), interactive workshops and small-group supervision sessions. Applicants should have strong prior attainment in mathematics (minimum GCSE grade 8 or National 5 grade A) and be currently studying Maths at A-Level, IB, Scottish Highers or equivalent.

Participants will develop mathematical thinking skills, gain greater awareness of what studying mathematics at undergraduate level involves (including preparation for STEP), and learn more about the Cambridge admissions process. A webinar outlining the programme will be held on Wednesday 28 January 2026 at 17:00 and Cambridge applications close at midday on 12 February 2026.

Scopri l'italiano is an interactive, subject-specific Masterclass hosted by the Italian Section of the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics at Robinson College, University of Cambridge. The one-day taster will introduce students to Italian language, culture and history through a programme of sessions designed to give an insight into studying Modern Languages and/or History at university level.

The Masterclass is suitable for Year 11-13 students, including those who have not previously studied Italian (ab initio applicants are welcome). Sessions will include cultural and historical talks alongside a language taster, providing participants with both practical language experience and contextual understanding relevant to MMLL and HML Tripos degree pathways.

The event is free to attend, limited to 30 places, and lunch will be provided. Students from any UK school may apply; travel costs may be reimbursed for eligible participants under the College's travel policy. If oversubscribed, priority will be given to applicants meeting widening participation criteria. For questions contact outreach@robinson.cam.ac.uk (venue concerns) or italian@mmll.cam.ac.uk (programme enquiries).

Trinity College Cambridge's Languages, Power and Cultures Programme 2026 is an online and in-person outreach programme designed to introduce Year 12 (England/Wales), S5 (Scotland) and Year 13 (Northern Ireland) students to how language and culture shape societies. The programme consists of six live online lectures delivered by Cambridge academics across Classics, Linguistics, Archaeology, Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, and Modern and Medieval Languages, giving students a taste of university-style teaching in the arts and humanities.

All registered students can attend the six online webinars (5pm-6pm). A subset of participants will be selected, using widening participation criteria, to take part in three small-group peer discussion sessions led by current Trinity undergraduates (5pm-6pm on 10 Feb, 3 Mar and 24 Mar). Successful applicants may also be invited to a two-day residential in Cambridge (10:30 on 13 April to 14:30 on 14 April) featuring additional academic tasters, outreach/application guidance, and social activities.

The programme is free to attend. For students invited to the residential, Trinity will cover food, accommodation and travel to Cambridge (additional night possible for those travelling long distances). Applicants should complete the online application form including a short personal statement and indicate which elements they wish to attend; a teacher reference is required for those applying to the peer groups and residential.

The Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge runs the annual RE:View Film Competition for school students. The competition invites short films (no longer than five minutes) on a theme which will be announced in November 2025. Examples of winning films from previous years are available on the Faculty website, and winners receive a share of a A3500 prize fund split between the Year 9-11 and Year 12-13 categories.

Students may enter individually or in groups of up to three. Entrants should upload their film to YouTube with privacy set to 'unlisted' and complete the Faculty's online entry form. Films are judged on originality, accuracy and creativity; the organisers state that production equipment quality is not a judging criterion. All entrants must ensure they have permission to use images and music, include references for sources, and include the specified disclaimer text within the film.

Any queries about the competition or entry process should be directed to outreach@divinity.cam.ac.uk. Further details, entry forms and the official theme will be published on the Faculty of Divinity website when available in November 2025.

Join Vodafone's Level 6 Project Management Apprenticeship to gain hands-on experience delivering high-impact projects across the business. Apprentices work across functions such as Human Resources, Software, Network, Corporate Functions and Vodafone Business, supporting project governance, resource, cost and risk management, collecting and analysing project data, and helping co-ordinate timelines and communications.

The programme is a 3-year apprenticeship with hybrid working (London Paddington or Newbury, with approximately 8 days in the office per month). The role includes study time: Vodafone funds a Level 6 BSc (Hons) with the Association for Project Management (APM) and provides one study day per week. The site also references a Level 4 APM qualification and modules such as Business Consulting, Procurement and Financial Control, Governance, Introduction to Project Management, Digital Skills and Technology & Innovation.

Salary for the programme is advertised at £24,640-£27,000 per year. Assessment centres will be held between January-March 2026, and the apprenticeship start date (if offered) would be September 2026. Vodafone notes applications may close early if demand is high and provides support through buddies and programme networks.

Your Future is a six-month programme run by the EY Foundation for students who want to move straight into work after school rather than continue in further education. The programme includes paid employability skills training, interactive workshops, a recruitment bootcamp and paid work experience, and is delivered across multiple sites in the UK.

Participants receive focused employability activities including five days of employability skills training and workshops (team-building, CV support and employer speakers), a two-day recruitment bootcamp presenting live job opportunities, three days of paid work experience aligned to employment ambitions where possible, and ongoing support from a job coach for the full six months.

The programme runs at EY Foundation locations in the UK (including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow, and regional sites such as Coventry and Solihull). Eligible applicants must be in Year 13 (England) or Fifth Year (Scotland), attend a state school, and have been eligible for free school meals or a college bursary in the last two years. To apply, use the online application form linked on the EY Foundation site.

VetCam 2026 is a two and a half day residential course run by the University of Cambridge's Department of Veterinary Medicine designed to give Year 11 and Year 12 students an insight into studying veterinary medicine. The programme showcases the Cambridge veterinary course through a mixture of lectures, group discussions, practical demonstrations and guided tours of preclinical departments and clinical areas to illustrate day-to-day teaching and research.

Participants stay overnight in St Catharine's College for a taste of Cambridge undergraduate life. Places are limited to 78 and are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis; an additional 10 names will be kept on a waiting list. Applicants are advised that Chemistry A-level (or equivalent) is mandatory and two other science subjects (normally Biology, Physics or Maths) are strongly recommended; organisers suggest encouraging likely A/A*-grade candidates to apply.

The event runs from 30 March 2026 to 1 April 2026 and is hosted across the Department of Veterinary Medicine (Madingley Road) and St Catharine's College (Trumpington Street), Cambridge. An optional extra night on Sunday 29 March (dinner, bed and breakfast) is available for £120 for those booked into shared-bathroom accommodation.

Film of the Month is an ongoing monthly competition run by Into Film to celebrate young filmmaking talent across the UK. It is open to all young people aged 5–19. Each month one winning film is selected to receive a £100 gift voucher, certificate(s), a feature interview on the Into Film website, and placement on the Into Film YouTube Shorts channel. Runner-up films are also showcased.

The competition accepts any film genre or theme (fiction, non-fiction, live action, or animated). Films must be a maximum of 10 minutes in length, and entrants must ensure any third-party music, images or footage are cleared for use. If you are aged 17 or under, a parent or guardian must provide consent and complete the entrant details when submitting. Educators may submit curricular films on behalf of their students; curricular entries are judged with slightly different criteria to ensure a level playing field.

Entrants must disclose any use of AI tools in the film's creation. Judges assess films on idea, story, sound and look rather than technical kit, and emphasis is placed on originality and creative decisions. There is a new round every month and entries are accepted on an ongoing basis via the Into Film website.

The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, run by The Queen's College Translation Exchange, is a nationwide school competition created to promote language learning and inspire creativity in the classroom. Launched in 2020 in honour of translator Anthea Bell, the Prize provides free teaching resources for teachers and invites schools across the UK to prepare pupils for creative translation tasks. The competition accepts entries in multiple languages, currently including French (into Welsh and English), German, Italian, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish.

The Prize is free to enter and is open to pupils aged 11-18 at all UK schools. Registered teachers receive teaching packs throughout the year to integrate the competition tasks into classroom learning. The 2025-2026 edition launched on 19 September 2025; the competition period runs from 2 February 2026 to 27 March 2026. Schools and teachers are encouraged to register via the competition registration page to receive updates and access the teaching materials.

PwC’s Virtual Insight Programme is a three-day online experience designed to build your skills, help you explore career interests and immerse you in the world of PwC. The programme gives an accessible introduction to the different types of work across PwC’s global business and is delivered fully online.

Through interactive sessions you will learn about different teams, hear from people who joined through a range of student pathways, and gain practical application skills and business awareness. The programme includes skills workshops and opportunities to ask PwC recruiters and employees questions about careers, qualifications and what makes a strong application.

The programme is open to students across the UK at specific stages of their school or college studies (see eligibility). PwC runs an online application and selection process for places; further details about assessment and how to apply are available on the PwC careers site.

St Catherine's College Academic Taster Days offer school students the chance to explore specific subject areas, meet tutors and current students, experience a taste of academic teaching at Oxford, and learn more about applying to university. The programme includes online Bright Matter sessions (aimed at women and non-binary students in Years 11 and 12 interested in STEM) and in-person full-day Academic Taster Days held at St Catherine's College.

Online Bright Matter sessions (16:30-17:30) in January and February 2026 will cover Biology, Human Sciences and Medicine, and include subject insights, a short academic taster and a live Q&A with current students and tutors. Students who attend Bright Matter sessions may be invited to express interest in attending an in-person Academic Taster Day later in the year as part of the programme.

In-person Academic Taster Days take place in May 2026 and provide the opportunity to spend a day on campus, attend academic sessions in your chosen subject, meet undergraduates, participate in activities or demo interview sessions, and enjoy lunch in the college. All events are free to attend; registration details will be published on the college website.

Join Science Gallery London for an interactive afternoon exploring quantum physics, designed for GCSE and A-Level students interested in physics. The event showcases hands-on activities from King's College London researchers, short talks from King's academics, and opportunities to speak with current physics undergraduates to learn what university life and physics study are like.

Activities run throughout the afternoon: "Get hands on with Quantum" (13:00-17:30, Ground Floor), "Chat with a student" (13:00-18:00, Quantum Corner, Ground Floor), and talks in the SGL Theatre (Level -1) at set times. The Quantum Untangled exhibition will also be open to explore. This is a drop-in format - attendees are welcome to arrive at any time during the session.

Entry is free but booking is essential. The event takes place at Science Gallery London on Great Maze Pond in London (SE1).

Space to Explore Potential (STEP) is Durham University's widening access summer school programme aimed at Year 12 students from Black-heritage backgrounds. The programme offers events and activities during Year 12 and Year 13, academic taster sessions across multiple subject strands, and opportunities to experience student life through cost-free residentials on campus.

Participants develop academic and personal skills, receive guidance on UCAS and student finance, and get support with personal statements. By passing the assessed summer school project, students can work towards a guaranteed alternative offer from Durham (usually two A-level grades below the standard entry requirement for the chosen degree). Some STEP subject strands have specific A-level or equivalent subject requirements; these are set out in the STEP Subject Requirements guidance.

Applications for the 2025-26 cycle open on 28 January 2025 and close on 3 April 2026. Places are limited and selection uses the published eligibility and selection criteria to prioritise applicants who are most likely to benefit from the programme.

This online taster session from the University of Leicester covers the basics of applying to study Medicine. It explains the importance of GCSE grades, guidance on choosing appropriate A-Levels, and gives attendees an introduction to what universities look for in medicine applicants.

The session is delivered as a virtual webinar on Wednesday 18 March 2026 from 18:00 to 19:30 (online). It is specifically aimed at students in Year 10 and Year 11 who are considering applying to medicine in future.

Smart Futures is a youth programme run by the EY Foundation that combines paid work experience, interactive employability skills training and mentoring for young people in Year 12 (England) or S5 (Scotland). The programme is run with employer partners and is designed to give participants practical insight into different industries and working environments while building transferable skills and confidence.

Participants take part in up to two weeks of employability training and workshops, receive a business mentor who supports them through the programme and beyond, and complete paid work experience placements during school holidays. Programmes are industry-specific in some locations (for example Business & Finance, Tech Futures, STEM Futures, Real Estate Futures, Data/Actuarial streams) but are suitable for young people unsure of their exact career path.

Smart Futures runs across many UK locations (including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Bradford, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Reading and Luton) with multiple term-time, February, Easter, spring and summer cohorts. Applications are via an online form and shortlisted applicants are invited to a short telephone interview.

Join Capgemini for a hands-on Year 12 work experience placement in Telford during July 2026. Over the five-day placement you will work with real project teams to discover how large-scale digital services are designed, delivered and supported for global clients. The placement is focused on technology and software engineering and is intended to help you develop practical technical skills and workplace experience.

During the week you will build programming skills and work on technical solutions, tackle team challenges and solve real technical problems. You will be introduced to industry-standard tools and platforms such as AWS, Java, Pentaho, PowerBI and Scala, gain an introduction to software engineering at Capgemini, and hear from experts about apprenticeship and graduate career pathways. The placement runs 09:00-16:00 each day and you must attend Capgemini's Telford office for the full five days.

To apply, upload a Word document (100-300 words) answering "Why are you interested in Work Experience at Capgemini?" instead of a CV. Successful applicants will be interviewed virtually via Microsoft Teams in late January and early February. BPSS security clearance is required for those selected; to meet this you must have been resident in the UK for the past three years and have the right to live and work in the UK. Applications close 23 January 2026.

The Talent Tap Emerging Talent Programme is a multi-year, career-focused work experience and support programme run by The Talent Tap. Commencing in Year 13, successful applicants gain tailored work placements with partner businesses across a range of professional sectors (including business, IT & tech, marketing, architecture/engineering, finance, law, STEM, media and more). The programme combines workplace placements with mentoring, UCAS and personal-statement support, and online insight sessions produced with business partners.

Applications are via a completed online application and, if eligible, an interview. Students who join the programme can sign up for sustained and one-off mentoring with professionals from partner organisations. The programme includes residential summer experiences in high-quality university accommodation (self-contained flats with private bedrooms and en suites) and two-week work placements arranged with business partners.

There is no cost to students or their schools: all accommodation, travel, subsistence and necessary equipment are covered by The Talent Tap. The programme applies eligibility criteria (UK state school background, interest in professional careers, not living in a major UK city) and will consider factors such as free school meals, parental background and applicants' aspirations.

The 2026 Minds Underground 99Engineering & Design Innovation Challenge is an international design competition inviting students to create a wearable technology solution that addresses a real-world need. The competition is aimed at students in Years 10 612 (typically ages 15 617) and encourages applicants to apply principles of design engineering, product innovation and human-centred design. Entrants compete for the Minds Underground 99Engineering Prize with winners and runners-up chosen across categories including Best inventive idea, Most realistic idea and Most visual submission.

Entrants must produce a two-page PDF (a bibliography may be a third page) of up to 1000 words that includes sections detailing purpose, target customer, aesthetics & design, functions & technologies, an explanation of the underlying engineering and scientific principles, and a note on sustainability, materials and energy use. Submissions should include at least one labelled sketch or diagram and demonstrate research quality and clarity. The organisers offer feedback from mentors experienced in design engineering and STEM research. Submissions are made online via the Google Form on the competition page; only one entry per person is permitted and late entries cannot be considered.

The challenge is presented alongside further Minds Underground STEM opportunities (clubs, research projects and summer schools) for students interested in pursuing engineering at university and offers a route to develop material for personal statements and interviews.

Sunderland Culture's Creative Work Experience (part of the Culture Start programme) is a four-day in-person placement giving 15-18 year olds practical insight into careers across the cultural and creative sector. Participants will rotate across Sunderland Culture venues (Arts Centre Washington, National Glass Centre, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art and Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens) to experience tasks such as curating, theatre introduction, technical lighting and sound, box office and ticketing, venue tours, glass demonstrations, staff and artist insights, creative challenges and support with creative CVs/portfolios.

The programme runs 10:00-16:00 each day; lunch is provided and travel support can be arranged for those who need it. Places are limited (up to six young people per intake) and the selection process includes application assessment and a short informal online interview. Sunderland Culture encourages applications from young people who are under-represented in the arts and gives priority to applicants meeting specified essential criteria related to financial or personal disadvantage.

To apply, complete the online application form (links on the Sunderland Culture website). If you need support completing the form or an alternative format, contact vicki.kennedy@sunderlandculture.org.uk. Successful applicants will be invited to an online one-hour induction and asked to take part in evaluation activities with the University of Sunderland research partner.

Rothschild & Co's Pioneer Work Experience Programme is a three-day, in-person insight programme in London aimed at Year 13 students considering a career in financial advisory. The programme is centred on the Global Advisory division and introduces participants to M&A, Debt and Restructuring, and Global Markets Solutions, providing a broad view of life as a banker at Rothschild & Co.

Participants will attend presentations from analysts across the business, take part in skills sessions, and network with junior bankers from Global Advisory, Wealth Management and Five Arrows. Students will work in teams on a project and present their findings at the end of the programme. The programme also includes tours of the firm's historical archives and offers a "stay in touch" programme for those interested in future opportunities with the firm.

Practical requirements include having accommodation within a commutable distance of London for the programme's duration. Applicants must be on track for a minimum of 136 UCAS points (or equivalent) and demonstrate motivation, an interest in financial services and strong teamwork skills. Applications open on 1 December 2025 and are assessed on a rolling basis.