Chemistry in Schools (Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford)

Chemistry in Schools is an outreach programme run by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford offering in-person, online and hybrid activities for primary, secondary and post-16 students and their teachers. Schools can host Oxford Chemistry at their site or engage with recorded and live online sessions.

Activities range from short practical workshops and lecture-demonstrations to a recorded talk series and an annual schools conference.

For post-16 (KS5, 16-18 yrs) there are offerings such as the Chiral Chemistry online workshop, the Explore Chemistry series of live talks (recorded for later use) and an annual Schools' Chemistry Conference aimed at A level (or equivalent) students and their teachers. Explore Chemistry live sessions for 2025-26 are scheduled on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 17:15-18:00 to minimise disruption to the school day.

In-person conference invitations are routed via Link Colleges.

For KS4, KS3 and primary pupils there are multiple roadshow workshops and lecture-demonstrations aligned to GCSE/primary curricula (examples include 60-minute workshops on hydrogen fuel cells, polymers and kinetics, and shorter practicals for younger primary year groups). Many activities are organised in conjunction with link Colleges and some primary/KS3 workshops are offered on a limited basis subject to capacity.

The programme also offers training for teachers and technicians (e. g. , LEGO Instruments) and written research articles for those with a chemical sciences background.