Building Brains - Connecting Communities

School Outreach Programme: Building Brains - Connecting Communities

Where: Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA) and University of Sussex
When: February – March
Who: School-based outreach for secondary and primary school children

The Brighton Aldrich Community Academy (BACA) is a secondary school neighbouring the University of Sussex campus. Everyday BACA students are unknowingly sitting beside scientists going to work at the University, as they commute to and from school.

Through February and March, Sussex Neuroscientists have been working with BACA in an ambitious school outreach programme, supported by the University of Sussex Widening Participation team. 

Over four weeks, Sussex Neuroscientists  led a weekly year 9 science class, exploring the brain and all things neuroscience.  In a fifth session, during Brain Awareness Week the pupils are learning to become the ‘masters’ and with the neuroscientists will plan an outreach day for local primary schools. 

Then on a single day, nearly 200 students from five local prmary schools, Coldean, City Academy, Fairlight and St Martin’s will come to visit BACA to take part in workshops to learn all things brain.

Alongside these classes the participating schools have been decorating and constructing a giant brain that will go on display at the Jubilee Library during the first three weeks of April and the BNA Festival at the end of the month.

FInally, BACA's year 9 neuroscientists will be invited to a session at the BNA's Festival of Neuroscience to see what neuroscientists do when they're not in the lab or teaching!