Outreach and Public Engagement

We offer nationwide educational resources for free through The Schools’ Observatory. We are also able to engage with local schools, especially in multi-intervention projects with widening participation schools. Please get in touch if you’re interested.

The Schools’ Observatory

In the early 2000s, Liverpool John Moores University had an idea. What if we were to build the world’s largest completely robotic telescope? Equipment which could respond so fast that we could see the first few minutes of a supernova explosion. Versatile enough to track a comet passing by the Earth. Innovative enough to carry out pioneering science and astronomy. And what if we also made it accessible to schools? For free.

The Schools’ Observatory was born, opening a new window to the Universe – inspiring students to do science and experience technology.

From the seed of an idea, we have brought astronomy into the classroom – supporting schools to take hundreds of thousands of observations of the cosmos. Engaging millions of people with space education over the last 15+ years.

To find out how your school could get involved, visit The Schools’ Observatory website.

“For a young person getting into astronomy, The Schools’ Observatory was like an open door. It didn’t hold us back, made us feel like we were smart enough.” - Secondary student, UK

Work experience week

Each summer the Astrophysics Research Institute (home to The Schools’ Observatory) runs a work experience week.

We welcome students from school year 12 (or equivalent) to this non-residential event. While we welcome students from all across the UK and Ireland, please note, you will need to provide your own accommodation. We can provide financial support for public transport costs. We especially encourage applications from students within the Liverpool City Region.

This week consists of talks, workshops, and will give the students an idea of how professional research is done at a university.

For more information visit The Schools’ Observatory website.

Workshops and talks

We can offer talks and workshops to schools for any age, from reception to sixth form and college.

Please note that we cannot always fulfil requests and will prioritise those from schools with high proportions of free school meals.

To enquire about a visit to your school or college please email SchoolsObs@ljmu.ac.uk stating the following information:

  • school name
  • dates for visit (please note we require at least one month notice)
  • age of students
  • number of students
  • number of workshops
  • areas of interest