Book a Runshaw Horizons Masterclass 

Our Horizons Programme for Year 10 is designed to provide challenging and thought provoking sessions for students from our Partner High Schools who want to extend their learning outside of the school curriculum. This gives students the opportunity to stretch themselves and explore different subjects they may want to pursue in their future.

We’re thrilled to be able to offer a full programme of exciting and engaging Masterclasses for students with a passion for learning. These events will take place on campus being led by our fantastic course leaders. 

Please use the booking slots below to register your students for these events. 

PLEASE NOTE: this booking page is intended for the use of Teachers and Staff Members of our Partner High Schools. If you are currently a student, please speak to your subject teachers about the possibility of booking on to an event.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the Schools Liaison Admissions Team on 01772 643000 or email horizons@runshaw.ac.uk

  • October 2023 - ALL BOOKED

    The Magic of Using Play To Learn *NEW!*

    Level 3 Children’s Play, Learning & Development

    The magic of play is a powerful tool for children’s learning and development. Play is an innate behaviour that comes naturally to children and is essential for their overall growth, cognitive development, social skills, and emotional well-being. Through play, children explore the world around them, make sense of their experiences, and acquire important skills and knowledge. In this session, learners will have the opportunity to engage in different types of play activities, to enable them to develop an understanding of how play supports children’s holistic development. They will also learn how to apply theories of child development to the role of the adult during play and learning activities to ensure that the children are effectively supported.

    Booking deadline: Friday 22nd September

    Ideal for: Aspiring Teachers and Early Years Practitioners

    Find out more   Wednesday 4th October  09:30-11:30    

     

    Read All About it!

    A Level Media Studies

    Whether it’s celebrity stories or political stories about governments, news dominates the media landscape. News production is going through immense change and the explosion of A.I onto the media landscape is creating problems and solutions to how we understand the world.

    This workshop will be an exciting opportunity for any students who are interested in current affairs, perhaps a career in journalism in a variety of areas or want to know about how news fits into the wider landscape of today’s media.

    The first half of the morning will be dedicated to understanding what news is, who produces it and how they select the stories that they do along with the opportunity to work in groups to discuss some of the contemporary issues ad debates that face the news industry.

    The latter part of the morning students will get to work in teams discussing what news stories are being reported via social media and have a chance to work in a team to produce a variety of news forms that would target young people.

    Booking deadline: Monday 25th September

    Ideal for: Keen writers and budding Journalists

    Find out more   Tuesday 10th October  10:00-13:00 

     

    How To Make A Million

    A Level Economics

    Crude oil is the world’s most actively traded commodity. This oil futures trading competition will challenge students to maximise their profits in a simulation of real-life trading. Students work together in teams, competing to maximise their profits they will demonstrate skills and values that can contribute towards success in economics and business.

    Market information that affects the demand for and supply of oil will be given to participants in the competition. Any changes in demand and supply conditions affect the future price of oil.

    Students will have to determine their trades on the basis of their expectation of future prices. Enormous profits are made every day on oil futures markets and successful traders can expect to make six figure salaries plus bonuses. It will be great fun but there will be an opportunity to help students’ understanding of some key concepts in the study of Economics.

    Booking deadline: Friday 29th September

    Ideal for: Mathematicians, problem solvers and sharp-minded learners

    Find out more   Wednesday 18th October  10:00-12:00 

     

    Mixed Media Drawing *NEW!*

    A Level Fine Art

    Those with a creative flare will thrive in our Fine Art studio, surrounded by real art works from our current A Level and Vocational students. This morning will allow students to produce unique take-home art works using mixed media. Based on an anatomy theme, students will use a wide range of traditional and experimental media to produce a tactile drawing with support from our life drawing tutor.

    Booking deadline: Friday 29th September

    Ideal for: Budding Artists and creatives

    Find out more   Friday 20th October  09:30-11:30 
  • November 2023 - ALL BOOKED

    Create, Manipulate & Edit in Graphic Design  

    A Level Graphics

    This event gives students the fantastic experience of working with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop software on the newest Apple Macs, to create Graphic imagery. Students will learn how to create vector designs in Illustrator and produce digitally enhanced compositions in Photoshop.

    Booking deadline: Friday 20th October

    Ideal for: Future digital designers

    Find out more   Friday 10th November  09:30-12:00 

     

    Exploring Photographic Processes *NEW* 

    A Level Photography

    Students will explore Digital and traditional photography through a combination of both studio and darkroom processes. They will begin by creating studio portraits which they will then go on to print in the photographic darkroom, the images will be printed using an acetate process and darkroom chemicals. Students will be able to take the images home at the end of the session.

    Booking deadline: Friday 27th October

    Ideal for: Photographers, artists and digital designers

    Find out more   Tuesday 14th November  09:30-12:00 

     

    Design Through Making 

    A Level 3D Design

    Through the exploration of a range of design ideation techniques you will explore how simple shapes can be transformed into 3D design objects. This is a hands-on session and students will have the chance to explore our design workshops and classrooms.

    Booking deadline: Monday 30th October

    Ideal for: Future Architects, Interior Designers, and Installation artists

    Find out more   Wednesday 15th November  10:00-11:30 

     

    Nursing Skills *NEW* 

    Level 3 Health & Social care and T Level Adult Nursing

    Brand new for 2023, our T Level Adult Nursing tutors welcome any student who is interested in Nursing or Midwifery as a career. In this session you will get a chance to learn about several nursing skills in our brand new hospital simulation room. you will also get a chance to try these skills out on our patient mannequins.

    Booking deadline: Tuesday 31st October

    Ideal for: Confident young carers, future Nurses and Midwives

    Find out more   Thursday 16th November  09:30-11:30 

     

    Surprising Science 

    A Level Biology, Chemistry & Physics

    Runshaw has bucked the national trend – A Level Science numbers here are rising. Our students do a lot of impressive academic work, but there’s lots of fun too. In a day of workshops in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geology we’ll show you how Science can be a bit messy, a bit surprising, but always fascinating. We are sure keen scientists will love it and be even more eager to put their scientific skills to great use in the future! Maximum of 4 students per team. Depending on demand, we may be able to accommodate more than 1 team per school, please request this when booking.

    Booking deadline: Tuesday 7th November

    Ideal for: Keen scientists and academic explorers

    Find out more   Tuesday 28th November  10:00-14:00 
  • December 2023

    Challenge History: Power, Propaganda and Persecution  *NEW!* 

    A Level History

    Interested in History? You are sure to learn something new in this session which will explore the themes of Power, Propaganda and Persecution during three exciting and very different historical periods – the rule of the Julio-Claudian emperors of Ancient Rome, Russia and the Soviet Union during the 19th and 20th century and the Witchcraze in Europe 1560-1660. We will also consider how these themes relate to the modern world.

    Booking deadline: Monday 20th November

    Ideal for: Historians, opinion-formers, and young activists

    Find out more   Tuesday 5th December  10:00-12:00 

     

    The Business Ethics Challenge 

    A Level Business Studies & Accounting

    Every day in the highly dynamic and complex world of Business, entrepreneurs and large corporations are challenged by ethical business dilemmas while balancing the need to make a profit. For many companies, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is at the heart of their decision-making process on many daily business issues. Yet it is not always easy to ‘do the right thing’ or to act ethically when stakeholders may have very different views about how a business should act. For example, a customer may require something very different to an employee or an investor. Eventually, business must balance the needs of its stakeholders with the benefits to the business of acting responsibly. To demonstrate this, you are invited to participate in an exciting board room simulation event in the hope of generating discussion and making strategic decisions focused on some typical everyday dilemmas a business might face. The issues it raises are guaranteed to provoke debate amongst teams of players who act as different stakeholders.

    Booking deadline: Tuesday 21st November

    Ideal for: Public speakers, debaters, and decision makers.

    Book Now   Wednesday 6th December  10:00-12:00 
  • January 2024 - ALL BOOKED

    Freedom & The Existence of God

    A Level Religious Studies and Philosophy

    We will examine if human beings truly possess free will. Through the use of both real-life and hypothetical examples, students will be encouraged to reflect on the nature of human freedom and to assess whether we can make sense of this idea, as well as considering the implications of our answer to this question. We will be examining the philosophical arguments for the existence of God.

    Booking deadline: Monday 8th January

    Ideal for: Those who enjoy debating and answering those ‘big questions’.

    Find out more   Tuesday 23rd January  10:00-12:00 
  • February 2024

    A Passport To The World *NEW!*

    Level 3 Tourism Management & Level 2 Chef Diploma

    A whistle-stop tour of the Hospitality and Tourism industry experiencing our industrial kitchen with all the current equipment, preparing a beautiful dessert, finding destinations of interest and culture, and practising your skills in our cabin crew room. An insight into the wonderful world of employment in the tourism and catering industry.

    Booking deadline: Friday 19th January

    Ideal for: Aspiring Chefs and world-adventurers 

    Find out more   Friday 2nd February  09:30-14:00 

     

    Forensic Psychology: Offender Profiling, Understanding Offenders and Psychopathy

    A Level Psychology

    Are psychopaths born or made? How do psychologists help the police catch offenders through profiling? How do psychologists help understand why offenders commit crimes? If you are interested in these questions, then you will love this interactive session! You will understand how the UK and the USA use psychological profiling to catch offenders, looking at how these techniques were used with serial offenders like Ted Bundy. We will investigate how psychologists can help the criminal justice system by assessing the reasons why serial killers like Edmund Kemper committed their crimes, making recommendations for treatment programmes and parole. Finally, we will look at whether psychopaths are born that way or created by the environment, using an example of a real life ‘psychopath’. Bring your detective skills super sleuths!

    Booking deadline: Wednesday 17th January

    Ideal for: Those interested in criminal investigations and Psychology

    Find out more   Tuesday 6th February  10:00-12:30 

     

    The Goddess Athena and the Panathenaic Festival *NEW!*

    A Level Classical Civilisation

    Come and spend a morning looking at the stories surrounding the goddess Athena in Greek mythology as well as exploring her main sanctuary on the Athenian Acropolis through the use of VR technology. We will delve more deeply into the Panathenaic festival held in Athens and explore primary literature and key material culture such as the Parthenon frieze and Panathenaic amphorae.

    Booking deadline: Thursday 18th January

    Ideal for: Historians and Literacy Lovers!

    Book Now   Wednesday 7th February  10:00-12:30 

     

    The Full English 

    A Level English Language, English Literature & Combined English

    Students with a passion for English are invited to a morning devoted to celebrating its rich variety. Focusing on a chosen theme, students will participate in three diverse sessions exploring the worlds of literature and language. There will be something for everyone, from modern poetry and an array of fictional and nonfictional narrative voices to lively discussion, intense analysis, and creative writing. Hence the title: if students love English, our ‘Full English’ will whet their appetite for more!

    Booking deadline: Monday 5th February

    Ideal for: Writers, Readers, Poets and Creatives

    Find out more   Tuesday 20th February  10:00-12:30 

     

    Sociological Dragons’ Den 

    A Level Sociology

    The session will cover the crime and deviance topic from A-Level Sociology. We will focus on crime prevention strategies and techniques used to investigate the issue of youth gangs and youth crime in society. By the end of the session, you will have produced a strategy designed to reduce gangs / gang related crime, in inner city Manchester. A panel of ‘Dragons’ Den’ judges will choose the group with the best crime reducing strategy!

    Booking deadline: Wednesday 7th February

    Ideal for: Future Social Workers and Police Officers 

    Book Now   Wednesday 28th February  09:30-11:30 
  • March 2024

    Volcano Watch: Predicting The Next Eruption *NEW!*

    A Level Geology

    In this workshop, you will become volcanologists and learn how to predict the next volcanic eruption! Volcanoes are one of the most fascinating and powerful natural phenomena on Earth, but they can also be very dangerous. In this workshop, you will learn about the science behind volcanic eruptions and explore the different methods scientists use to predict them.

    Booking deadline: Wednesday 21st February

    Ideal for: Physical Geography lovers and scientists

    Find out more   Tuesday 12th March  10:30-14:00 

     

    Design a Prison *NEW!*

    Level 3 Applied Diploma in Criminology

    Are prison sentences preventing future offending? Is the prison system achieving social control? Can we ‘design crime out’ of prison and prevent reoffending? If you are interested in discovering the answers to these questions and designing your very own ideal prison, join us for our design a prison masterclass. In this session we will study, how architects, planners and councils design the environment of an area to reduce crime. Some criminologists argue that the built environment can affect the level of crime in two ways: by influencing potential offenders e.g., presenting them with opportunities to commit crime and by affecting people’s ability to exercise control over their surroundings. We will also study Foucault’s Panopticon and will use his theory of self-surveillance within our own prison designs. In small teams, you will research the current issues within prisons and will use your knowledge of crime prevention through environmental design to create your own ideal prison. This is an opportunity to get creative, debate with other teams and to present an engaging argument supporting your prison design.

    Booking deadline: Friday 1st March

    Ideal for: Future Police Officers and Sociologists

    Book Now   Tuesday 19th March  10:00-13:30 

     

    Medical Marvels 

    The Medical Society

    This is an afternoon event for all budding Medics, Vets and Dentists! Spend an afternoon with our fantastic Medical Society students and teachers who will introduce you to life in these careers and give you the opportunity to take part in this amazing anatomical extravaganza! Learn how to carry out basic medical procedures, a dissection and draw your own anatomy! This is the perfect addition to your record of achievement to demonstrate your passion for these ever-changing professions. It is the ideal opportunity for students to extend their knowledge of the professions and gain some experience of what these professions entail. We will also talk to students about the opportunities they will receive as a member of the society, in making their medical ambitions come alive!

    Booking deadline: Thursday 29th February

    Ideal for: Keen Biologists who are on their way to Medical and Science schools

    Find out more   Wednesday 20th March  10:30-14:30 

     

    Maths Challenge 

    A Level Maths & Further Maths

    This well-established and popular competition for the mathematically gifted provides an opportunity for teams to compete for the prestigious Runshaw Maths Challenge Cup. There is a special cup for the winners but since most of the adults present would be stuck on task one, all teams will receive a medal in recognition of their prowess in this key subject. Maximum of 4 students per team. Depending on demand, we may be able to accommodate more than 1 team per school, please request this when booking.

    Booking deadline: Friday 1st March

    Ideal for: Your sharpest Mathematicians

    Book Now   Thursday 21st March  17:00-19:30 

     

    Creating Sustainability 

    A Level Geography

    Sustainability is a theme that runs through many contemporary geographical topics. This workshop seeks to explore some of the problems created by unsustainable activities, investigate what sustainability really means and evaluate how a school or college can become more sustainable. This will provide students with some case studies of sustainability in action and can provide opportunities for students to take some positive action of their own.

    Booking deadline: Monday 11th March

    Ideal for: Ecologists and Geographers

    Find out more   Tuesday 26th March  10:00-12:00 

     

    The Moral Side of Murder 

    A Level Law

    Is it ever morally justifiable or excusable to kill and eat a human being? This masterclass session will examine a hypothetical case, how the rescued survivors, who kill and eat one person in order to survive, should be treated by the law. Students will get a chance to solve a legal philosophy puzzle by going through different law theories and looking at different opinions of different judges and deciding what the law should do in these situations.

    Booking deadline: Tuesday 12th March

    Ideal for: Keen debaters and future Lawyers

    Find out more   Wednesday 27th March  09:30-11:30 

     

    The Big Debate 

    A Level Politics

    A chance for school teams to debate the big issues of the day – following the rules of the English Speaking Union – and to participate in the debate as part of the audience. A gala event of debate and discussion at Runshaw is planned with refreshments and rewards for all who want to take part. We will also be offering coaching sessions in debating to sharpen the public speaking skills of students who wish to participate

    Booking deadline: Tuesday 12th March

    Ideal for: Those with an interest in debate, politics, and public speaking.

    Book Now   Wednesday 27th March  17:30-20:00 
  • April 2024

    What Lies Beneath 

    Level 3 Applied Science

    An interactive activity investigating invertebrate populations in water. Students will explore pond habitats that are polluted and not polluted. They will then identify and record the different species in each ecosystem, then use this information to calculate the biodiversity index. The quality of the water will be investigated to determine the pH, nitrates, ammonium, and phosphorus levels in order to assess the how polluted each ecosystem is. The practical activities will then lead to discussions around the human impact on biodiversity in both aquatic and terrestrial systems. Students will explore ways in which they can increase biodiversity and create their own seed bombs to take away.

    Booking deadline: Friday 23rd February

    Ideal for: Biologists and Chemists with an interest in practical investigations

    Book Now   Wednesday 17th April  11:00-14:30