School stars mark University Centenary at National Space Centre

School leaders from across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland caught a sneak peek of Space Park Leicester on Thursday as they celebrated the University of Leicester’s Centenary.

Head teachers, principals and other representatives from schools and colleges across the region were offered a glimpse of the flagship development, due to formally open later this month, ahead of a VIP reception and dinner at the neighbouring National Space Centre.

As well as tour of the cutting-edge research and teaching facilities, guests were given the opportunity to network with colleagues from across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland – for many, the first such opportunity following the relaxation of Government guidance on COVID-19 – plus the chance to look ahead to the University’s second Century.

The event comes ahead of Leicester’s annual Teacher and Adviser Conference, to be held on Friday 1 April 2022.

Dr Elizabeth Jones, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education at the University of Leicester, speaking to the assembled guests, said: “One of our founders, Dr Astley Clarke, wrote in a letter to the Leicester Daily Post in 1917: ‘Education alone is an asset of which an individual cannot be robbed.’

“Education helps people rebuild their lives, rebuild their communities, and work together for a better future – and that encapsulates our mission at the University of Leicester.

“I look forward to working with you, your colleagues, your institutions – and your students – to deliver to this generation and future ones, an asset of which they can never be robbed.”

Guests included representatives from the region’s biggest schools, academy trusts and further education (FE) providers in the region, including Beauchamp City Sixth Form, Leicester College, The Mead Educational Trust (TMET), New College Leicester and WQE College, whose grounds adjoin the University’s main Leicester campus.

The University of Leicester’s Teacher and Adviser Conference is free to attend and will be held in-person in 2022 for the first time in three years.

This year’s programme includes a keynote address from UCAS, a business exhibition featuring key organisations from across the education sector and the opportunity to meet University of Leicester students and staff.

Travel expenses are provided. A limited number of places are available to book now.