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Centre for LIFE


Hands-on, minds-on, hearts-on science education

Description

Life's schools' programme provides hands-on, minds-on, hearts-on science education that teachers find hard to deliver in the classroom.

We are the largest provider of schools’ science workshops in any European museum or science centre, providing over 40,000 educational experiences to school students every year. We offer curriculum enrichment and enhancement by providing access to equipment and expertise that is not normally available in schools.

We offer a wide range of learning opportunities for all ages from Early Years to GCSE, as well as specialist support for many topics at A-level and beyond. We are also home to the award-winning Science Centre which can add an extra dimension to your visit; for instance, our Curiosity Zone, developed by Life, is full of hands-on exhibits designed to get students cooperating, questioning, testing, experimenting and thinking like scientists.

We deliver over 100 curriculum-linked STEM workshops for Early Years through to adult learners, delivered in our teaching laboratories and planetarium. All of our workshops are available on demand and are designed so that both the content and style are matched to the target age group. A visit can consist of a single workshop or a workshop combined with a Science Centre visit.

Can't come to Life? Let us send a team of Science Explainers to your school! We can be at most schools in the region by 10am, and can even stay after-hours to do workshops for parents! Our most popular offers include the inflatable planetarium; the Animal Adaptation Roadshow; and Dinomaths, a daylong workshop for one class which uses students’ interest in dinosaurs to promote facility in maths.

Get in touch to discuss how we can help you deliver exciting educational experiences.


Reviews

The following reviews have been added by visit leaders using the EVOLVE system.
Overview
4.6
74 reviews


Excellent
 
73%

Very Good
 
20%

Average
 
5%

Poor
 
1%

Awful
 
0%

Brilliant, high quality resources, high levels of pupil engagement. Lots of hands on activities throughout. Well organised by staff at venue. (November 2024)




(November 2024 - Secondary School)




(March 2024 - Secondary School)




(March 2024 - Primary School)




(January 2024)




(December 2023 - Secondary School)




(October 2023 - Secondary School)




(August 2023 - Primary School)




(June 2023 - Secondary School)




(May 2023 - Secondary School)




(February 2023)




(January 2023 - Secondary School)




(November 2022 - Primary School)




(September 2022 - Secondary School)




(July 2022 - Secondary School)




(May 2022 - Primary School)




(January 2022 - Secondary School)




The visit was very well structured by the venue. The activities were all engaging and extremely well managed. The pupils all had a fantastic day. (November 2021 - Primary School)




(March 2020 - Primary School)




Appropriate level of workshop for age group (February 2020 - Primary School)




(February 2020 - Secondary School)




(February 2020 - Primary School)




An excellent event. Well organised with fun, engaging activities. (February 2020 - Secondary School)




(January 2020 - Primary School)




Great links with current topic. A lot of activities for the children. (January 2020 - Primary School)




(January 2020 - Primary School)




(December 2019 - Primary School)




(November 2019 - Primary School)




(November 2019 - Primary School)




lovely staff and great facilities. Very clear instructions for session with good pace in delivery. Activities were engaging and well led. (October 2019 - Primary School)




(June 2019 - Primary School)




Excellent staff and workshop. Not all elements of exhibit suitable for post-16, some were a little too young. (June 2019 - Secondary School)




(June 2019 - Primary School)




Excellent planetarium and some hands on exhibits. Very good planning from staff. We went later in the day and some parts had closed for the day. (May 2019 - Secondary School)




(May 2019 - Secondary School)




(April 2019 - Primary School)




(April 2019 - Primary School)




Rushed through exhibits, not a lot of detail given in many of the exhibits. Staff delivering workshop appeared unsure of science behind the learning. (March 2019 - Primary School)




(March 2019 - Primary School)




(March 2019 - Primary School)




(March 2019 - Primary School)




(March 2019 - Primary School)




(February 2019 - Primary School)




the ice skating was good fun (February 2019 - Primary School & Secondary School)




(February 2019 - Secondary School)




Children really enjoyed the visit and learned more about space. (February 2019 - Primary School)




(February 2019 - Primary School)




Excellent workshop provided on premature babies for GCSE Religious Studies (January 2019 - Secondary School)




Great day, Centre for Life staff very helpful and fantastic with the pupils. (January 2019 - Secondary School)




Great day, Centre for Life staff very helpful and fantastic with the pupils. (January 2019 - Secondary School)




The workshops were interesting and engaging for the children. (December 2018 - Primary School)




(November 2018 - Primary School)




(October 2018 - Primary School)




(September 2018 - Primary School)




(July 2018 - Primary School)




(July 2018 - Primary School)




Fantastic volcano workshop, covering many objectives from both the Geography and Science curriculum. The children loved investigating the Centre for Life exhibits and were all thoroughly excited about the 4D motion ride. (July 2018 - Primary School)




(June 2018 - Primary School)




(June 2018 - Primary School)




(June 2018 - Secondary School)




(May 2018 - Primary School)




(May 2018 - Primary School)




(May 2018 - Primary School)




(May 2018 - Secondary School)




(May 2018 - Secondary School)




(May 2018 - Primary School)




(May 2018 - Primary School)




(January 2018 - Primary School)




(January 2018 - Primary School)




We had one additional adult on trip due to SEN and behaviour management. Whilst the lady leading the workshop was happy for her to come in, the manager on duty that day disagreed and so they were not allowed to come into the room and participate. They therefore had to wait in the cafe. (January 2018 - Primary School)




(January 2018 - Primary School)




Great day packed full of activities that kept the children busy and engaged. Very organised with timetable slots. (December 2017 - Primary School)




(December 2017 - Secondary School)




(December 2017 - Primary School)




Contact

Centre for LIFE
Times Square
Newcastle
Tyne and Wear
NE1 4EP
LOtC

Pricing

Life's school programme provides a range of packages to choose from, which are outlined in the options below. To discuss any of these prices, please call the bookings line on (0191) 243 8223.

Science Centre visit and workshop: £7 per pupil (only available until 10 November then ice package prices below apply)

Science Centre visit: £5 per pupil (only available until 10 November then ice package prices below apply)

Workshop: £3 per pupil

Ice Package with workshop £9 per pupil (available 11 November 2013 to 14 February 2014, Weekdays only).

Ice package (no workshop) £6 per pupil (available 11 November 2013 to 14 February 2014, Weekdays only).

DNA Masterclass: £150 (full class) or £75 (half class)

Outreach £300 (for the day)

Mathstastic: £5 per pupil

Mathstastic and Science Centre visit £10 per pupil

Playful Science: (Early Years workshop) £5 per pupil

Accompanying teachers: FREE

Pupil Premium

Staff wishing to organise activities funded by Pupil Premium may be interested in the themed learning days we can deliver. These can be themed around a specific topic or more generally around ideas such as creativity, and team work. Please call the education department on (0191) 243 8211 if you would like to discuss the possibilities.

Opening Times

Monday to Saturday: 10am - 6pm
Sunday: 11am - 6pm

Hands-on, minds-on, hearts-on science education

Description

Life's schools' programme provides hands-on, minds-on, hearts-on science education that teachers find hard to deliver in the classroom.

We are the largest provider of schools’ science workshops in any European museum or science centre, providing over 40,000 educational experiences to school students every year. We offer curriculum enrichment and enhancement by providing access to equipment and expertise that is not normally available in schools.

We offer a wide range of learning opportunities for all ages from Early Years to GCSE, as well as specialist support for many topics at A-level and beyond. We are also home to the award-winning Science Centre which can add an extra dimension to your visit; for instance, our Curiosity Zone, developed by Life, is full of hands-on exhibits designed to get students cooperating, questioning, testing, experimenting and thinking like scientists.

We deliver over 100 curriculum-linked STEM workshops for Early Years through to adult learners, delivered in our teaching laboratories and planetarium. All of our workshops are available on demand and are designed so that both the content and style are matched to the target age group. A visit can consist of a single workshop or a workshop combined with a Science Centre visit.

Can't come to Life? Let us send a team of Science Explainers to your school! We can be at most schools in the region by 10am, and can even stay after-hours to do workshops for parents! Our most popular offers include the inflatable planetarium; the Animal Adaptation Roadshow; and Dinomaths, a daylong workshop for one class which uses students’ interest in dinosaurs to promote facility in maths.

Get in touch to discuss how we can help you deliver exciting educational experiences.

Pricing

Life's school programme provides a range of packages to choose from, which are outlined in the options below. To discuss any of these prices, please call the bookings line on (0191) 243 8223.

Science Centre visit and workshop: £7 per pupil (only available until 10 November then ice package prices below apply)

Science Centre visit: £5 per pupil (only available until 10 November then ice package prices below apply)

Workshop: £3 per pupil

Ice Package with workshop £9 per pupil (available 11 November 2013 to 14 February 2014, Weekdays only).

Ice package (no workshop) £6 per pupil (available 11 November 2013 to 14 February 2014, Weekdays only).

DNA Masterclass: £150 (full class) or £75 (half class)

Outreach £300 (for the day)

Mathstastic: £5 per pupil

Mathstastic and Science Centre visit £10 per pupil

Playful Science: (Early Years workshop) £5 per pupil

Accompanying teachers: FREE

Pupil Premium

Staff wishing to organise activities funded by Pupil Premium may be interested in the themed learning days we can deliver. These can be themed around a specific topic or more generally around ideas such as creativity, and team work. Please call the education department on (0191) 243 8211 if you would like to discuss the possibilities.

Opening Times

Monday to Saturday: 10am - 6pm
Sunday: 11am - 6pm

Contact

Centre for LIFE
Times Square
Newcastle
Tyne and Wear
NE1 4EP
LOtC

Reviews

The following reviews have been added by visit leaders using the EVOLVE system.
Overview
4.6
74 reviews


Excellent
 
73%

Very Good
 
20%

Average
 
5%

Poor
 
1%

Awful
 
0%

November 2024
Brilliant, high quality resources, high levels of pupil engagement. Lots of hands on activities throughout. Well organised by staff at venue.



November 2024 - Secondary School




March 2024 - Secondary School




March 2024 - Primary School




January 2024




December 2023 - Secondary School




October 2023 - Secondary School




August 2023 - Primary School




June 2023 - Secondary School




May 2023 - Secondary School




February 2023




January 2023 - Secondary School




November 2022 - Primary School




September 2022 - Secondary School




July 2022 - Secondary School




May 2022 - Primary School




January 2022 - Secondary School




November 2021 - Primary School
The visit was very well structured by the venue. The activities were all engaging and extremely well managed. The pupils all had a fantastic day.



March 2020 - Primary School




February 2020 - Primary School
Appropriate level of workshop for age group



February 2020 - Secondary School




February 2020 - Primary School




February 2020 - Secondary School
An excellent event. Well organised with fun, engaging activities.



January 2020 - Primary School




January 2020 - Primary School
Great links with current topic. A lot of activities for the children.



January 2020 - Primary School




December 2019 - Primary School




November 2019 - Primary School




November 2019 - Primary School




October 2019 - Primary School
lovely staff and great facilities. Very clear instructions for session with good pace in delivery. Activities were engaging and well led.



June 2019 - Primary School




June 2019 - Secondary School
Excellent staff and workshop. Not all elements of exhibit suitable for post-16, some were a little too young.



June 2019 - Primary School




May 2019 - Secondary School
Excellent planetarium and some hands on exhibits. Very good planning from staff. We went later in the day and some parts had closed for the day.



May 2019 - Secondary School




April 2019 - Primary School




April 2019 - Primary School




March 2019 - Primary School
Rushed through exhibits, not a lot of detail given in many of the exhibits. Staff delivering workshop appeared unsure of science behind the learning.



March 2019 - Primary School




March 2019 - Primary School




March 2019 - Primary School




March 2019 - Primary School




February 2019 - Primary School




February 2019 - Primary School & Secondary School
the ice skating was good fun



February 2019 - Secondary School




February 2019 - Primary School
Children really enjoyed the visit and learned more about space.



February 2019 - Primary School




January 2019 - Secondary School
Excellent workshop provided on premature babies for GCSE Religious Studies



January 2019 - Secondary School
Great day, Centre for Life staff very helpful and fantastic with the pupils.



January 2019 - Secondary School
Great day, Centre for Life staff very helpful and fantastic with the pupils.



December 2018 - Primary School
The workshops were interesting and engaging for the children.



November 2018 - Primary School




October 2018 - Primary School




September 2018 - Primary School




July 2018 - Primary School




July 2018 - Primary School




July 2018 - Primary School
Fantastic volcano workshop, covering many objectives from both the Geography and Science curriculum. The children loved investigating the Centre for Life exhibits and were all thoroughly excited about the 4D motion ride.



June 2018 - Primary School




June 2018 - Primary School




June 2018 - Secondary School




May 2018 - Primary School




May 2018 - Primary School




May 2018 - Primary School




May 2018 - Secondary School




May 2018 - Secondary School




May 2018 - Primary School




May 2018 - Primary School




January 2018 - Primary School




January 2018 - Primary School




January 2018 - Primary School
We had one additional adult on trip due to SEN and behaviour management. Whilst the lady leading the workshop was happy for her to come in, the manager on duty that day disagreed and so they were not allowed to come into the room and participate. They therefore had to wait in the cafe.



January 2018 - Primary School




December 2017 - Primary School
Great day packed full of activities that kept the children busy and engaged. Very organised with timetable slots.



December 2017 - Secondary School




December 2017 - Primary School