Darwin Bioscience Course
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Register your interest for 2025
Course Introduction
Our Darwin Bioscience Summer School is a fantastic scientific journey through Biology inspired by Old Salopian Charles Darwin.
This course will encourage students to grow their scientific skills, allowing them to develop inquisitive minds ready for the next level of study at school and at university.
Charles Darwin, who went on to become one of the most influential scientists of all time, was born in Shrewsbury and was a pupil at Shrewsbury School in 1818. His theory of Natural Selection is the single most powerful and unifying idea in all of Biology and helps us to truly understand what life is and the place of humanity in the universe.
Through studying this course students will learn the importance of observation and curiosity, developing their understanding of Biology, and expanding their wider scientific knowledge and enhancing their analytical processes. This outstanding course aims to develop a passion within students to pursue a rewarding career of scientific discovery themselves.
Inspired by Darwin’s ground-breaking discoveries, taught through lessons and dazzling trips that are serious fun, students will be enriched with new scientific skills and motived to think curiously, challenging themselves to create their own globally distinctive careers.
This is a course that only Shrewsbury
can offer.
The Course
This course is designed to be delivered to students between the ages of 12-15.
The course will be based in our Biology building with outstandingly good facilities – modern laboratories, excellent microscopes and other apparatus – as well as being home to the school’s natural history museum, showcasing a wealth of specimens for students to study.
To begin the course, students will be introduced to Darwin and learn about his time at Shrewsbury, as well as his university days and his trip around the world on HMS Beagle. They will then go on to learn about his early research, before moving on to the theory of Natural Selection and his great work On The Origin of Species and his ongoing interests in human evolution. To conclude the course students will look at Darwin’s legacy, and how it has shaped modern thought in Biology and beyond.
Successful completion of this course includes the awarding of The Shrewsbury School Darwin Bioscience Certificate.
This course is for those with advanced English skills who wish to improve their English vocabulary and fluency through the study of science.
Course Overview
Darwin Science Summer School - Week 1 Example Timetable
Monday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am - 10.30am |
Session 1: Welcome and the importance of Darwin |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Session 2: Darwin’s School Life plus the collection and identification of insects |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 2.00pm - 3.00pm |
Session 3: Visit to Darwin’s Home in Shrewsbury |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Tuesday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am - 10.30am |
Session 4: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Biology Experiment |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Session 5: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Exploring the journey of HMS Beagle and Darwin’s discoveries |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 2.00pm - 3.00pm |
Session 6: Darwin-themed tour of Shrewsbury |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Wednesday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am - 7.00pm |
Excursion 1: Local Trip to Wenlock Edge - importance of fossils |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Thursday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am - 10.30am |
Session 7: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Marine Invertebrates |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Session 8: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Biology Experiment |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 2.00pm - 3.00pm |
Session 9: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Theory of Natural Selection |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Friday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am - 10.30am |
Session 10: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Population |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Session 11: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Geological focus and age of Earth |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 2.00pm - 3.00pm |
Session 12: Scientific debate on Darwin’s theories |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Saturday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am - 7.00pm |
Excursion 2: London London Natural History Museum to see Darwin collection. Linnean Society Visit, plus other London sites |
| 7.00pm | Overnight stay |
Sunday
| All Day |
Excursion 3: Kent Trip to Down House, Kent - Visit Darwin’s adult home and laboratory garden |
Darwin Science Summer School - Week 2 Example Timetable
Monday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am - 10.30am |
Session 13: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Anatomy |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Session 14: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Evolution |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 2.00pm - 3.00pm |
Session 15: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Microbial Experiment |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Tuesday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am - 7.00pm |
Excursion 4: Trip to Oxford University to view Oxford Natural History Museum and Tour |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Wednesday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am - 10.30am |
Session 16: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Genetics |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Session 17: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Pathogens |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 2.00pm - 3.00pm |
Session 18: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Microbial experiment The modern Tree of Life using molecular data |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Thursday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am - 7.00pm |
Excursion 5: Trip to Chester Zoo, Cheshire to look at biodiversity |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Friday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am - 10.30am |
Session 19: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - Evolution continued |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Session 20: Scientific lesson in School laboratories - The future: natural selection in technology, engineering and AI |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 2.00pm - 3.00pm |
Session 21: Final scientific plenary lesson and presentation |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Saturday
| All Day | Transfers and travel |
Course example timetables may be subject to change.
Course Features
On this course, through a series of engaging, practical lessons, students will be inspired by Darwin’s life and influences, whilst they learn about modern science techniques to prepare them for further study or careers beyond learning.
Potential excursions include:
As part of this course students may have the opportunity to visit key locations across the UK, such as:
- Oxford University, Oxford
- Natural History Museum, London
- Down House, Kent
- Shrewsbury School’s own Darwinia (things owned by Darwin) Collection
- Shrewsbury and Shropshire
Activities:
Afternoon and evening activities will allow students to mix socially and enjoy fun sessions. Below is a list of examples of sessions for 2025:
- Bubble Football
- BBQs
- Movie Nights (some outdoors)
- Swimming
- Trampolining
- Water Sports
- Local Walks
- Sports – football, badminton, squash, basketball, cricket
- Trip to sports events
All of the above course features are included in the price of the course but may be subject to change.
Accommodation
Shrewsbury School has a beautiful green-hearted campus site on the banks of the River Severn within one of the most historic county towns in England. Our Houses make for the perfect place to come back to after a day of learning.
Each boarding house has a common room providing ample space for pupils to relax and unwind, study areas for them to continue their educational journey as well as social areas with televisions, games, table tennis and other activities that will allow students to bond outside of the classroom.
Boys and girls will be separated in accommodation and allocated age-appropriate rooms for their stay, with experienced pastoral care on-site.
Catering
Meals at Shrewsbury are enjoyed in our purpose-built catering hall, Kingsland Hall (‘KH’), where students will choose from a wide variety of freshly prepared dishes and then eat with their friends and tutors from the courses.
Food is provided by our contract catering company Sodexo, a catering company that is committed to the provision of delicious meals that bring both ingredients and cultures to life. Students with special dietary needs such as dairy/ lactose intolerance, vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free diets and halal food can also be catered for.
