Darwin's Discovery Course
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Course Introduction
Dive into a fortnight of discovery and boarding-life led by Shrewsbury School staff and designed to be serious fun for adventurous 9–12-year-olds! Darwin’s Discovery Course brings together Biology, Geology, Maths, Design and Coding - with an amazing taster of British school life at Shrewsbury a globally leading school.
Inspired by Charles Darwin’s path from Shrewsbury School to scientific fame, you’ll wear the lab coat one moment and sports kit the next as you tackle hands-on science, outdoor quests and creative challenges on our historic riverside campus.
Follow in the footsteps of Darwin, Newton and Turing with your new summer school friends as you hunt for ancient fossils beside the River Severn, crack clever maths puzzles over snack breaks, sketch glacial landscapes on field trips, and you’ll explore how Maths, Design, Biology, and Geology have shaped our understanding of the world whilst looking further to AI.
All the while, you’ll live the true British boarding experience: enjoy your morning breakfast as a house in the dining hall, join team challenges on our playing fields, share stories under starry skies, and explore Shrewsbury, Shropshire, London and more. By the end, you’ll have sharpened your curious mind – and collected memories of an epic summer adventure!
The Course
This course is designed to be delivered to students between the ages of 9-12.
What do rocks, plants, numbers and coding all have in common? They’re all part of Darwin’s amazing world – and you’ll experience them alongside day-to-day boarding fun, from school shop treats to sports activities or evening games in house.
Our course is crafted for adventurous and curious students who want to dive into discovery and enjoy life at a British boarding school! Students will be a young scientist, geographer, designer, coder and mathematician – sometimes all before lunch! Inspired by Darwin’s journey from Shrewsbury School to global exploration, students will follow his footsteps, blending hands-on experiments with house life and school fun.
Start your journey in Shrewsbury’s amazing Biology labs learning about how Darwin studied animals and plants, and how he used his discoveries to explain why species change and evolve. From looking through microscopes to handling real specimens, you’ll explore how living things adapt to their environment and what makes each creature special.
Step outside and into the field as you become a young Earth Explorer! You’ll visit real landscapes, collect rocks and fossils, and sketch amazing views shaped by glaciers and volcanoes. You’ll use maps, GPS, and even computer tools to understand how our planet has changed over millions of years. Just like Darwin and his teacher Sedgwick, you’ll study ancient rocks and piece together Earth’s past – one layer at a time.
Back in class, dive into the magic of Maths and Coding. Solve puzzles over fruit-filled snack breaks, build mini programs with new friends, and design your dream flag or a model town using logic. You’ll hear stories of Ada Lovelace and Alan Turing, then test your own ingenuity in our bright computer studios.
Throughout the week, you’ll live the full British boarding experience: join team challenges on our playing fields, share stories in house dorms, and explore the Shrewsbury on guided evening walks. By the end, you’ll have new skills, lasting friendships – and memories of a summer that’s as much about life in a great British boarding school as it is about the wonders of science.
Course Overview
Performing Arts Summer School - Week 1 Example Timetable
Monday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 10.30am |
Group 1: Improv and Games Group 2: Intro to dance technique |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Group 1: Intro to singing technique Group 2: Improv and games |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm - 3.00pm |
Group 1: Intro to dance technique Group 2: Intro to singing technique |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Tuesday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 10.30am |
Group 1: Building character Group 2: Dance Chorus number 1 |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Group 1: Dance - Chorus number 1 Group 2: Singing - Chorus number 1 |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm - 3.00pm |
Group 1: Singing - Chorus number 1 Group 2: Building character |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Wednesday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 10.30am |
Group 1: Text work (Verse) Group 2: Dance - Chorus number 1 |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Group 1: Dance - Chorus number 1 Group 2: Dance - Text work (Verse) |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm - 3.00pm | Singing - Chorus number 2 |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity: Guest speaker on AI and Climate Change |
Thursday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 9.00pm |
Excursion 1: Stratford Trip to Stratford to include: |
Friday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 10.30am |
Group 1: Rehearse Chorus number 1 Group 2: Rehearse monologues |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Group 1: Rehearse monologues Group 2: Rehearse Chorus number 1 |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm - 3.00pm | Mini-showing (work in progress) |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Saturday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 9.00pm |
Excursion 2: London Trip to London to include: |
Sunday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 9.00pm |
Excursion 2: London Sightseeing in London |
Performing Arts Summer School - Week 2 Example Timetable
Monday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 10.30am |
Group 1: Singing - small groups / solos Group 2: Dance masterclass (Birmingham Royal Ballet) |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Group 1: Singing - small groups / solos Group 2: Dance masterclass |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm - 3.00pm |
Group 1: Dance masterclass (Birmingham Royal Ballet) Group 2: Singing small groups / solos |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Tuesday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 10.30am |
Group 1: Dance Chorus number 3 Group 2: Dance Chorus number 3 |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Group 1: Rehearse monologues Group 2: Singing Chorus number 3 |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm - 3.00pm |
Group 1: Dance chorus number 3 Group 2: Rehearse monologues |
| 3.00pm - 9.00pm |
Excursion 3: Birmingham Trip to Birmingham for evening performance (Rep / Hippodrome / Alexandra) |
Wednesday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 12.30pm | Acting through song masterclass (West End Performer) |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm - 7.00pm |
Excursion 4: Local Trip to Ironbridge |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Supper |
Thursday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 10.30am |
Group 1: Singing - all Group 2: Dance - all |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm |
Group 1: Dance - all Group 2: Singing - all |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm - 3.00pm | Tech rehearsal - final showcase |
| 3.00pm - 6.00pm | Afternoon activity |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Free for 1-1 rehearsals |
Friday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 10.30am | Dress rehearsal 1 - final showcase |
| 10.30am - 11.00am | Break |
| 11.00am - 12.30pm | Dress rehearsal 2 - final showcase |
| 12.30pm - 1.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm - 6.00pm | Final Performance |
| 6.00pm - 7.00pm | Supper |
| 7.00pm - 9.00pm | Evening activity |
Saturday
| 7.30am - 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9.10am - 9.00pm | Transfers and travel |
Course example timetables may be subject to change.
Course Features
On this course, students will take part in fun, hands-on lessons inspired by great thinkers like Darwin, Newton and Turing.
They’ll explore how science, maths and technology help us understand the natural world. Along the way, they’ll build curiosity, confidence, and real skills for learning, problem-solving, and discovery.
Potential Excursions:
As part of this course, students may have the opportunity to visit key locations across the UK, such as:
- Imperial College London
- Bletchley Park – the home of Alan Turing’s Enigma machines, the Bombe, which cracked the Enigma Code and changed the course of World War II.
- Science and Industry Museum, Manchester
- Oxford University, Oxford
- Ironbridge – the birthplace of the industrial revolution
- 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:
- Bubble football
- BBQs
- Movie nights (some outdoors)
- Swimming
- Trampolining
- Water sports
- Local walks
- Sports – football, badminton basketball, cricket, plus an introduction to fives and rowing
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.
