Around 60 pupils from two High Wycombe schools got a taste for life in higher education during a two-month project with Buckinghamshire new University.

A-Level psychology students from Royal Grammar School and Sir William Ramsay School took part in ‘Project Psychology: A Bucks collaboration with local schools’ at the university’s Queen Alexandra Road campus, where they took part in lectures and developed research projects.

Pupils sat in on lectures at the university and were tasked with developing a research proposal around a subject.

They also came up with ideas of how to tackle research around certain subjects, including empathy towards mental illness in criminals across genders and whether conformity is relevant today.

Senior lecturers Dr Barbara Kingsley and Dr Julia Robertson ran the project and awarded prizes to winners.

Dr Kingsley said: “This was very much about bringing our educational community together, and, from the University’s perspective, giving A-Level students the opportunity to experience their local university by bringing to life some of the work they are doing in their psychology classes at school.

“It was great to see such enthusiasm and commitment in the work produced.”

Jacqui Watson, head of psychology at the Royal Grammar School, in Amersham Road, said: “Going to Bucks New University to present our research to university lecturers as well as students from another school was a nerve-wrecking experience for students but also extremely exciting.

“We learnt so much about research methods but also about presentation skills and we are really grateful for the opportunity.”