Outreach provides great escape

Primary school pupils visited Glasgow Caledonian recently to take part in an innovative new project that gave them a first glimpse at University life.

Organised by our Caledonian Club, the P7 pupils from schools across Glasgow took part in ‘escape room’ games on campus that were linked to different courses on offer at Glasgow Caledonian.

Each escape room featured four puzzles which encouraged pupils to use meta skills to solve, including collaboration and creativity.

The project not only encouraged pupils to use these skills, but exposed them to subjects they may be interested in studying in the future. It also showcases the range of facilities available at Glasgow Caledonian.

The University’s Caledonian Club project works with communities in Glasgow to tackle below-average progression rates into higher education, challenge perceived barriers to progression and provide positive and rewarding experiences within a higher-education setting. The club works with five communities across Glasgow to deliver curriculum-enhancing projects with learners aged three to 18.

Caledonian Club Development Officer Darryl Currie said: “We are trying to make the children aware that these are skills they currently use in school, but also in things like after school clubs. These are the same skills they’ll take into secondary education, into college, into University, into work.

“We wanted to get the pupils using these skills and show them what the University is like in a different way. For many of the kids, this will be their first experience of University and we wanted to make it engaging as possible so they see University as a potential option for them.”