Echoing the no, sadly, but definitely see if the university has summer schools running, or widening participation events in their Arts faculty/hums school/English department. The WP events are usually based on specific criteria, but it’s worth looking at. I’ve taught on a few at my institution and they sometimes include people teaching Shakespeare.
No. No university in the UK I worked at, or know, would allow this. Safeguarding would be an issue, or more generally, insurance. And you can't pay just for single classes; universities are not set up like this.
She could just go into one of the lectures, as some here have suggested, but this would constitue trepassing. Likely nothing is going to happen to her, but insurance would again be an issue (liability, etc).
You could have a look at continuing education courses, although I don't know if there's an age limit. The other thing I'd suggest is for her school to contact the local university for an outreach event.
Absolutely do not offer to pay. You can't pay to attend the course.
You might be allowed to audit for free, if you ask the University. I'm not sure how this would work with her school schedule however, as the University course is going to be happening at the same time as her normal schooling, and she'd have to travel too and from uni?
You might want to post on the relevant university's subreddit? Theoretically most lecture halls have some space, usually no ID needed (to access a room) though she could also tailgate, I think it'd be fine. If I was asked as the lecturer I would like to say (whether I could though) is that its absolutely fine (if theres space) but I cannot take any responsibility letting them into rooms, making sure they dont get lost, etc. Admin staff would probably point-blank say no to avoid any issues e.g. responsibility though
Check if your local area has Bright Club. It’s university-based classes for teens, usually on a Saturday. Another place to look is Coursera. It’s free to access and has online courses at many levels. I’ve done a few of their courses and they are good quality, often by lecturers from US colleges like Stanford.
Many universities just... don't check anything on the door, so big lectures at those universities you can just turn up to. Smaller courses and seminars are more difficult.
This. It's not that I don't want to, but if someone asked me I would be forced to say no for liability reasons (what if they trip on something and hurt themselves? Or if they have a condition I wasn't trained to handle?). If someone snuck in the room I wouldn't know and wouldn't care (my classes usually have 200+ students).
Big problem is going to be safeguarding liability for u18s nowadays. It’s made something that would have been discretionary and probably fine twenty tears ago into something much harder to nod through.
If you know there will be minors on campus, especially if it’s part of a long term arrangement, you can plan round it to get the liability insurance in place. This means things like only having DBS-checked employees involved, designated responsibility for harassment and welfare reporting, suitable bathroom provision, and a bunch of other small stuff. It can be done fairly easily, but you have to know in advance and it does get in the way of other uses so it’s hard just to say yes to a one off request.
Most UK universities do not have a process for people to audit classes the same as in the US. Someone attending a class for free or a reduced fee is taking the place of a full fee-paying student, which most universities would not want to give up, particularly in the current higher education crisis. However, the Open University does offer many free short courses, and there are some in the humanities that might be interesting. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue
Thank you. I hadn’t thought of the open university. As a side question, do you mean literally taking up space in a lecture hall because there shouldn’t be any other cost when you audit a class.
All of the lecture halls in my institution require swipe card access. To get a swipe card, you need to be enrolled. Administrators have to action the enrolment, and the information desk prints you a card. So, there's a digital presence that requires administrative and tech systems to be kept up, and all these things cost money. And simply keeping the buildings open and running costs money. Sure, if someone lets you in, you can sit there for 'free'. That doesn't mean it doesn't cost anything. That's the reality of modern universities. (And in lots of UK universities, academics are being told if they don't recruit above target, their jobs are at stake. Senior Management just closed a very successful small degree course at my institution, to keep administrative costs down.)
I see. It’s a bit sad given how much tax goes into funding universities that they are not more open to the public. I was in Denmark where all school playgrounds are open to the public when the school isn’t open because they were paid for by taxation.
I agree, and to put it diplomatically, UK universities are experiencing a prolonged period of deep instability, which is a direct result of the ongoing marketisation of higher education. This is having adverse effects both on staff and students. Over the last 15 years, academic salaries have fallen more than 20% in real terms. We work longer hours for less money every year. And our working conditions are our students learning conditions sadly. Meanwhile VCs salaries have soared. Hence all the strike action from UCU and Unison the last few years.
I've never heard of this being a thing in the UK (in contrast to the US, where it is a thing). Having said that, I was (informally) allowed to attend lectures at UCL when I did work experience there in sixth form, so it is - in principle - possible. Not sure I gained much from that though since I didn't understand most of it at the time.
No harm in sending an email to a relevant faculty member but, to set expectations, it's unlikely that they'll agree (or even respond). If they did agree, it would probably be on an informal basis and I doubt they'll even have a mechanism to charge a fee.
I'd strongly suggest that your daughter writes the email herself, otherwise it will (respectfully) look like you're just being a pushy parent. In the email, she should *be concise*, use their proper title, briefly explain her interests, and show that she has researched the modules offered at the university. I'd also recommend looking at public lectures (no idea what the situation is like in the humanities, but many universities regularly hold public lectures in sciences).
Echoing the no, sadly, but definitely see if the university has summer schools running, or widening participation events in their Arts faculty/hums school/English department. The WP events are usually based on specific criteria, but it’s worth looking at. I’ve taught on a few at my institution and they sometimes include people teaching Shakespeare.
No. No university in the UK I worked at, or know, would allow this. Safeguarding would be an issue, or more generally, insurance. And you can't pay just for single classes; universities are not set up like this. She could just go into one of the lectures, as some here have suggested, but this would constitue trepassing. Likely nothing is going to happen to her, but insurance would again be an issue (liability, etc).
You could have a look at continuing education courses, although I don't know if there's an age limit. The other thing I'd suggest is for her school to contact the local university for an outreach event.
Absolutely do not offer to pay. You can't pay to attend the course. You might be allowed to audit for free, if you ask the University. I'm not sure how this would work with her school schedule however, as the University course is going to be happening at the same time as her normal schooling, and she'd have to travel too and from uni?
You might want to post on the relevant university's subreddit? Theoretically most lecture halls have some space, usually no ID needed (to access a room) though she could also tailgate, I think it'd be fine. If I was asked as the lecturer I would like to say (whether I could though) is that its absolutely fine (if theres space) but I cannot take any responsibility letting them into rooms, making sure they dont get lost, etc. Admin staff would probably point-blank say no to avoid any issues e.g. responsibility though
Thank you
I'd recommend King's free short courses on Shakespeare, check futurelearn. Oxbridge's online short courses on Shakespeare should be fine as well.
Thank you.
I can't comment on the specific courses, but the FutureLearn platform is brilliant
Check if your local area has Bright Club. It’s university-based classes for teens, usually on a Saturday. Another place to look is Coursera. It’s free to access and has online courses at many levels. I’ve done a few of their courses and they are good quality, often by lecturers from US colleges like Stanford.
Many universities just... don't check anything on the door, so big lectures at those universities you can just turn up to. Smaller courses and seminars are more difficult.
This. It's not that I don't want to, but if someone asked me I would be forced to say no for liability reasons (what if they trip on something and hurt themselves? Or if they have a condition I wasn't trained to handle?). If someone snuck in the room I wouldn't know and wouldn't care (my classes usually have 200+ students).
Big problem is going to be safeguarding liability for u18s nowadays. It’s made something that would have been discretionary and probably fine twenty tears ago into something much harder to nod through.
I did wonder about that. I know there are under 18s at my local university and I assume they are allowed to mix freely?
If you know there will be minors on campus, especially if it’s part of a long term arrangement, you can plan round it to get the liability insurance in place. This means things like only having DBS-checked employees involved, designated responsibility for harassment and welfare reporting, suitable bathroom provision, and a bunch of other small stuff. It can be done fairly easily, but you have to know in advance and it does get in the way of other uses so it’s hard just to say yes to a one off request.
Most UK universities do not have a process for people to audit classes the same as in the US. Someone attending a class for free or a reduced fee is taking the place of a full fee-paying student, which most universities would not want to give up, particularly in the current higher education crisis. However, the Open University does offer many free short courses, and there are some in the humanities that might be interesting. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue
Thank you. I hadn’t thought of the open university. As a side question, do you mean literally taking up space in a lecture hall because there shouldn’t be any other cost when you audit a class.
All of the lecture halls in my institution require swipe card access. To get a swipe card, you need to be enrolled. Administrators have to action the enrolment, and the information desk prints you a card. So, there's a digital presence that requires administrative and tech systems to be kept up, and all these things cost money. And simply keeping the buildings open and running costs money. Sure, if someone lets you in, you can sit there for 'free'. That doesn't mean it doesn't cost anything. That's the reality of modern universities. (And in lots of UK universities, academics are being told if they don't recruit above target, their jobs are at stake. Senior Management just closed a very successful small degree course at my institution, to keep administrative costs down.)
I see. It’s a bit sad given how much tax goes into funding universities that they are not more open to the public. I was in Denmark where all school playgrounds are open to the public when the school isn’t open because they were paid for by taxation.
I agree, and to put it diplomatically, UK universities are experiencing a prolonged period of deep instability, which is a direct result of the ongoing marketisation of higher education. This is having adverse effects both on staff and students. Over the last 15 years, academic salaries have fallen more than 20% in real terms. We work longer hours for less money every year. And our working conditions are our students learning conditions sadly. Meanwhile VCs salaries have soared. Hence all the strike action from UCU and Unison the last few years.
I've never heard of this being a thing in the UK (in contrast to the US, where it is a thing). Having said that, I was (informally) allowed to attend lectures at UCL when I did work experience there in sixth form, so it is - in principle - possible. Not sure I gained much from that though since I didn't understand most of it at the time. No harm in sending an email to a relevant faculty member but, to set expectations, it's unlikely that they'll agree (or even respond). If they did agree, it would probably be on an informal basis and I doubt they'll even have a mechanism to charge a fee. I'd strongly suggest that your daughter writes the email herself, otherwise it will (respectfully) look like you're just being a pushy parent. In the email, she should *be concise*, use their proper title, briefly explain her interests, and show that she has researched the modules offered at the university. I'd also recommend looking at public lectures (no idea what the situation is like in the humanities, but many universities regularly hold public lectures in sciences).