School News
CERN 2026
Eight of our A-Level Physics students enjoyed a fascinating trip to Geneva, which included a guided tour of CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research.
The three-day trip was organised to provide students with innovative and authentic experiences in the field of particle physics. In addition to this, students had the opportunity to explore the historic links that Geneva has with global organisations such as the United Nations and the Red Cross.
They took a short tram journey to CERN, which is on the Switzerland-France border. They began their day with a guided tour. The tour was conducted by physicists engaged in research at CERN, one of the world's largest and most respected centres for scientific research. This provided the opportunity to appreciate the scale of the tunnels of the Large Hadron Collider, as well as offering expert explanations of how the research is conducted. We then had time to explore CERN’s Science Gateway, which houses multimedia exhibits, hands-on lab workshops, and science shows.
They enjoyed lunch at the Big Bang Café and had some time to enjoy the glorious sunshine. In the afternoon, they attended an excellent workshop on superconductivity, led by a Swedish physicist. The whole day supported the particle physics aspect of the A-Level Physics course very well.
The following day, they had a guided tour of the UN Palace of Nations and experienced a live debate in the General Assembly Hall on human rights. In the afternoon, they focused on the early advances in science with a visit to the History of Science Museum. Here, the students were able to admire the collection of historical scientific apparatus, which provided a stark contrast to that of CERN.
While focusing on physics to support their studies, the trip was also interspersed with the culture of Geneva, with visits to a traditional Swiss restaurant, the Botanical Gardens, and Geneva’s Old Quarter.