Masterclass organiser resources

Handbooks and tools to help you run your Ri Masterclass series.

Message 2024

Welcome message 2024 

In 2022/23 academic year, the Masterclass network delivered 127 Masterclass series for 4,592 students, all benefited hugely from connecting with subject enthusiasts and exploring fun STEM topics. As always, we are very grateful to all who contributed, giving up their time and resources to make these Masterclasses special.

If you haven't yet watched the 2023 CHRISTMAS LECTURES, visit BBC IPlayer or watch on our YouTube channel. The subject of Artificial Intelligence is close to our Masterclass hearts!

***New look to this page***

We have revamped our organiser resource pages so that all resources for both face-face and online Masterclasses sit in this page. We look forward to visiting as many groups as possible and supporting your activities throughout the coming year.

Thank you from the Masterclass team

masterclasses@ri.ac.uk 

Introduction to organising Ri Masterclasses

Introducing Masterclasses

If you are new to organising Masterclasses, read our introduction: Masterclasses Handbook 1 

Are you running Face-Face, Online or Livestream Masterclasses?

  • Face-Face Masterclasses are held in-person. All documentation is on this page

  • Online Masterclasses, all activities are delivered via a video conference platform and students access the sessions on individual devices (normally from home). All documentation is on this page

  • Livestreamed Masterclasses are streamed into schools and students stay in their own classrooms to watch them and join in the activities. See Livestream webpage for information and documentation.

Using this page

Below are all the templates and resources you need to undertake Masterclasses, involving:

1. Start organising by completing an Organiser Agreement and reading our handbooks

2. Recruit students via teacher nomination

3. Create a pack for the supervisor overseeing your Masterclass sessions

Contact us if you have any questions or would like to review this with a member of the Ri team. 

Start organising your series

Please let us know as soon as you start planning your next Masterclass series. Key documentation includes:

Resources to complete the Organiser Agreement

Organiser handbooks

Share the organiser handbooks with your organising committee. Ensure you read Handbooks 1, 2 and 3, plus any other relevant ones.

The Masterclass team are happy to support any organiser or contributor who would prefer a verbal overview of the relevant handbooks and guidance - please get in touch to arrange a briefing.

Running online Masterclasses? Use our Online Masterclasses Handbook for Organisers

Planning to take and share photographs? Use our Photography, Video and Social Media Guide

Ri policies and code of conduct

Resources to recruit students

Teacher pack templates

Masterclass students are nominated by their teachers. Organisers send nomination packs to teachers a few weeks or months before their Masterclasses start.

All groups must use Ri parent/carer consent statements for Masterclass students. 

Teacher nomination packs include:

  1. Invitation to schools (teacher letter)
  2. Teacher nomination form
  3. Parent/carer letter
  4. Parent/carer consent form

Please select your pack:

  • Primary ACCOMPANIED students – students attend under supervision from an adult from their school Primary accompanied pack
  • Primary UNACCOMPANIED students – students arriving independently and under your full supervision Primary unaccompanied pack
  • Interested in doing your student recruitment electronically? We can set you up with a Microsoft Forms system if your organisation used Microsoft Office 365 for efficient student recruitment and data sharing with the Ri. Ask us for the teachers and parent/carer forms.

 

Resources for running Masterclasses

Adult contributor resources (supervisors, helpers, speakers)

There may well be other adult contributors helping you to deliver your Masterclass series, such as speakers helpers and supervisors.

Share our adult contributor webpage with them so they have access to our materials and handbooks. Put them in touch with us if additional training is needed on how to lead a workshop or supervise young people.

Supervisor pack (student register, risk assessments, etc)

Supervisors will need access to the following documents, all of which should be prepared by the organisers in advance of series start.

1. Risk assessments

Provide your supervisors with a risk assessment that covers Masterclasses. Review it with them and cover any emergency/incident procedures that they are not familiar with for your venue.

2. Registers and emergency contact details

  • Student register
  • List of emergency contact details and health/accessibility information for your Masterclass students must be given to the supervisor by organiser
  • To record attending adults, use Adult register template or End of Series reporting spreadsheet for online Masterclasses

3. Safeguarding

4. Additional resources if you are working with 16-18 year-old helpers/speakers

Risk assessment template

Your risk assessment (RA) needs to cover all aspects of working with Masterclass students at your venue, capturing all procedures to keep everyone safe. Share with your Masterclass supervisors well before series start date and review procedures with them.

Use our Risk Assessment Guides to help you build your RA and as a useful 'quick access' to most salient points in our handbooks.

Useful additional tools

Off the Shelf Masterclasses

Our off-the-shelf Ri Masterclass resources have everything you need to run a primary mathematics Ri Masterclass workshop. Contact us if you would like extension resources for secondary mathematics or computer science.

Evaluation forms

Our logo and marketing tools for your use

These are useful tools for communicating with Masterclass stakeholders and potential contributors. Please see Handbook 5 for more details. If you plan to film or photograph students for publicity material (only permitted for face-to-face Masterclasses, unless you are only including students from your own school), you must read our photography/video and social media guidance.

Communication pack downloads

Tools to help you

Ri Masterclass sponsorship letter

Further notes

Additional useful resources referred to in the above handbooks include the following external links: The Data Protection Act 2018ICO Guidelines to the Data Protection Act, and Fundraising Regulator Code of Fundraising Practise.

All documents and templates are updated and published annually in advance of the new academic year. Please ensure you are using the latest copy. Please feel free to contact us if there is something missing from this list that you think could be useful.

The tools and information shown here are the property of the Royal Institution of Great Britain and are protected as set out in the terms and conditions below. They are intended to support the work of Ri Masterclass volunteer groups and must not be used, shared or reproduced for any purpose other than this.