Autumn message 2023/24
Welcome message 2023/24 ***New look to this page***
Last 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.
Looking forward to 2023/24, 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
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?
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Face-Face Masterclasses are held in-person. All documentation is on this page
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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.
- Handbook 1: Masterclass introduction and general requirements for organisers
- Handbook 2: Safeguarding and health & safety for face-face Masterclass (version 2023)
- Handbook 3: Data protection
- Handbook 4: Finance reporting
- Handbook 5: Marketing
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
- Safeguarding policy for children and Ri safeguarding concerns report form
- Data protection policy can be found on our policies webpage
- Code of conduct for Masterclass students and adult attendees
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:
- Invitation to schools (teacher letter)
- Teacher nomination form
- Parent/carer letter
- Parent/carer consent form
Please select your pack:
- Secondary students - Ri Secondary Masterclasses pack (zip of 4 files)
- 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
- Online Masterclass (secondary or primary) - ONLINE Masterclasses nomination pack (zip of 4 files)
- Livestream recruitment packs
- 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
- Safeguarding report form and poster
- Spare copies of the relevant Parent/Carer Consent form (provided by organiser)
4. Additional resources if you are working with 16-18 year-old helpers/speakers
- Sixth form helper register template and consent form (zip of 2 files)
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.
- Ri risk assessment guide Face-Face v23
- Ri risk assessment guide ONLINE v2
- Template for activity-specific risk assessment if standard RA doesn’t cover any activity undertaken
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
Further notes
Additional useful resources referred to in the above handbooks include the following external links: The Data Protection Act 2018, ICO 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.