YOUNGSTERS from disadvantaged backgrounds have been given an insight into university life and what is needed to make it to higher education.

Pupils from Coombe Road Primary School in Brighton are this week immersing themselves in all things maths thanks to a project from IntoUniversity – a charity that aims to inspire students with a sense of the university experience.

Teachers at the Moulsecoomb school have chosen the theme of ‘Maths Detective’ and will deliver a week of educational trips to conclude with a graduation ceremony at the University of Sussex.

On Monday the year 6 pupils, pictured, took part in maths workshops.

Ed Noon, from IntoUniversity, said: “Today they visited the toy and model museum underneath the railway station in Brighton and have been learning about how maths is used in everyday life, like transport and in business.

“From what I’ve seen of them, they’re really investing in the idea of the week. They enjoyed the activities on Monday and are really happy to get involved and participate. What we aim to do is plant the seed of aspiration for university and hope they realise it is a possibility and something they can consider.”

IntoUniversity works with different schools across the country but has only been operating in Brighton since September. The charity is funded by the Queen’s Trust and other partners like the University of Sussex.

Mr Noon added: “We work with about eight year 6 classes over an academic year, but only opened our centre in Moulsecoomb in September so Brighton is one of the newest in our network.

“We deliver the week workshops in secondary schools too and hope to stay with pupils long enough to see them off to university.”

For more details on how you get involved visit intouniversity.org/