The “Introduction to Forensic Psychology” lecture took place on Friday 20^th November as a joint effort between Aspire Higher, part of the Collaborative Projects Team, and Kristy Horton, lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University.

Students from schools including Goldington Academy, Mark Rutherford School, Castle Newnham School, St Thomas More Catholic School and Manshead CE Academy took part, sharing thoughts and completing activities with one another.

The lecture was led by Kristy Horton, who joined the University’s School of Psychology in February 2020. She has already taken part in two projects in tandem with Aspire Higher and hopes to do more work inspiring forthcoming generations of Psychology students in the future. She said:

"This is the second time I have worked with the Aspire Higher team – I also ran an online Q&A project in the summer – and both sessions have been well attended. Students were engaged in the topics and asked a range of questions. I look forward to creating many more of these sessions."

Emma Semi, Aspire Higher Project Officer, was pleased with the turnout and hopes this event can lead to the return of in-person Psychology workshops at the University’s Luton campus once it’s safe to do so. She said:

The lecture was a great success as it increased our collaborative working relationships with the schools in Bedford. Future Psychology workshops will be rolled out in the New Year to the local schools, which will be more bespoke to their school curriculum.

Kristy Horton will be working more closely with the Aspire Higher Team to inspire young people in the field of Forensic Psychology. The team also endeavours that 2021 will bring back the return of the Psychology workshops at the University’s STEM building.

Aspire Higher is part of the Office for Students: Uni Connect programme and aims to increase the number of students in higher education who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

With many of the “Introduction to Forensic Psychology” attendees studying Psychology or Criminology in Year 11 or sixth form, the lecture was a taste of higher education for eager pupils.

A pupil from Mark Rutherford School said:

I found the lecture very interesting and enjoyed taking part in the different activities the most. I hope to study A Level Psychology next year.

The virtual lecture delved into fascinating topics such as the difference between sociopathic and psychopathic traits and how they relate to figures in society, as well as offender profiling and expectancy bias in the field of Criminology.

This academic year is the first that Mark Rutherford School has offered Criminology as an A Level, and the school’s Head of Psychology and Criminology, Mrs Racheal Hubbard, thought the University of Bedfordshire’s lecture was a useful tool for helping students choose their future paths. She said:

Both Psychology and Criminology are popular A level courses at Mark Rutherford School. I hope to provide more unique opportunities for students to learn about these subjects as they consider their post-GCSE options.

Further support can be found on the Aspire Higher blog or by following @AspireHigherNet on Twitter.

Information about STEM courses with the University’s School of Psychology, including details about the postgraduate Forensic Psychology degree, visit: www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/departments/psychology