ASE Annual Conference 2025 FAQs
Europe's largest event focussing on science education professional learning/development - the ASE Annual Conference takes place at the University of Nottingham’s University Park Campus (NG7 2RD) from Thursday 9th to Saturday 11th January 2025.
- Choose from over 250 sessions from the best science education speakers and practitioners - all in one place
- Focus on your school’s specific priorities, develop your own subject knowledge and learn from other teachers and science education experts
- Enjoy fantastic networking opportunities to gain exciting new ideas, approaches and resources that you can share with your whole team
- Explore an unmissable exhibition of science education organisations, full of activities, equipment and resources for science teaching and learning, with exclusive competitions and giveaways
This is an amazing opportunity to engage in cost-effective, subject-specific professional learning and is perfect for all primary science educators, secondary and further education teachers, technicians, trainees and multi-academy trust science colleagues.
Ticket information
One day registration starts from only £25 for Early Career Teacher or Trainee members, £55 for Technician members and £99 for ASE teacher members. ASE member prices are discounted by 50%. If you haven’t already, join now.
Our most affordable Early Bird tickets will be on sale from: 16th September until 23:45 on Sunday 3rd November 2024.
All delegate badges will be provided daily at the registration desks at Conference, within the Pope building in Room A15 (see link for campus map). We are using buildings numbered 27/28/28/54). Please ensure you provide evidence of your booking with your order number at registration (this will be on your Eventbrite booking). Registration will open at 07:30 each day.
There are no exhibition-only tickets available.
Delegates can attend for one, two or all three days. There will be dedicated Teacher Developer days and Post-16 days on Thursday 9th January. On Friday 10th January there will be a dedicated Early Career Teacher day, the timetable for whom will be exclusively suitable for trainees and ECTs - be sure to register for a Friday ticket if this applies to you! Friday also delivers a dedicated programme for Science Technicians. Presentations for primary and secondary audiences are threaded throughout all three days. Explore the full programme to make your personal choices!
For member rates, you need to be an active member of the Association. Your new membership ID number can be found in the top righthand corner on your My Account page of the ASE website after logging in (the numbers issued from the old system that start with an M are no longer valid). If you're not yet a member and would like to get the best conference rates, you can join online or over the phone on 01707 283000.
Event information
The most up to date information can be found by exploring the event webpage. Explore the Conference programme here and create your own “attendee” profile and your own personal agenda free of charge!
ASE Primary Committee has scheduled a specific session on Friday at 0845 to welcome newcomers. Alternatively, first-time visitors should make themselves known to HQ staff on the registration desk, who will put them in touch with appropriate committee members to ensure they are supported. There are also a series of “Meet and Greet” committee members at the end of most days, along with daily “Chair Chats” (the Chair Trio for the Association).
Apologies but this is not possible for ASE Annual Conference 2025.
The two main evening social events take place on Thursday and Friday at 7pm in Trent Building. Thursday offers jacket potatoes and salad; Friday offers Curry and Quiz, both with a PAYG bar. Tickets will be made available for booking on Eventbrite [insert link]. Other networking lunches and receptions (usually sponsored) will take place throughout the three days, some free to attend for all and others by invitation only for specific audiences (e.g. technicians or physics teachers). There is generally no charge for lunches or receptions unless informed by the organiser or sponsor in advance. Please view the conference programme for the most up to date information.
Yes. Students accompanying teachers as part of Saturday’s Schools Exhibition at 11:15 are permitted entry to that event only. Unfortunately, children are not permitted to attend other events throughout Conference.
Venue information
Make sure the wireless network adapter is activated on your device. If you are in range, your device should automatically connect to the UoN guest network. If not, find “UoN-guest in the list of wireless connections available and select this network. If it is not listed, please move the device until you are in range. Open your web browser and browse to any unsecure website such as www.bbc.co.uk – the UoN-guest wireless login page will appear.
If you have already created an account, click the link to log in, otherwise follow the on-screen instructions to register for an account. You will be sent a confirmation email to the email address you requested access with., You have ten minutes to read and confirm your access. If you do not validate your account, then it will be deleted, and your device will be disconnected. Once you have confirmed your account, disconnection and reconnection will be available for 7 days. Participants familiar with using Eduroam will also be able to use their normal access at UoN.
We are using the Buildings Pope (27) / Coates (36) / Engineering and Science Learning (54) / Chemistry (28) / Physics (22) for conference sessions. Trent Building (11) will be used for evening social events. All are numbered on the attached Nottingham Conference Delegate Map. Once in the “quad” where the buildings are located, the maximum walking distance between buildings is under 5 minutes.
There are prayer rooms in Portland Building. Please refer to the campus map for further details of the location of the venue. Other quiet spaces will be made available nearer the time and will be added to the conference programme.
A pop-up café will offer hot and cold drinks and light snacks in the Exhibition/Registration area, between the hours of 08:00 to 17:00, or 15:00 on Saturday. There are vending machines located in the foyer of Pope building which operate both with cash and contactless cards. Hot meals and sandwiches along with a selection of drinks, will be available in the cafeteria foyer area of the Engineering and Science Learning Building each from 08:00 each day to 17:00 (15:00 on Saturday) and payments can be made with either cash or card.
There will also be a mobile catering van outside of the Engineering and Science Learning building, providing a variety of food and drinks (look for a chrome caravan!)
Please visit the University of Nottingham’s webpage to find out more.
Travel information
The ASE Annual Conference 2025 is using the buildings Pope, Coates, Engineering and Science Learning, Physics and Chemistry, with the evening social activities in Trent. There is a delegate map attached under the Files link on the ASE webpage. Please link to the Notts Uni visitor information for advice on travel and parking.
Road: A link to the Google map can be found here – please follow the Sat Nav postcode NG7 2RD. Further information can be found on the Nottingham University website for University Park Campus. Day delegates are advised to use the North Entrance and guests staying in Orchard Hotel or Rutland Hall are advised to enter the campus via the West Entrance.
Parking: Please park in one of the pay and display car parks which are highlighted on the Campus map attached under the Files tab on the event webpage (the Main Visitors Car Park is the best one to use). The cost will be £10.00 per day. Please ask the advice of The Gatehouse staff upon arrival. There are accessible parking spaces also available. The campus map for car parking can be found at www.nottingham.ac.uk/sharedresources/documents/mapuniversitypark.pdf
Further information can be found at www.nottingham.ac.uk/estates/security/carparking/home.aspx
EV charging points: It will cost 44p per KwH to use the charging points. There are two car parks with EV charging points; University Park in the Main Visitor Car Park (10 points) and on Beeston Lane, near the David Ross Sports village (2 points). These are Type 2 charge points which are a combination of 7.4kW fully rated and load balanced charge points. They are available for use 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The maximum vehicle charging time is 4 hours, then you must move your vehicle to a normal parking space so that others can use the charging point. Fuller information can be found on the Notts Uni webpage.
The Robin Hood card can be used all across Nottingham’s bus, tram and train network, making it simple and hassle free to get around Nottingham. Further information can be found on the webpage.
Rail: Regular train services operate between Nottingham Station and London St Pancras, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield. Trains can be taken from destinations within the East Midlands region such as Derby, Leicester and Lincoln. There is a direct access to the trams at Nottingham Rail Station within a couple of minutes’ walk of alighting the train - see further information below under the Trams heading. More detailed information can be found on the Nottingham University webpage.
Air: East Midlands airport is the nearest airport to the University of Nottingham.
Bus/Coach: A number of bus services run in partnership with Nottingham City Transport – please visit the webpage to find out more. Coaches are often a cheaper alternative to rail travel and run all over the UK. Nottingham’s National Express coach station is within Broad Marsh bus station, from where coaches to London, Birmingham and Leeds can be caught directly. Find out more about National express. Nottingham is also served by Megabus and Flixbus coach services, which use the Greyfriars Gate bus stops in Nottingham city Centre.
Trams: The Trams operate a “Buy before you Board” travel scheme at each tram stop. Participants will need to use the stops in the QMC Zone at either Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham or University. The tram stops can be viewed in green on the attached Nottingham University Delegate Map.
Nottingham tourist Information, 1 Smithy Row, Nottingham NG1 2BY. Tel: 0844 477 5678. www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk
Queens Medical Centre is located half a mile from the venue.
Getting around Nottingham is simple - there is a range of amenities accessible by public transport from University Park Campus. A short tram or bus journey into the city centre where there are plenty of restaurants and bars, theatres, a cinema and Nottingham’s famous Lace Market Area.
For further queries please email conferences@ase.org.uk
Accomodation information
Onsite accommodation is bookable at the Orchard Hotel, which is a 15-minute walk from the Conference venue. This 4-star hotel offers B&B accommodation from £105.60 per night for single occupancy. Please book directly – bookings are all pre-paid and non-refundable. In order to benefit from a special Conference discount, click on BOOK NOW, select dates, and on the drop-down menu Special Codes or Rates, choose Group Code. Then in the box Enter Code, please type ScienceEd2025. Click apply. The £105.60 rate will apply only until 4th December 20245 after which it will rise to the standard rate.
There are also student halls available on a B&B basis in Rutland Hall, at £57.00 per night for ensuite facilities or £47.00 for bedrooms with a shared bathroom approximately 20 minutes’ walk from the event location, and adjacent to the Orchard Hotel. Please book directly using the hyperlink above.
Rooms are also available at the Jubilee Hotel and Conference Centre at a B&B rate of £89.00 per night, which is on another site close by. Participants will need to catch the Hoppr bus to the University Park campus – timetable attached (please note the non-term time timetable applies). Guests staying Orchard Hotel, Rutland Hall or Jubilee Hotel are entitled to free parking on those sites for the duration of their stays.
Other important information
Left luggage will be assigned to rooms adjacent to registration in Pope Building (Pope A23) – please visit Sched for details. For any lost property queries, please visit the Registration Desk in Pope A15 in the first instance and talk to a member of the ASE team.
There are male/female/gender-neutral toilets on campus, in addition to accessible toilets. Regrettably, there are no baby changing facilities in the teaching venues.
Cancellation of registrations before 22nd November 2024 will incur a 5% cancellation charge (30 working days before the event). After this date no refunds can be made.
A representative from St John’s Ambulance will be onsite for the duration of the event and will be located in Pope A21. Should you require assistance, please alert one of the ASE Stewards or Volunteers in a yellow sweatshirt or purple tabbard, who will contact one of the event team or SJA directly. Alternatively, a member of the University of Nottingham’s Security team should be able to help.
Should there be a requirement to evacuate any buildings during Conference, all attendees will be required to vacate the buildings. The fire assembly point is located on the grassed area outside the School of Physics. A member of the University of Nottingham Estates Team will oversee a building evacuation if required.