Pupils from Kingsfield School in Kingswood spent a day at Bath Spa University to find out about student life.

The trip for Year 10 students was staged by Aimhigher, a national initiative to encourage young people to go on to higher education.

During their visit they met student ambassadors, who took them on a tour of the university's campus and showed them hall of residence accommodation and inside a lecture theatre.

The teenagers discussed the differences between school and university, found out about courses, took part in a quizzes and games and created their own poster presentations.

Ben Leventhall, widening participation officer at Bath Spa University, said: "They really relate to our student ambassadors, who are only a few years older than them," he said.

"Our students can talk to them about their own experiences and give them an idea of how someone can get to university."

Mike Kendrick, from Kingsfield School, said: "Aimhigher activities are fantastic for our students because many of them have no history of university education in their families. They get first-hand experience of university life.

"As a result of our involvement with Aimhigher, more and more of our students are continuing their studies and going on to university."

The day is one of a series of visits to university campuses by schools in Bristol, Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset, organised by Aimhigher West Area Partnership to celebrate Aimhigher Week (June 8-12th).

Catherine Marshall from Aimhigher said: "Visits to universities and colleges are part of a whole programme of activities that Aimhigher West provides for young people," said.

"Feedback has shown that visits like these give a taste of campus life and are very successful in making young people aware that they can progress to higher education.

"In these challenging economic times, it is more important than ever to encourage young people to maximise their potential and explore their choices for the future."