Back

Qubit by Qubit

Give year 11 students across North West England a hands-on introduction to quantum computing with this free event.

Email provider
The Neon quality mark shows this activity has been reviewed and meets Neon's quality standards.

This activity is targeted at schools with a high proportion of students from groups who are underrepresented in the engineering profession.

How far is this activity from your school?

Tell us where your school is and we'll show you the nearest location for this activity.

Overview

Qubit by Qubit is a free, full-day, hands-on introduction to quantum computing for year 11 students. The experience takes place offsite at colleges and universities across North West England.

Delivered by IN4 Group, the programme explores quantum computing, one of the UK government’s 6 frontier technology areas. The UK has committed £2.5 billion to its National Quantum Strategy, creating new career opportunities in this growing field.

No prior knowledge is needed. Students are encouraged to explore challenging concepts, as even professional physicists continue to grapple with quantum mechanics.

The morning session introduces key concepts including qubits, superposition, measurement, entanglement and quantum gates. Live demonstrations using BBC micro:bits and an interactive quantum game help students experience each concept before learning the theory behind it.

In the second session, teams rotate through 3 hands-on activity stations. In Quantum Odyssey, students collaborate in a game-based challenge across the quantum universe. In Quirk-E, they follow guided instructions to build a quantum teleportation circuit. In Quantum Flytrap, they investigate how light moves through quantum hardware, with no coding required.

Students also discover where quantum computers may outperform classical computers and why they are unlikely to replace everyday devices.

The day concludes with the Qubit Hackathon. Teams race to complete 4 quantum protocols and unlock a digital briefcase.

Details

Curriculum links
  • Computing
  • Computing: Computational thinking
  • Computing: Understanding algorithms
  • Computing: Hardware and software
  • Computing: The ethics of computing
  • Computing: Programming languages
Group size
Small groups, Whole class
Participation level
Hands-on
Duration
Whole day
Dates
7 October 2026 – 16 July 2027
Cost
Free
Location
Offsite
  • Accrington and Rossendale College
  • Blackburn College
  • Blackpool and The Fylde College

Learning outcomes

  • Improve engagement, interest or enjoyment in STEM subjects
  • Improve awareness and aspirations for STEM-related study and careers

Frameworks

Gatsby benchmarks

The Gatsby benchmarks are a framework for good careers guidance for schools across all of England and in some areas across the rest of the UK. This experience helps your school to reach the following benchmarks:

  • 2 - Learning from career and labour market information
  • 3 - Addressing the needs of each pupil
  • 4 - Linking curriculum learning to careers
  • 7 - Encounters with further and higher education

EqualEx

The equalex framework allows educators to embed meaningful workplace experiences within a progressive whole school careers programme.

  • Introduce and Inspire
  • Investigate and Explore
  • Apply and Demonstrate

Enrichment framework

  • 5 - An accessible and engaging enrichment offer
  • 6 - An enrichment offer that works in partnership
  • 7 - An outcomes-focused enrichment offer

How to book

Email provider