Passers-by cannot have failed to notice the colourful double-decker bus parked up on the Congleton High School Sixth Form car park recently.

The school was "delighted" to welcome back the Staffordshire University Great Minds Bus at the end of April, offering its Year 12 students a "unique, remote open day experience".

The specially modified double-decker gives students the chance to experience what their future could be like as undergraduates at Staffordshire University.

It provides a "fun and informal" setting for these young people nearing the end of their high school chapter to speak with the student ambassador advisors and find out all about studying at the university.

The sixth form students visited the lower deck to find out what Staffordshire can offer them via a short film and virtual reality 3D tours of different campus locations, including the crime scene house, mock law courts, ceramics studios, journalism newsroom and motorsport labs.

A trip to the upper deck revealed a replica of the university's specialist Esports Hub, where the 'passengers' were able to immerse themselves in the world of electronic gaming.

Although the Great Minds Bus has toured regularly in previous years, calling in at CHS, it is "perfectly suited" to the current pandemic climate, where many university open days are not taking place or students and their families are cautious about attending events.

Congleton High School and the sixth form team thanked all the Staffordshire University students who ran the event and who spent time talking with the Year 12 students.