Over 100 pupils from UK primary schools gathered at a special event in London on Friday to mark the start of UK Code Week.
The initiative, now in its 4th year, aims to make coding more accessible – by encouraging schools, businesses and local authorities around the country to host their own coding events.
Kicking off at Dragon Hall in London’s Covent Garden, the launch day saw school children put their coding skills to the test and get hands-on with new technology by programming robots, creating apps and even building small computers.
Hosted by Discovery Education, the event included a number of teacher workshops and a technology fair, bringing pupils face to face with the very latest software and gadgets. Virtual reality, green screening and 3D printing were just some of the exciting technologies on display – with software companies Mozilla and ReciteMe amongst the exhibitors.
With a focus on inspiring the next generation of tech talent, UK Code Week is designed to get children excited about programming – while helping schools to deliver the subject in a fun and accessible way. A range of events, workshops and free teaching resources is being made available, and organisers hope that this week’s activities will de-mystify computer programming and show that coding is a skill which everyone can try.
Yasemin Allsop Senior Lecturer in Computing at Roehampton University and UK Code Week Coordinator said:
“UK Code Week is about giving everyone the opportunity to discover coding – and encouraging them to have fun with it! We’re delighted that so many schools have registered to take part this year, and were thrilled to see over 100 children at the launch event on Friday. Learning to code helps children to make sense of how things work, unleashes their creativity and equips them with vital skills for the future.”
James Massey, Educational Consultant at Discovery Education said:
“Discovery Education is delighted to be supporting UK Code Week this year. Programming is a skill that anyone can master. It’s also an activity that today’s tech-savvy children enjoy, which makes teaching it very rewarding. The UK Code Week website has lots of fantastic resources to help teachers try something different, and kick-start their own coding event in school. We hope to encourage as many schools as possible to take this opportunity and get coding!”
Schools, local authorities and businesses are invited to take part in UK Code Week by attending one of the many events being organised across the country – or better still, by hosting their own. The UK Code Week website – www.codeweek.uk – lists full details of regional coding events, and also offers a free handbook packed with fantastic teaching resources and ideas.
UK Code Week runs from 15th to 23rd October and is supported by Discovery Education, one of the UK’s leading providers of digital content and educational services to schools. The Discovery Education Coding service provides complete support for teaching coding in primary schools and includes lesson plans, video tutorials and comprehensive resources for Block Coding, Python and HTML.
To learn more about Discovery Education’s award-winning content, services and initiatives, visit www.discoveryeducation.co.uk
UK Code Week is part of EU Code Week – a volunteer-led movement involving nearly 50 countries worldwide.
