Kids will learn to crack the code at new clubs
College to deliver after-school classes thanks to fund
West College Scotland has been handed just over £5,000 to deliver a series of coding clubs to primary pupils in Paisley.
Youngsters from eight primary schools – Lochfield, West, St Charles’, St Fergus’, St Peter’s, St Paul’s, Gallowhill and Glencoats – will take part in Minecraft Education Edition (MinecraftEE) Coding Clubs.
And it is all thanks to a donation from Glasgow Airport’s FlightPath Fund.
The weekly sessions will be delivered at each primary as extra-curricular clubs and teach coding in a fun and informal way that engages the pupils, builds on their existing skills and stimulates their interest in computer science and digital technologies.
As part of the project, Minecraft Education Edition will be installed in each of the primary schools to allow them to continue to use the programme after the initial support period to sustain the learning provided.
This project follows on from a similar programme the college’s staff delivered to three Renfrewshire secondary schools with a further three to be included this year.
Dr Amanda Ford, the lecturer who will lead the project, said: “Thanks to the funding we will be able to provide support and continual professional development to the schools involved in the project to enable primary teachers to deliver afterschool coding clubs.
“By liaising with local high schools and their S6 pupils as well as our own students, we will look to support the teachers with Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) ambassadors to help them out when they are running the clubs.
“The clubs will run for one hour a week over 12 weeks and there will be an introduction to coding using small handheld programmable computers called Micro:bits before bringing in MinecraftEE, which allows the children to not only play Minecraft but code their own creations within their Minecraft world.”
Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson, who sits on the FlightPath Fund committee, met with pupils from Lochfield Primary School to get an insight into how the coding clubs work.
He said: “Coding is a valuable skill for children to learn as more and more jobs use technology, so Dr Ford and the team at West College Scotland are to be commended for the work they’re doing.
“Coding encourages problem solving and logical thinking skills, which are highly transferable and desirable in the workplace.
“Currently, there is a shortage within the Scottish tech-industry with over 11,000 jobs being created each year and many being left unfilled due to a shortage of skilled workers.
“It’s really vitally important that we also promote computing to girls given the shortage in women working in computing.
“Hopefully by providing these clubs it will encourage more girls to think about coding as a career.”
To find out more about applying for funding support, visit www.glasgowairport.com/ community