West Surrey ComputerXplorers Offers Free Programming Workshops to Local Primary Schools
Surrey schools and children get a head start on the new Computing Curriculum - as Educational Specialist Offers Free Programming Workshops
From September, primary schools throughout the country will have to teach new computing classes with the emphasis on how to code and programme, following Education Secretary Michael Gove’s latest curriculum changes.
The Government’s revised national computing curriculum for 2014 puts significant emphasis on teaching children how to write code. Pupils aged five to seven will be expected to "understand what algorithms are" and to "create and debug simple programs". By the age of 11, pupils will have to "design, use and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and behaviour of real-world problems and physical systems".
As part of its commitment to help with the introduction of this new computing curriculum, local technology education specialist, ComputerXplorers West Surrey is offering free programming workshops to primary schools in Surrey during the national Programming for Primaries Awareness Week which runs from 24 – 30 March 2014. The aim of the week is to communicate the benefits of programming for younger children and shine the spotlight on programming and coding support and resources that are available to children and teachers.
ComputerXplorers has worked with many schools throughout the area to help children and teachers develop key computing skills.
Alan Harrison, director of ComputerXplorers West Surrey said: “Teachers now face the challenge of learning how to deliver the new curriculum and finding resources and support.
“We know how hard it is for teachers to find time away from school so we are offering to bring help and support into local schools in the form of training for teachers and classes for children.
“Our free programming workshop for children will have them designing and programming their own video game whilst our free Introduction to Programming session for primary school teaching staff will demystify the new computing curriculum and provide hands on programming experience.”
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Schools interested in signing up for a free workshop for teaching staff or children should contact Alan Harrison on alan@westsurrey.computerxplorers.co.uk by 28 February 2014 as resources are limited or visit www.westsurrey.computerxplorers.co.uk for more information.
About ComputerXplorers
ComputerXplorers is the leading provider of quality technology education for children from the ages of 3 to 13. The clubs and classes are engaging, educational and fun, and are run in a variety of settings, such as after school clubs, pre-school and nurseries, summer camps and in-curriculum time classes. For pre-school children ComputerXplorers covers everything from podcasting, digital photography programming and robotics to digital microscopes and an introduction to the internet. Primary school children learn programming, digital storytelling, animation, web design, coding, forensic science, video game design, music technology etc. Classes are linked to the new national curriculum inEngland, the Curriculum for Excellence, the national curriculum forWalesand the NCCA curriculum inIreland.