THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGISTS EDUCATION
Race To The Top Coding Competition
T he competition, run as a partnership by Northamptonshire County Council, the University of Northampton, Code Club and WCIT, seeks to improve the teaching of computer coding and to develop Northamptonshire pupils’ technology skills.
Students across Northamptonshire were invited to put their computer skills to the test and create a game or an app with an energy-saving theme, which they then submitted their entries by uploading a two-minute video to YouTube about their design.
Team Sparky from Park Junior School in Wellingborough won the Year 4 to 6 category with their game which challenges players to fix solar panels on the school roof as they degrade over time, while the winner of the Year 9 category was Team Syntax Error from Kettering Buccleuch Academy for their app which tracks household energy consumption.
The competition, also part sponsored by the WCIT Charity, forms part of Northamptonshire’ s Race To The Top school improvement strategy, which identifies that pupils are currently underperforming in science, technology, engineering and maths( STEM).
Clapton Common Boys Club
Practical Parenting Course
C lapton Common Boys Club was set up as a ' foundation for recreation ' for young Jewish disadvantaged boys in the inner London Boroughs of Hackney and Haringey. Focused on tackling the high levels of local gang and youth crime, they serve 300 local boys, offering participation in extra-curricular activities and opportunities to develop their talents and interests in a constructive way.
In 2015 they applied to the WCIT Charity for funding towards the IT equipment much needed to run their“ Practical Parenting” course. After running a community open day, inviting local people, teachers and head teachers to share ideas and ways to offer training and support in the area of SEN education, 90 % of participants were in favour of training courses for fathers.
The aim of the course was to improve the lives of vulnerable families by strengthening the parenting role of the‘ often absent’ father via training sessions to teach fathers how to parent effectively, to understand the importance of their role and demonstrate how they can be more present for their children. It was hoped the
Michael Hoddy, of WCIT, said:” We are pleased to have played our part in this competition and are delighted to see such a good selection of inspired entries from the Northamptonshire schools taking part.“ The competition matches WCIT’ s focus and interest in helping improve educational attainment and encouraging digital fluency amongst pupils and students from all ages and backgrounds.”
Dr Jon Hall, Chairman of the WCIT Education and Training Committee, added:“ Our best chance of a bright future is inspired children who can code. Our thanks go to the teachers and volunteers who, through Northamptonshire’ s Code Clubs and this competition, have inspired these technology-gifted girls and boys.”
Contributed by Liveryman Mick Hoddy
Contributed by Malky Liebenthal
project would enable the parents and their children to re-establish the bonds of familial love in a preventative measure to avoid family break-down, abuse, parental apathy and provide for healthier more positive futures for children( avoiding involvement in crime, drugs).
The WCIT Charity gave a grant of £ 1,000 towards the IT equipment and the course was run in summer 2015 with 89 % of fathers, surveyed in August 2015, agreeing that they felt more confident as a father as a result of their participation. All fathers surveyed agreed that they enjoyed taking part in the programme, highlighting its combination of formal learning and informal play / relaxation as key to this enjoyment. Low-income fathers reported an increase in parenting skills( setting boundaries, patience, handling conflict, confidence, etc …) as a result of the parenting programme.
“ I had the time to listen to my son’ s questions and he felt special with the time given to him, we really gained from each specialised activity, especially the speakers and communication card game with ideas to talk about” Father, survey, October 2015
“ I find that my father has opened up to us. Hearing that he was also cheeky at times gives me a little push. I know where I get it from!” Son, survey, October 2015.
Staff observations provide a plethora of examples of the ways that fathers have gained confidence in being a parent and greater skills, alongside growing understanding of their importance as a figurehead for their sons.
“ The greatest learning was the positive energy point, many parents seemed eager to begin working on this area. They see an obvious improvement in each of their children and they continuously imbue it into their children” Trainer, training diary notes, 2015
All school stakeholders surveyed agreed that the project is unique, ground-breaking and much needed in the community( 92 % strongly agreed). All would recommend the programme to other teachers / schools.
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