CODING FUN FOR DIGITAL BLUES YOUNGSTERS

To coincide with the international ‘Hour of Code’ initiative, and as part of the Chelsea Foundation’s ongoing Digital Blue programme, the pupils tackled a number of challenges relating to Block Coding, including ‘Robot Football’ with our ‘Sphero’s’, a Harry Potter Code challenge, and a Minecraft Challenge during this fun, educative and enriching event. Selected pupils, aged seven-11, will now become Chelsea FC Foundation Code Ambassadors within their school as part of the Digital Blue initiative with the hope they will pass on what they have learned to other eager students.

Among the schools in attendance was Servite RC Primary School and assistant headteacher James Moseley believes the opportunity to learn about new technology, at the home of the Blues, is a fantastic opportunity for the students. He said: “We came to various Digital Blues events last year and the kids take so much away from it. From the coding and online work to robot football it is just an amazing event for the kids, very enjoyable, but crucially linking into the new technology that will be a big part of their life. The equipment needed to teach these subjects is quite specialised and while the online stuff is available we don’t have many resources at school and there is only a certain amount of curriculum time we can put into this. We are so close to Chelsea that most of the kids are Chelsea fans and we never turn down the opportunity to work with the Foundation. For the kids to be here, at the stadium, but also learning is excellent.”

Foundation schools education manager Sam Gaskin-Kemp explained more about the day and Digital Blues, saying: ‘The Code Chelsea event was part of Computer Science Education Week and gave the children the chance to take part in an hour’s coding. However, it is part of a much bigger project and for the first time at the Chelsea Foundation, we will end the day with Digital Blue ambassadors. All the children from each of the three schools will go back to school as our ambassadors and will then deliver some of what they’ve learned here in after-school clubs which we will support. At Chelsea, we want to think about the future and what careers these children are likely to pursue in life, we also want to support teachers and schools to develop ideas they might not have time to put together and resources to create.”