First club in the Channel Islands!

Twelve children at Amherst Primary School in Guernsey are taking part in a Code Club run by local digital agency Indulge Media. The development team at Indulge take it in turns to teach weekly coding classes which began in September at the start of the school year.

Director Russell Isabelle said: “We decided to get involved with Code Club because we believe that by generating interest in the possibilities of computer sciences from an early age, we can inspire the next generation to take an active role in innovation and creating technology instead of simply teaching them how to use it.

“As an employer in the digital industry it is difficult to find local individuals with the skills we require. Although technology plays an increasingly dominant role in modern society, the current ICT curriculum still revolves around basic computer use – there is very little emphasis on how to actually design or create. Coding and programming is behind everything we do on computers and the internet and we think students should be given a taste of what they have the potential to create.

“It is highly rewarding for our team to watch children respond positively and use computers in this way. Code Club is great and we would encourage other creative agencies, who might be able to deliver this opportunity to other schools across the island, to get involved.”

Amherst Primary School Headteacher Tracey Moore thinks the initiative is an ideal way to get the children thinking more deeply about technology at a crucial age. “The response we have had from students has been incredibly positive and it’s great to see them engaging with a new skill outside of the standard curriculum. The Indulge team have been brilliant at engaging with the children and we hope that we will be able to offer more students the same opportunity in years to come.”