Secondary school Code Clubs in Malvern

For the past seven years as a Computing at School (CAS) Lead School, the Computing Faculty at The Chase has been working with primary and secondary schools across Worcestershire to inspire teachers and children to get excited about coding and digital making. John Palmer, Faculty Leader for Computing & Business at The Chase, explains the role Code Club plays for students of both primary and secondary ages.

Code Club and The Chase

One project that The Chase has enthusiastically supported is Code Club, which is supported in Malvern by STEM Ambassadors from local organisations such as Key IQ, borwell, QinetiQ, UTC Aerospace Systens, and Malvern Instruments.

Malvern now has one of the highest concentrations of Code Clubs in primary schools anywhere in the UK, and the Malvern Code Club community has grown rapidly — there are a large number of volunteers, educators, parents, and young people who make Code Club possible. We have seen how having a club has helped primary schools adapt to the challenges of the new computing curriculum. Moreover, we are starting to see the impact of Code Club in skilling up and enthusing the next generation of students. It has led to a large number of students studying GCSEs in Computer Science at The Chase, and to both staff and students running a range of computer science STEM activities and clubs, which see a huge demand from students.

Code Club for secondary ages

Starting in September, The Chase is one of the first schools in the UK to set up a new secondary school Code Club for students Years 7 and 8 following the official expansion of the Code Club programme.

Supporting the Chase Secondary Code Club will be STEM Ambassador and Engineer Nick Howden from UTC Aerospace Systems. UTC Aerospace support a number of STEM Activities at The Chase, including a STEM activity day in July for Year 8 students, which included a range of activities involving Spheros and based on coding, engineering, and robotics. Nick says:

“We are delighted to be involved in what is a superb opportunity for students at The Chase. It will give us access to new educational resources, which we hope be interesting and exciting and meet the needs of older club members and more experienced coders. The activities help students develop a wide range of skills in addition to coding, such as teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity, all of which are vital to their future success.”

This will give our students further opportunities to develop skills vital in the 21st century, and we must thank Code Club and UTC Aerospace for their support with this. Chase STEM students really are the next generation of Malvern’s brilliant brains which will ultimately enable the UK to innovate in the global marketplace.

A message from the team at Code Club

We’ve recently extended the Code Club age range to include secondary school ages up to 13, increasing the reach of our support and projects to more students, schools, and volunteers across the world.

If you’d like to start a Code Club in your school, or dedicate time to volunteering in the UK, check out our website.

Want to find out about Code Clubs across the globe? Head to Code Club International for information on your nearest partner.