World class coding workshops for Westbury’s primary schools

CODING workshops have been running at Westbury primary schools over the past three weeks. 

Westbury Town Council  report, “We have organised world class software engineers from Lockheed Martin to run the online courses, introducing local 9-11 year olds to the concepts of coding. 

“Schoolchildren from Bitham Brook Primary and Westbury Leigh Primary School took part in this exciting programme, with each workshop recorded so other schools can use them in the future. This was a priority for Westbury Town Council after they were made aware some local schools were following new schedules because of Covid-19 and couldn’t attend the initial sessions. 

“STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) represents the foundation blocks to many of the existing and emerging industries in the UK, including information technology, social media, engineering and biotechnology. Critical thinking, creativity and collaboration are all important aspects taught within STEM learning, as well as maths, science and engineering skills. “

Ryan Child, Westbury Town Council events manager said, “This first set of workshops was a precursor to more STEM-based programmes the town council is supporting as we build towards the first ever White Horse Soapbox Derby in 2021. That event will use various STEM skills to build soapboxes that can race against each other on top of the White Horse.”

The town council added, “The coding workshops proved extremely popular with the students themselves, with many working on their projects at home. This is possible through the website SCRATCH, which uses interactive and fun ways to teach coding. The site was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of America’s most celebrated universities, and is now being used by Westbury’s next generation.”

This coding workshop is open to all year 5 and year 6 students and will soon be made available online. Any requests for this learning tool or enquiries about the White Horse Soapbox Derby can be directed to Events@westburytowncouncil.gov.uk