Computing
Computing at Worth Valley Primary School develops ‘thinkers of the future’ through a modern, ambitious and relevant education in computing. We want to equip pupils with computational thinking skills and creativity that will enable them to become active participants in the digital world. It is important to us that children understand how to use ever-changing technology to express themselves, as a tool for learning and as a means to drive their generation forward into the future.
Whilst ensuring they understand the advantages and disadvantages associated with online experiences, we want children to develop as respectful, responsible and confident users of technology, aware of measures that can be taken to keep themselves and others safe online.
Our aim is to provide a computing curriculum that balances the acquisition of broad and deep knowledge with opportunities to apply skills in various digital contexts. Beyond teaching computing discretely, we give pupils opportunities to apply and develop what they have learnt across the wider curriculum.
Online safety advice for parents
Useful websites
Code club
We run an after-school Code Club at Worth Valley. We were lucky to receive a visit from Katherine Leadbetter from Code Club, which is a global network of coding clubs.
We use various programmes that are not covered in Purple Mash to enhance our computing and coding skills. After Katherine’s visit, she interviewed Terrell about his Code Club experiences, which was then published on their website.
Our micro-interview blog series
In our micro-interview blog series, we’re chatting to educators and young coding enthusiasts and hearing about their Code Club experiences.
Worth Valley Primary School in Keighley, England, launched its Code Club in spring 2023, and club members have been working through the Introduction to Scratch pathway.
Each week, 15 young people take part in the club sessions. This is where we first met Terrell, aged nine, a budding coder with a passion for coding and learning new skills.
Terrell told us what he enjoys about attending the after-school Code Club at his school.
Terrell at his Code Club in Keighley
Enjoy this micro-interview with Code Club member Terrell
Let’s get started…
What inspired you to start coding?
What inspired me was when I first saw coding, I saw that it was great to help people make things happen in programs and make games, and I wanted to have a go as I really like games and would love to make my own games so that I can play them, evaluate them and give myself feedback to improve them, then send the programs to share with others.
What do you enjoy the most about coding?
The best thing about coding is all the things we have to do. We’ve learnt how to follow programs and make things happen and then share them with everyone and show how proud we are of our code. I’ve enjoyed everything we do in Code Club and learning new skills as we complete each project.
How do you help your Code Club friends with their coding projects?
I help them if they are stuck. I like to help, and if I can, I’ll find a solution, or if I know how to make them succeed, I will help them. It’s great to help each other and, if we are not sure, we ask each other or persevere to find the answer.
What’s your favourite project that you have made with code?
My favourite project was making my own book as I got to use all my skills and choose my own sprites. You can replay it and add more if you want to, or listen to it whenever you want to.
Describe your Code Club in three words.
Educating. Fun. Programming.
Thank you, Terrell!
Computing
