Last academic year Coding Success reached more than 300 schools with free teacher training, lesson plans, and LEGO Education SPIKE Prime kits.
The programme is aimed at eight to 14-year-olds attending state schools, with a particular focus on under-represented groups. It aims to find and inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and technicians.
Developed by education charity The Smallpeice Trust and Raising Robots, a LEGO Education Partner, the programme is funded by BAE Systems, the Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force.
It tasks pupils with a virtual humanitarian aid mission on an isolated volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. Throughout the Earthquake Rescue Mission, pupils have to successfully code their SPIKE Prime Robot Rescue Vehicle to react to an earthquake.
As well as focusing on coding skills, the programme also targets problem-solving skills and team-work skills.
One year 6 pupil from a Primary School in Stoke Poges said: “The best thing I did was trying out my code on the robot and then, if wrong, checking back to see where I went wrong and putting in the right code.”
Of the 542 teachers trained last year, 282 were primary and 260 were secondary teachers. The training consists of a three-and-a-half hour training course delivered by a LEGO Education certified trainer.