Charity calls for a free code club in every school
Raspberry Pi Foundation - the education charity for digital skills - is calling for a free Code Club in every school and library in the UK, to ensure more young people can thrive in a digital future.
A new survey of parents of school aged children in the UK suggests parents understand the growing need for Code Clubs, with 60% saying that it’s important that their child learns how to code. More than half of parents (51%) say that coding should be a compulsory school subject through to GCSE. Despite this, the nationally representative survey conducted on behalf of the Raspberry Pi Foundation by Opinium, reveals more than 70% of parents report that their child is not taught coding at school as part of their regular lessons.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation already supports 2,000 free Code Clubs in schools and communities across the UK, where school-aged children can learn to code in a fun, supportive environment. By coding and creating with technology, young people attending are also being equipped with vital skills for a world being shaped by artificial intelligence (AI). The Foundation provides free training, ongoing support and digital resources for all teachers and volunteers setting up Code Clubs.
Philip Colligan CBE, CEO, Raspberry Pi Foundation said: “With the rapid advances in AI technologies it is more important than ever that every young person develops the skills, knowledge, and confidence to understand and create with tech. Attending a Code Club is a fantastic way for young people to get hands -on and creative with digital technologies in a safe and fun environment. We also know that attending a Code Club develops wider life skills like confidence, resilience, problem-solving and communication.
“There are already over 2,000 Code Clubs meeting regularly in schools and libraries across the UK and we want to see that number grow. We think that every community should have a Code Club. The Raspberry Pi Foundation supports schools, libraries and other community organisations to set up and run Code Clubs at no cost to the government, the venues, or parents. ”
The survey suggests a clear lack of confidence among parents when it comes to coding and digital technologies. 52% of parents reported that they would not know how to help their child with homework related to coding, yet 60% of parents of school aged children believe that understanding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and coding will give their child a career advantage later in life.
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