Fife primary school pupils set to ‘crack the code’ at virtual academy

Designed by Fife College, with support from Fife Council’s economic development team, the academy offers pupils in P5-P7 an introduction to the fundamentals of computer programming.

With well over 1500 registrations so far from 20 primary schools across the region, it is anticipated that up to 2000 pupils will take part in this year’s initiative.

The 18-week programme, now in its second year, offers pupils the opportunity to work through a range of basic programming on HTML, CSS and Python.

The course concludes with a secret message task, where the young people can make an encryption programme to send and receive secret messages with a friend.

Rebecca Blyth, academic and quality manager of computing and technologies at Fife College, said: “We are excited that more pupils will get the chance to develop essential skills in programming and maths.

“The opportunity to highlight career opportunities at a young age, while engaging their imagination, is key to building their economic future.”

Fife Council’s economic development’s Culture of Enterprise programme has been marketing the academy to schools and dealing with registrations and enquiries.

Jenny Davidson, teacher at Leslie Primary School, said: “Our children were delighted to be part of the programme last session. We have looked at basic coding in the past, but this added more depth and progression, challenging everyone.

“The children enjoyed the online learning experiences and are excited to be part of this again.”

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