SCHOOL CHILDREN from Bexton Primary School were given the chance to design their own computer games and web pages at an event at Radbroke Hall in Knutsford.
The CoderDojo event was hosted by Hays Information Technology at Barclays Technology Centre at Radbroke.
More than 80 schoolchildren, including groups from Bexton, spent the day learning the basics of computer programming.
After their lesson in coding they had the chance to create computer games and websites with guidance from expert mentors from Barclays, parents and CoderDojo.
Danielle Ramsbottom, director at Hays Information Technology, which organised the event, said: “It was fantastic to see how much the children enjoyed learning about coding, and how proud they were to show off the games and websites they had developed at the end of the session.
“As recruiters we see that skill shortages in IT are a real issue, and we hope through events like these we can encourage more young people to try out coding and go on to consider studying and working in technology.”
CoderDojo is a not-for-profit organisation with its origins in a school computer club in Cork, and Dojos take place from Dublin to London, Tokyo to New York.
Eugene McDonough, chief operations officer at Hello World Foundation, which supports CoderDojo, said: “We were delighted to see close to 100 children enjoy themselves so much while learning the basics of programming. We look forward to seeing a regular Dojo in the south Manchester area.”
Julian Bucknall, service development manager, Barclays Technology Centre Radbroke, said: “This was a great opportunity to promote the importance of technology to the children in a fun and creative way.
“It provided an opportunity for parents and children to work together. Some of the children weren’t phased by presenting their ideas to everyone at the end – a skill many adults would admit to struggling with.”