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Following the introduction of the new primary school Computing curriculum this week, pupils aged 9 – 11 at Oaklands Primary School in Welwyn Garden City have been programming robots with developers from Ocado Technology as an extension to Code for Life, its nationwide initiative to inspire the next generation of computer scientists and equip pupils with the skills they need to revolutionise the industries of tomorrow.

According to recent research by Ocado Technology, the technology division which powers Ocado.com, 48% of children want to learn how to code so they can programme robots. In response, Ocado Technology organised a robot programming class for Oaklands School.

In a session held earlier in the week, the pupils learned basic programming skills using Rapid Router, an engaging Key Stage 1 and lower Key Stage 2 coding resource designed by Ocado Technology. In a second follow-up lesson, the pupils applied their new-found skills to programming individual robots.

Ocado Technology provided a number of robots built from Lego Technic, featuring a range of sensors and vision systems. The children were then set tasks to solve using the programming language Blockly, to get the robots to act purposively in the real world. The aim was to demonstrate the real-life applications of programming and bring these to life in the classroom.

Graham Deacon, head of the robotics team at Ocado Technology commented: “Programming now forms an important part of the new school curriculum. Our developers work on game-changing innovations every day, so understand the importance of inspiring the next generation of scientists. We wanted to introduce the children at Oaklands to the exciting world of robotics and programming in a fun and engaging way.”

A pupil at Oaklands School commented: “We had so much fun with Ocado. I’ve been looking forward to learning to code and have always wanted to programme a robot.”

To find out more about Rapid Router and the Code for Life initiative, please visit: www.codeforlife.education

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Local Welwyn primary school students programme robots with Ocado Technology