News
East London school joins Prime Minister and Education Secretary for “Hour of Code”
A class from Eastlea Community School in East London joined Prime Minister David Cameron and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan in December as they took part in completing an hour-long coding tutorial at Downing Street during ‘Hour of Code’ week. This is part of the government’s drive to ensure schools are teaching the technology skills that will be vital in the future – which means that more girls are choosing Maths A level than ever before.
Both Prime Minister David Cameron and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan joined the students in completing their first lines of code by participating in a Minecraft tutorial, which introduces players to basic coding within the fun and popular “Minecraft” environment. The students also gave the ministers demonstrations of some of their projects developed using a BBC micro:bit, a pocket-sized codeable computer with motion detection, a built-in compass and
Bluetooth technology, including a robot. These devices will be given free to all Year 7 students early next year by the BBC and partners, to inspire young people to try out coding and get creative with digital and develop core skills in science, technology and engineering.
Prime Minister David Cameron, said: “It’s crucial that we give our young people the skills they need to get on so they can compete for the best jobs of the future. In this digital age, coding matters, which is why initiatives such as the Hour of Code are so important and why we’ve embedded it in our national curriculum alongside other STEM subjects.
“We are also delivering on our commitment to increase the number of girls taking STEM subjects at school. More girls than ever before are choosing maths A-level - over the last Parliament thousands more chose courses that will develop these vital tech skills.”
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: “The Hour of Code initiative shows that coding is for everyone and by learning these digital skills, all pupils can have the opportunity to fulfil their potential to get on in life. The world is changing and it is essential that we have a generation of young people with the knowledge and skills to become active creators of digital technology, not just consumers of it. Today I’ve written my first line of code and now I’m challenging all parents to do the same.”
The Minecraft tutorial is part of The Hour of Code, a week long initiative (7th - 13th December 2015) which aims to demystify coding and enable parents, teachers and students across the UK to get a fun introduction to coding. Over 2000 schools in the UK have already signed up to participate and it is hoped that 10 million people across the UK will take part, building on the six million who did last year.
http://hourofcode.com/uk
Research suggests clearer guidance needed on specialist childhood obesity services
A Sheffield based weight management programme, SHINE, and a Leeds Beckett researcher are challenging the government to provide clearer structures and frameworks for specialist weight management services, alongside increased funding, in order to tackle the country’s growing obesity problem amongst children and young people. With an estimated 2.9% of girls and 3.9% of boys suffering from severe obesity, leading to potential cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other health conditions, the SHINE (an established Tier 3 weight management programme) and Leeds Beckett led research, suggests there is currently a lack of direction and guidance for these children and young people in accessing specialist Tier 3 obesity services.
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www.education-today.co.uk
The research undertaken by SHINE Managing Director Kath Sharman and Leeds Beckett researcher James Nobles was published this week in the British Journal of Obesity, and assesses who should provide Tier 3 services, what Tier 3 services could look like in practice and asks for clarity on funding such services. Tier 3 services or specialist obesity services refers to programmes delivered by specialist providers and targeted at children with more complex, severe obesity. This paper is the first of a three-part series which will detail a stepped care approach to delivering weight management services as well as evaluating the impact of the SHINE programme.
www.shinehealthacademy.org.uk January 2016
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