Wandsworth schools visit Apple to showcase digital and coding work
Published: Friday, May 19, 2023
Two local schools were welcomed to Apple’s new offices in Battersea to present their new digital skills learned over the past year, thanks to a flagship collaboration with the global tech company now based in the borough.
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Students from St Mary’s Primary School and Sacred Heart Primary School produced an impressive exhibition of their digital project work and used their iPads to show the Leader of Wandsworth Council and Apple employees what they had achieved so far.
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Councillor Simon Hogg, Wandsworth Council Leader, opened the special meet-our-neighbours session by congratulating the students on their artwork, achievements and the strong neighbourhood connections that have come out of the partnership with Apple and the Wandsworth City Learning Centre.
Starting last summer, over 80 students from Year 5 picked up coding and digital creativity skills through The Battersea Project and the Apple Regional Learning Centre which has been established at Wandsworth City Learning Centre.
To support the students and their parents, more than 30 teaching staff learned essential coding and digital literacy skills to gain Apple Teacher Certification which helps them unlock apps for the classroom and explore the Everyone Can Create curriculum.
Parents have also been offered digital classes to ensure there is seamless support for all members of the school community.
Simon Hogg said: “We’ve seen some incredible work from the amazing staff and students at St Mary’s and Sacred Heart schools. I’d like to thank the team at Apple for all they’ve given to the partnership so far and providing such inspiration to our students. This event shows how much we can achieve by working in close collaboration and I look forward to working together on even more exciting things in the future.”
Tech updates: St Mary's students chat to Kath Mackenzie, Apple's Government Affairs Initiatives Manager
During their visit to the state-of-the-art Apple campus, the students got a taste of working in a hi-tech office and asked Apple employees about their jobs and how they too could work for Apple in the future. They were also treated to a musical session in the impressive Apple Lecture Theatre where they produced their own tracks using GarageBand and were inspired to learn more digital skills on their devices.
Following a session with Apple leaders at their schools last year, students were motivated to learn additional skills during a recent school trip to the Apple Store on Regent Street where they worked alongside Apple Creative Pros.
Over the past year, the schools have been running in-school sessions, after-school coding and digital clubs and a successful summer camp which increased attendance at booster classes in Maths and English.
Executive Head Teacher, Jared Brading, said “To be able to up-skill and enthuse everyone has been fantastic, and we are excited by the ongoing opportunities working with Apple will bring our community in Battersea.”
