As part of our ongoing partnership with Arm, 30 pupils from across Meridian Trust participated in an ‘Innovation Day’.
Arm, who are based in Cambridge, are the world’s leading semiconductor design company. The pupils from Histon and Impington Brook Primary, Histon and Impington Park Primary and Trumpington Park Primary joined together as part of the company’s Primary School Outreach Programme.
The day saw the children — from Years 3 and 4 — work in small groups to design, prototype, and then present their ideas for a small digital pet that could keep children company during a long hospital stay. Each build incorporated a micro:bit: a small programmable device that includes sensors capable of picking up light, sound, and movement.
Meg Arnold, who leads Arm’s Primary School Outreach Programme, said: “It was fantastic to see the innovative ideas the children created, but most of all, it was wonderful to see the pupils’ excitement and willingness to try new things! With support from Arm Primary School Outreach volunteers, all the pupils learned to interact with new computer hardware, develop a program on MakeCode, and download it onto their micro:bit!”
“Through events like this, it is easy to see how much enthusiasm young learners have for technology when it’s used in creative problem-solving. It highlights the need for more opportunities, such as this one, to allow students to get hands-on with technology so they can develop essential computer literacy skills to help them thrive in our increasingly digital world.”
Mr Staplehurst, Teacher at Histon and Impington Brook Primary, added: “The day itself was excellent and really well organised. It was great to see the children so enthusiastic and engaged during the activities and experience coding in a purposeful way.
“We’re really thankful to Arm for the opportunity to work with them and to be able to offer such valuable experiences and opportunities to the children at our schools.”
The children who took part described the day as ‘fantastic’, ‘awesome’, and ‘extraordinary’. They all agreed that they would recommend this experience to other children and would love to do it again.
Arm is also involved in Meridian Trust’s Young Innovators project, which is aimed at unleashing the creativity and problem-solving skills of primary school pupils.
