THORNTON College is one of the first schools in the country to adopt the latest advanced robotics in the classroom.
Working with Reach Robotics as part of the pilot programme for Reach EDU, Thornton teachers have been using MekaMon robots to teach coding to their students.
MekaMon is a highly advanced quadruped robot. Initially launched as a gaming robot, the new ReachEDU app offers a structured pathway to learning coding and, crucially the option to be creative once students have got to grips the concepts.
MekaMon was first seen at Thornton last month, as part of the highly successful STEM event.
Joanne Hall, Year 6 ICT teacher at Thornton, said: “Coding is the literacy of the 21st century – so it’s an absolutely crucial skill for my students.
“What’s great about MekaMon is its personality. The students immediately latch onto its character and the level of movement means they can create really fun and engaging outputs for their coding.
“I can also see loads of potential for cross-curricular lessons outside of coding – I’m really looking forward to experimenting more with MekaMon.”
Jo Scott, Careers and Enterprise Leader at Thornton College, said: “The reception to MekaMon at our STEM event last month was amazing, so naturally we were delighted to be part of the EDU pilot programme.
“As a girls’ school, we are particularly keen to promote STEM to our pupils – both in terms of their studies and future careers.”
John Rees, co-founder of Reach Robotics, said: “It has been brilliant working with Thornton College. As we prepare to launch ReachEDU next month, we want to ensure we are getting as much feedback and input from teachers and pupils as possible.
“We want to deliver an education platform that entertains, inspires and educates. Our time at Thornton is integral to achieving this aim.”
Thornton College will be running additional ReachEDU sessions with the upper school in April.
