Digital Schoolhouse teams up with PlayStation to spread edu-innovation

The Digital Schoolhouse programme is a pioneering initiative that has been recognised in the Royal Society report Shut Down or Restart and the House of Lords’ Digital Skills Select Committee report for its innovative approach to improving computing education. Proven to improve the quality of teaching and learning and pupil attainment for Computing, in its first year alone the project successfully supported over 5500 pupils and 600 teachers from across London. Delivered by Ukie (UK Interactive Entertainment), the trade body for the UK video games industry and supported by Computing at School, the Mayor of London and the DfE, the programme is now expanding to regions across the UK.

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Digital Schoolhouse, a pioneering programme which is led and delivered by games and interactive entertainment trade body Ukie, today announced PlayStation as its lead partner for the new academic year. This new national programme will increase the reach and support offered by DSH to an estimated 15,000 pupils and over 1,600 teachers from 19 schools across England in its first academic year. The partnership with PlayStation will ensure that Digital Schoolhouse can continue to offer its fun, creative workshops for free on a national scale.

The TES Award-winning Digital Schoolhouse is a recognised leading national programme that trains, empowers, and supports teachers in their delivery of computing by providing free, creative workshops where both teachers and pupils learn about computing fundamentals, and are left inspired by the wider benefits that computing and programming have beyond the schoolhouse.

“PlayStation is delighted to be partnering with Ukie to bring Digital Schoolhouse to more schools, and even more children, across the UK than ever before,” said Warwick Light, UK managing director and vice president of Sony Interactive Entertainment UK. “A great teacher can have a lasting impact on a student and not only does Digital Schoolhouse provide teachers with practical guidance and creative resources, but it gives them the confidence to be able to excite students about Computing in new and engaging ways. Digital Schoolhouse helps to make learning fun and with that comes endless possibilities.”

Digital Schoolhouse is run by the games and interactive entertainment industry trade body Ukie, and in 2014/15 delivered a London-based programme of activity that supported 9,000 pupils and 1,000 teachers across 127 schools. 100% of participating teachers both running and attending workshops said that they improved knowledge and confidence in teaching of creative computing, and schools reported that Digital Schoolhouse workshops significantly raised educational attainment amongst participating children – equally across boys and girls.

Now, due to the success of its programme and to the support of PlayStation, DSH is set to roll out a national programme that will engage with approximately 15,000 pupils and over 1,600 teachers from 19 Digital Schoolhouses in England.

Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of Ukie, said, “Ukie is proud to be rolling out the national Digital Schoolhouse programme across the country today thanks to PlayStation. The scale of the impact of the pilot year shows that the unique play-based learning model is working to inspire children from all backgrounds, at a young age, into creative computing as well as giving confidence and resources to their teachers.

“The national programme will future proof and equip the next generation with the fundamental skills necessary to drive the 21st century creative, digital economy. Collaboration with the games, creative and technology industries has been instrumental to the success of DSH, so we are delighted to have PlayStation as lead partner for the programme.”

Visit www.Digitalschoolhouse.org.uk for more information.