Month: November 2019

Announcing the winners of the ‘Shaun the Sheep: Mission to Space’ competition!

After seven weeks of coding and 683 b-a-a-a-a-a-rilliant entries from 35 different countries, we’re excited to announce the winners of the ‘Shaun the Sheep: Mission to Space’ competition!

Earlier this year, we joined forces with Aardman Animations, the creators of Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, to bring you the ‘Shaun the Sheep: Mission to Space’ competition.

The competition was open to all registered Code Clubs and the brief was simple: create a Scratch animation of Shaun and his new alien friend Lu-La using our starter project, then remix it to add your own story and code. 

A panel of judges from across the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Aardman Animations had the nearly impossible task of choosing 10 final winners from all of the incredible animations that we received. In fact, the task was so difficult that in the end, we had to choose 12 winning projects! 

Our winners came from Code Clubs from across the globe — from the UK, to France, Iraq, Israel, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia — and all demonstrated amazing creativity and coding skills. Congratulations to all of our winners for your fantastic submissions! We’ll be sending you your prizes very soon. 

Keep reading to find out about the young creators who made the winning entries, and make sure to take a look at their amazing Scratch projects! You can also head to the Shaun the Sheep YouTube channel to see a special highlight reel of our winners!

AliceCode Code Club, Israel

AliceCode Code Club submitted more than 40 entries to the competition, and we were so amazed at the quality that 3 winners were chosen from the club!

Nogah, aged 10

Judges loved how this project used the webcam to make the animation interactive. 

Ron, aged 11

This project made excellent use of backdrops and sound effects, and the judges loved the dialogue.

Alisa, aged 14

Alisa’s animation told a very clear story, and judges thought the movement of the characters between different places was really creative.  

Judges loved how Alisa’s animation moved through different locations

Steiner Academy Exeter Code Club, UK 

Audrey, aged 11 

The judges loved the storyline in Audrey’s animation, particularly the twist at the end!

The Mount School York Code Club, UK

Hannah, aged 8

Judges thought Hannah’s project was very joyful! They also thought that the way she recorded her own voice for the animation was really creative and unique. 

CodingDen Code Club, Sri Lanka 

Lithuli, aged 10

This project made amazing use of sound effects, and the judges loved how Lu-La addressed the audience directly. 

Judges loved how Lu-La spoke directly to the audience in Lithuli’s animation

Al-Ayn Social Care Foundation Code Club, Iraq

Al-Ayn Social Care Foundation was another Code Club with multiple winning entries! 

Rami, aged 10

This animation had great interactive elements, and the judges were also impressed with the use of sound effects. 

Ali, aged 10 

The judges loved the dramatic start, and how Ali used custom sprites for the rocket. 

Ali’s project used some very fun custom sprites!

Jardin du Code Code Club, France

Pierre aged 8, and Lilyrose, aged 9

The judges loved the small details, like the tiny jumping frog at the start of the animation.

Warwick Junior School Code Club, UK

Manas, aged 10

The judges loved how Manas made his project interactive by asking viewers to use keys to make actions happen. 

St. Christopher’s International Primary School Code Club, Malaysia

Cashel, aged 10

The text to speech impressed the judges, and there were lots of laughs when judging this entry. 

Worcester Park Library Code Club, UK

Burak, aged 9

The judges all commented on Burak’s running scenes and how they gave a great sense of action. Keep an eye out for Lu-La’s ears peeking out from behind a bush too! 


How the National Centre for Computing Education can help your Code Club

Whether you’re a teacher just starting out on your Code Club journey, or you have been running a Code Club for many years, the National Centre for Computing Education can support you and your professional development. 

We invited Paul Thornton, Network Education Lead for the National Centre for Computing Education, to share with us what the programme is and what support is available for teachers in England who are running a Code Club or looking at setting up a Code Club in their school. 

A primary school classroom, with a row of three boys are sat at a desk working on laptops. Classroom displays can be seen in the background, along with a Code Club volunteer.
Children learning to code at Welwyn St Mary’s Primary School Code Club

What is the National Centre for Computing Education? 

The National Centre for Computing Education was established in November 2018, backed by £84 million of government funding. It is led by a consortium of STEM Learning, the Raspberry Pi Foundation and BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. 

The National Centre is working to equip teachers in England with the skills and confidence to teach the new, reformed computer science curriculum, with the aim to encourage more participation in the subject at GCSE and A level.

“Our vision is for every child in every school in England to have a world-leading computing education.”  

– National Centre for Computing Education

How will it benefit teachers running Code Clubs?  

If you’re a teacher running a Code Club, the National Centre for Computing Education offers a number of opportunities that you can access for free, including training, resources, and local support for both primary and secondary school teachers.

A young Code Club girl is sat at a desk smiling whilst looking at her laptop. Knelt down beside her is a female volunteer who is looking at the laptop and is smiling too.
A young Code Club member sharing her project

Professional development

The National Centre for Computing Education provides free online and face-to-face training on a variety of topics and skills, with something to suit everyone. 

This includes a wide range of pedagogy-based courses for Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 3, which offer ready-to-implement teaching techniques, from ‘unplugged’ activities to programming lessons.

You may also be interested in the Computer Science Accelerator Programme, which can help you develop the subject knowledge needed to teach GCSE Computer Science. Although this programme is aimed at KS4, upskilling to this level will increase your confidence to set up and run a club for 9- to 13-year-olds. 

Resources

A growing collection of learning resources are available for free on the National Centre for Computing Education website. These resources offer a wealth of inspiration to help you run your club, including teacher guides and activities. 

Community support

Wherever you live in England, there are local experts on hand to support you to set up a Code Club, access equipment, and share your experiences with other teachers: 

  • Computing Hubs provide local, responsive, and tailored support for teachers across England. Soon the Hubs will also have physical kits that schools can borrow, which is perfect for trying something new at your Code Club.
  • Subject Matter Experts are situated across England and can support you and your school to set up your own Code Club.
  • CAS Communities (run by Computing at School) are networks of Computing teachers that share expertise, resources, and best practice, including sharing tips and advice from clubs that they have run.
A Code Club leader is sat at a desk, looking at printed copy of Code Club project.
A Code Club leader trying out a project

Get started with Code Club and the National Centre for Computing Education

If your school is looking at setting up a Code Club, start your journey today and find out how you and your school can get involved. You can also keep up-to-date with Code Club news on Facebook and Twitter. 

Register for free on the National Centre for Computing Education website to find the latest news and courses. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter to be the first to know about any new opportunities available to you and your school.