TWO Borders schools took part in a live coding lesson that was shown in schools across Europe.

Kelso High School and Earlston Primary School took part in the lesson as part of EU Code Week, which took place between October 19-23.

The two schools participated in coding lessons and follow-up activities, which are now available to view on YouTube.

The event was designed for pupils from P6 and S2 and their teachers to increase confidence around coding, with 59 primary schools and nine secondary schools in the Borders invited to participate.

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Jill Lothian, head teacher at Kelso High School, said: “We are always looking for ways to ensure pupils are prepared for the future, and the pandemic has shown that digital skills will be crucial to the workplace going forward.

“We jumped at the opportunity to get involved with the EU Code Week programme, which we felt was a fantastic way for the junior pupils to build on their skills and experience gained via the coding programme which we launched in June.”

The council’s Inspire Learning programme has seen every pupil from P4-S6 equipped with their own iPad, something which Ms Lothian says will “give rural schools new opportunities for teachers and pupils”.

“The iPad has enhanced the pupil learning experience, enabled teacher creativity across all subjects and is truly embedded into the curriculum.

"We want to build on this going forward, and are exploring different ways of teaching subjects.”

Andrew Jewell, part of the council’s Inspire Learning programme, said: “This is an opportunity to showcase what is happening in the Scottish Borders at a national and potentially global level.

“Coding has become an increasingly sought-after skill across a range of industries and helps people understand how to solve problems and create solutions.”

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He added: “This event allowed younger pupils to dip their toe in the water, improve their digital literacy, and increase teacher confidence in delivering this subjective as a core part of the curriculum in the Scottish Borders.”

The council recently rolled out a six-week coding course for first and second-year pupils at secondary school.

Catherine Thomson, quality improvement officer at SBC, said: “This event is a great follow-up to our coding programme which we ran before lockdown for first and second-year students.

“The goal now is to continue to build on this and implement our ten-year strategy, ensuring that every pupil from the Scottish Borders leaves school digitally literate, with an understanding about how to code.”