Look inside a classroom at Haileybury Rendall School and you might see students piloting drones, bringing their ideas to life on 3-D printers, or using coding to develop projects.
It is all part of a hands-on learning program designed to challenge and extend students. In Junior School, students are introduced to the fundamentals of computer science through fun, interactive activities. As they move to the senior years of the School, students start programming with languages, using coding to problem solve and even create their own artwork.
“Students can gain hands on experience with some awesome skills and digital tools,” explains Jack Galbraith, Head of Computer Science and Head of Digital Innovation.
One exciting feature of the digital program is the use of 3-D printers in the School’s Flexible Learning Centre. This enables students to use 3-D modelling software programs to design and 3-D print their own projects.
Video game development is also a part of the curriculum that many students find exciting. “Teams of students create stories, art, music and graphics to create games they can actually play,” explains Jack. Junior School students start with Scratch, which is a block-based programming language designed to help beginners learn to code. Middle and Senior students use more advanced programs such as Godot and GDScript.
One of the most exciting additions to Haileybury’s digital innovation curriculum is the use of educational drones. “Drones make abstract ideas tangible as students can literally see the outcome of their code take flight. This sense of immediate feedback and real-world relevance drives engagement, curiosity and persistence,” explains Jack.
This approach encourages students to think about real-world applications for technology and explore how it can be used to solve problems or help others.
It has inspired students like Ale, Year 8, to keep exploring and asking questions. “It has helped me to get into coding, and using drones is such a fun way to learn this,” he says. “It has helped me to understand more about the world around me.”
Ale’s experience highlights exactly what the School is hoping to achieve. It has made learning fun while sparking interest in technology and innovation. This gives students a better understanding of the technology that shapes our world as well as learning more about future career possibilities.
Jack says that working with drones and other digital tools help students to develop a broad range of technical skills that can be applied across many aspects of life and study.
The School also emphasises the importance of responsible use of technology. “Students learn that responsibility is an important part of innovation, and that being ‘tech savvy’ also means they need to be safe, respectful and aware of their impact,” explains Jack.
For parents who want to support their child’s interest in digital innovation at home, Jack’s advice is to be curious together. “Let your child teach you some things. Students love it when they’ve figured out something that I’ve never seen before. In my classes, we celebrate experimentation over perfection.”
As technology continues to evolve, so too will the opportunities for students at Haileybury Rendall School.
