Robots to help South Tyneside school pupils get over their SATs exams in new initiative

TechyTots is offering free workshops to schools whose Year 6 children have just completed their Key Stage 2 exams.

Company boss Gemma Murray, 33, from South Shields, says it is a way to reward them for their hard work and to celebrate pupil achievement.

The business brings together technology and play to introduce children to coding, the system which makes it possible to create everything from websites to computers.

Teachers can now apply for two one-hour taster sessions, which will see Gemma and her franchises visit the schools with their collection of robots and gadgets.

The mum-of-two said: “We are the very first class of this kind and our aim is to work on the first steps of coding with children at a young age.

“We believe this is instrumental for helping them to prepare for the technical world we now live in whilst making it fun.

“We decided to run the SATs initiative to celebrate the children’s success and offer schools a rewarding, fun activity to de-stress the children after all of their hard work.

“In our sessions, we encourage children to code by using robots and the most advanced toys available on the market.

“We also use unplugged play and activities which engage problem solving skills, early maths, confidence, critical thinking and creativity.”

Launched in May 2017, TechyTots, which works with a number of the region's schools, already has nine franchises throughout the UK and Ireland - with aims to expand further.

The business recently partnered with the British multinational enterprise software company Sage, to deliver STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - days in its UK and Ireland offices.

It was also nominated for ‘Best New Children’s Activity’ in the What’s on 4 Kids Awards 2018.

And Gemma won the ‘Women in STEM’ accolade at the North East Business Woman of the Year Awards last year.

She added: “It’s very exciting at the moment for TechyTots, we have lots of plans in the pipeline and are ever expanding.

“We are always keen to hear from prospective franchisees too, to help spread the love of coding even further.”

To apply for the free taster session, teachers need to email [email protected] by Friday, May 24.

They should include the school’s name, address and the year group they would like to nominate.