Computing

Emanuel is a hub of exciting and innovative computing activity. Students in the Lower School have immensely enjoyed the addition of Computing, Design, and Robotics to their timetable, while talented coders and programmers of all ages have enjoyed honing their skills in weekly clubs and activities. As we look forward to introducing Computer Science A Level in September 2022, this is a very exciting time for Computing at Emanuel.

Mr P MacDonagh (Head of Computing)

Challenges and Competitions

Emanuel pupils have taken part in the Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge, with a significant number gaining a distinction for their problem-solving ability. This year the top 20% of competitors in the country were invited to take part in the Oxford University Computing Challenge. A special mention must be made for Harry (9HLM), who was impressively awarded a distinction, which places in him the top 5% nationally.

Coding Club

Participants in Coding Club have developed a range of exciting games and animations using Scratch. We trialed an internal Code Jam competition and in the June half-term we ran the first of a planned series of Game Coding workshops with a view to inviting coders from local schools to take part in regular Game Jam competitions.

Courses

A small but dedicated group of pupils have been pursuing a lunchtime course in Ethical Hacking and we have built a “sandbox network” using Raspberry Pi computers, which we will use to intercept wireless communications and explore methods of deciphering the encryption key.

Computer Science A Level

Next year will see the introduction of A Level Computer Science at Emanuel and, in preparation, pupils will take part in a fun day of talks at the Emmanuel Centre, Westminster. Topics will include Artificial Intelligence, Smart Cities and Logic problems as tackled by Alan Turing. We are hugely excited to expand Emanuel’s offering for Computing, and we look forward to reporting on the achievements of our students here.