Digital Innovation

Online Safety Talk

PC Amelia Brooker from Kent Police’s Child Centred Policing visited our school yesterday to talk to students in Years 5-8 about online safety. This session supported our current computing topic on eSafety and provided an opportunity for the children to ask questions.

Her engaging presentation captured the pupils’ interest and deepened their understanding of important e-safety issues. PC Brooker covered various online risks, including cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and privacy concerns, offering valuable insights from a law enforcement perspective. Her discussion emphasised the significance of responsible online behaviour and the potential consequences of digital missteps.

In addition, the children also enjoyed learning about life in the police force, which sparked numerous questions that continued as she was leaving. Overall, PC Brooker’s visit greatly enhanced our pupils’ ability to navigate the digital world more safely and responsibly. Peter Meier

Exciting times at Holmewood House as our Esports teams battle it out in the Cottesmore Esports Online competition! One Year 8 team, Fernando, Beracah and Jack, remains unbeaten, while the other, Finn Year 8 and Ralph and Harrison, Year 7, shows incredible teamwork and perseverance against tough opponents. Our young gamers are loving every moment in our newly renovated digital innovation room. We look forward to the next round—GG to all participants! Peter Meier

Our Year 6 and 7 pupils are excited to compete in the Bebras Challenge, an international competition running in approximately 30 countries! Organised by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in partnership with the University of Oxford, this challenge focuses on computational thinking through engaging online puzzles. Pupils will learn to break down problems (using decomposition and abstraction) to understand them better and come up with innovative solutions. These essential skills are not only vital for the Bebras Challenge but also apply to many elements of the computing curriculum, including coding.  Let’s support our young problem-solvers as they embrace this fantastic opportunity!

Success in the first ever girls-only prep school esports competition!

Six girls took part in the world’s first-ever girls-only prep school esports competition, held at Cottesmore. Despite last-minute challenges, including team changes and illness, our girls showed amazing determination, adaptability, and teamwork. ⁠ ⁠

The competition featured Minecraft, Brawl Stars, and Rocket League – with limited training our girls really rose to the occasion:⁠ ⁠

🏅 Rocket League:⁠ Silver (Team 1) – narrowly missing 1st place to Roedean in a neck-and-neck final.⁠ Bronze (Team 2) – great determination from start to finish.⁠ ⁠

🏅 Brawl Stars:⁠ 2nd Place (Team 2) – after a tough match against a strong Halcyon 1 team!⁠ ⁠ 🎮 Rocket League:⁠ Silver (Team 1), Bronze (Team 2) – allowing only Roedean to share the podium⁠ ⁠

Through technical issues and tough competition, our girls remained positive, resilient, and sportsmanlike. Mr Meier adds ‘the girls were exemplary ambassadors for our school, showcasing politeness, perseverance and good humour throughout the day’. Well done to all!⁠

Our Year 6 pupils explored radio communications using the Micro:bits. The highlight was an innovative ‘Treasure Hunt’ challenge that combined coding skills with outdoor adventure. Students programmed their micro:bits to detect signals from hidden ‘beacon’ micro:bits scattered around the Quad. Each hidden device emitted two crucial numbers: one indicating the order in the combination, and another representing a padlock number. Working in pairs, our young tech enthusiasts raced against time to code their devices, locate the hidden micro:bits, and decipher the lock combination to claim their edible reward. The air was filled with excitement as several groups successfully cracked the code, demonstrating their newly acquired skills in both programming and problem-solving. This hands-on activity not only reinforced their understanding of micro:bit radio communication but also fostered teamwork and critical thinking in a fun, engaging way.