Ballyclare pupils take part in nationwide ‘Digital Schoolhouse’

Pupils from Ballyclare were recently participants in the programme, which is currently on tour around the country and is set to reach over 30,000 pupils this academic year.

The High School pupils took part in an esports tournament with the hope of reaching the grand final in London on April 8.

A study produced by Digital Schoolhouse, a government initiative that uses play-based learning to engage the next generation of pupils with the Computing curriculum, has found that over 80% of students taking part in esports tournaments in the programme are more likely to participate in other team sports. Nintendo UK is supporting Digital Schoolhouse’s pioneering national schools e-sports tournament, an immersive career experience for students that allows them to develop practical and soft skills with participation in professional roles such as event management and hosting.

The programme reached Ballyclare at the start of this month when pupils took part in regional qualifiers at Belong Gaming Arenas across the UK, ahead of the grand final on April 8 at Gfinity Arena in London as part of the London Games Festival.

The study found that participation in esports creates positive behavioural change and helps develop transferable skills in young players. Seventy-four per cent of students surveyed said it helped improve communication skills and 80% said they’re more likely to work better in a team.

Digital Schoolhouse together with Nintendo, delivered by the games industry body Ukie, found that not only is the programme meeting its objectives through encouraging students to engage with the Computing Curriculum, with 98% of visiting school’s pupils feeling more confident in computing after being involved in a Digital Schoolhouse workshop, but also its permeating the positive impacts of competitive gaming beyond the student’s directly involved, as 74% of lead teachers agreed that the Digital Schoolhouse programme has had a positive impact on the school’s profile in the local community and just under half believe that the programme has positively impacted the school’s profile nationwide.

Luke McWilliams, Event & Community Manager at Nintendo UK said: “This research and programme show the often overlooked or unknown benefits that esports and competitive gaming offer students.”