Newbury postie and much-loved scout volunteer launches kids coding studio

Marcus Brind, former secondary school teacher, local postman and loyal scout volunteer, is launching his own kids coding school in Newbury. With his partner of 30 years, Heather, by his side, the couple will be bringing their fun and interactive game-building and app-creating curriculum to children aged five to 14.

Code Ninjas, based on London Road in Newbury, will be the first coding education centre of its kind in the area. With an emphasis on the ‘fun’ in fundamentals of coding, Code Ninjas is the dream destination for any child that wants to learn. The students are called ninjas, the teachers are called Code Senseis and the school is called the dojo. Marcus and Heather decided to launch after seeing a gap in the market for a quality coding provider in the area.

“I recognised that Code Ninjas was a successful brand in the US and Canada, plus I’ve always had a strong belief in helping children gain skills in a creative and fun environment. Before training as a secondary school teacher, I spent close to 20 years with local accountancy firm, Griffins Accountants, as IT Manager. Within that role, I saw so much potential in the future of the technology industry and just how necessary it would be for children to be equipped with digital literacy.

“As well as teaching children how to design and build their own games and apps, Code Ninjas offers them the chance to learn analytical thinking and problem solving skills, both of which will help them later in life. The sessions are available after school and on weekends and aim to develop not only their tech skills but also their ability to communicate, work as part of a team and, of course, nurture their sense of self-belief over the course of the programme,” said Marcus.

Code Senseis help ninjas progress through the programme by working towards coloured wristbands - or ‘belts’ - based on the colour system in martial arts. The curriculum is self-paced and encourages the ninjas to collaborate with their friends to build robots and drones. At the end of the programme, ninjas will have developed a game or an app of their own, which their friends and family can buy on the app store. Imagine that on a CV!

“Technology is the future. We aim to help children thrive in an ever-changing digital world. By teaching them the fundamentals of coding we hope they realise that technology isn’t as daunting as it seems! We develop ninjas to think and solve STEM problems using software and games that they’re already familiar with, like Scratch®, Minecraft®, and Roblox®. The ninjas can attend sessions up to twice a week, but the timings are flexible, which means you don’t have to come at the same time or on the same day. We offer something very different to what’s taught in the traditional curriculum and after-school clubs, so I’m sure we’ll be popular with both students and parents,” added Heather.

The family-run studio, which will open officially on 29th May, has implemented a whole host of measures to ensure that the ninjas and Code Senseis are safe during the sessions.

“We’ve established strict social distancing policies and followed government guidelines to ensure families can feel safe in the knowledge that we’re putting their child’s wellbeing first,” said Marcus. “Our number one priority is ensuring our ninjas are enjoying themselves whilst also learning valuable skills. We can’t wait to welcome everyone into the dojo during our grand opening party, running across the three days of the bank holiday weekend.”

To register or find out more about Code Ninjas, visit: www.codeninjas.co.uk/newbury-brk-uk

Notes to Editors

For more information, or to speak with Marcus and Heather, contact Kelly Ayres at Rev PR on 07895 876745 or email kelly@revpr.co.uk
Images available: Multiple hi-res photos of Marcus and Heather in their Code Ninjas dojo.


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About Code Ninjas

Founded in 2016, Code Ninjas® is the world’s largest and fastest-growing kids coding franchise, with more than 220 locations open across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. At Code Ninjas, kids learn to code while building their own video games. They gain problem solving, critical thinking, and STEM skills in a fun, safe, and inspiring environment. Kids have fun, parents see results®. For more information, visit codeninjas.com.