Streets ahead; neighbours turned business partners open first-of-its-kind kids coding studio in Leicester
Based at Manor High School in Oadby, long-time neighbours and friends, Saad Anjum and Zeeshan Cheema have launched Code Ninjas Leicester. The brand-new kids coding hub guides children aged 7-14 through many fun activities including robots and creating video games that can be shared with family and friends.
Zeeshan has spent over 15 years working in the IT sector, and he is passionate about bringing an alternative type of learning to children outside of the traditional education curriculum provided in schools and after-school clubs.
“I was looking for after-school activities for my own children,” said Zeeshan. “They love playing video games such as Scratch®, Minecraft®, and Roblox®, but I couldn’t find anything coding related for them to do in a club setting. It has been so handy to have them as willing test subjects as we prepared for launch, as I knew if my children loved our curriculum, so would the children of Leicester.”
“At Code Ninjas, we call all the students Ninjas, we call the teachers Code SenseisTM and the studio is called the Dojo. Our Senseis help Ninjas progress through the programme by working towards coloured wristbands - or ‘belts’ - based on the colour system in martial arts.”
The Code Ninjas curriculum is self-paced and encourages the Ninjas to collaborate with their friends too. At the end of the programme, Ninjas will have not only learned the ins and outs that come to coding, but will have a personalized video game of their creation that can be shared outside of just their close friends and family.
Co-founder Saad said, “We’re offering free trials throughout March, so kids can come and explore our Dojo with their families and get a taste of the Code Ninjas experience. Most after-school clubs tend to focus on English and maths; however, we have found a lot of children want to do something different.”
Ninjas can attend sessions up to twice a week at a time that is convenient for the whole family – so that does not have to mean the same day and time every week on repeat. The studio is also open on weekends, allowing families to make the most of the handy location.
After completing a degree in Sport Education Science, Saad, aged 25, decided to choose the launch of Code Ninjas over a Master’s degree, so he could support the next generation of tech-passionate kids.
“The pandemic gave me more time to focus on figuring out exactly what I wanted to do with my career, and when Zeeshan came to me with Code Ninjas I realised the difference that we could make by bringing a coding studio to Leicester.”
The pair are already looking to give back to their community, having dipped into the local academic talent pool; their four new SenseisTM are all conducting their studies at the University of Leicester. “We think that having young role models to support our Ninjas will make all the difference. Our SenseisTM are studying all sorts of amazing degrees from IT to engineering. From my own personal experience, I know the impact mentoring can have. We’re hoping as we grow, we can recruit some sixth formers from Manor High School, where we are based, and from the other amazing schools in the local area to join our team.”
To book a free trial session for your child or to enquire about attending the Grand Opening event, visit https://codeninjas.co.uk/leicester-lei-uk